Leaving For Memphis Tonight!

[stef-the-kicking-cuty]

Hi everybody!

My mother and I leave for Memphis, TN, this evening for a 3 or 4 day trip and I was wondering, if I could ask you guys for a little help in this matter.

I don't have any time for research right now and didn't the weeks before leading up to this event either, because of a mother that asks another question every 5 minutes and a son that hangs on my leg all the time. Thanks a thousand times in advance right now. This is not only a gluten issue, I was thinking vacation help in general. I will post the questions here in a second.

I am looking for something neat to see or do in any of these cities, because they are all on our travel Route:

- Hagerstown, MD

- Winchester, MD

- Harrisonburg, VA

- Roanoke, VA

- Bristol, TN or VA??? (don't know)

- Knoxville, TN

- Cookeville, TN

- Nashville, TV

- Jackson, TN

- and last but not least, Memphis

Does not have to be much and if possible, needs to be cheap. We don't have much budget. Does anybody know a cheap place to stay in Memphis? I would have love to be in the heartbreak hotel with my mother, but it's too expensive for us. We can never afford that.

In Germany (or Europe for that matter), you can have cheap B&B's, that are for rent by private families. You can get those for anything between $10 and $50 bucks over there, which is great for a tight budget (like ours). Does anybody know something cheap like that in the area, where we're coming through? Because we might need an "emergency" shelter, cause I'm tired and can't go no more. After all we're driving 13 hours one way and my mother is driving none of it, because I would like to keep my car a little while longer, lol.

Other than that we will prepare our cooler and already bought a little milk bottle, yoghurt, bananas, oranges, grapes, eggs (they will be hard boiled for travel), potatoes and bacon for the potatoe salad, fruit juices, water. We will prepare three or four steakes already and eat them at the beginning of our travels, plus the eggs. The yoghurt and fruit we'll eat later. The potatoe salad is always good, because there's no mayo or anything in it that can spoil. I already baked a glutenfree bread and will take some Nutella with us, because Nutella doesn't spoil. The glutenfree toaster is already packed. If anybody has any more ideas concerning the snacks, please, let me know. Also, please look at our routes again and if you know a cheap supermarket close to that route, please, let me know.

You can plug the cooler into the fire lighter, so our stuff stays cool. The cooling packs will hop into the freezer in our respective hotel (I hope they have one of those little fridges) for our way home.

I've had an up and down with my mother the last few days and can't think straigth. So some advice from anybody on here would be greatly appreciated. I'm usually good with research, but as I said, I feel mentally handicapped right now.

Thank you so much to everybody.

[stef-the-kicking-cuty]

Oh, I forgot (see? I can't think!). The reason, why we're going down there is to see Graceland. My mother is like THE biggest Elvis fan on this planet. So, please don't suggest THAT of all things. It's already planned in. I was thinking of something along the way.

I will take my laptop with me, so I still can read your answers down there in the hotel. If it's too late to do on the way down, we might be able to do it on the way back up.

We'll come back up Sunday or Monday. But most likely Sunday already!

Thanks so much.

[stef-the-kicking-cuty]

I found one of those "top secret" hotels on Travelocity. It's the Graceland Memphis Airport Hotel. They write on Travelocity, that this is only $32 dollars a night. What's the catch??? Are the taxes there higher? So there might be a higher tax on it, which wouldn't make it THAT cheap in the end?

[GlutenFreeManna]

I don't have any suggestions on places to stay, but when you cross the border into TN be sure to stop at the state "Welcome Center". You can get travel booklet with hotel discounts and also plenty of pamplets on things to see and do in the state. Every state border should have a a welcome center like this, assuming you are traveling the main interstates. There will be someone behind the desk during daytime hours to help you and they can even call a hotel to book a hotel for you (or they might offer you a phone to do it yourself).

Your traveling food sounds good. It's almost identical to what I took when traveling from Virginia to Iowa a few months ago, except I had grill chicken instead of steaks and I didn't have potato salad. When you get back from your trip, would you mind sharing your potato salad recipe? I don't like mayo, so I haven't thought to try a potato salad without it.

[GlutenFreeManna]

I found one of those "top secret" hotels on Travelocity. It's the Graceland Memphis Airport Hotel. They write on Travelocity, that this is only $32 dollars a night. What's the catch??? Are the taxes there higher? So there might be a higher tax on it, which wouldn't make it THAT cheap in the end?

The "catch" is usually in the star rating. It may not be the cleanest or it might be located in an undesirable area. Also, probably not very comfortable, but if you are used to traveling Europe and staying in hostels it may be fine for your needs. It also may not have any amenities like free breakfast or cable TV or internet access.

[stef-the-kicking-cuty]

We have a pretty no-brainer route down to Memphis. We will start out in Carlisle, PA, tonight (I'll give my last class there, before I leave). From there we take I-81 down South. That one goes through Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. It's basically always I-81 merged together with some other highways. Like after we entered Virginia it will be I-81 with I-64 for a short while (about 30 miles), then it's I-81 again for another 110 miles. Then it's I-81 with I-77 and US-11, then I-81 with US-52. That's when we enter Tennessee. And then it completely changes to I-40 West, then I-40 West and I-75 South. Then again I-40 West for another 155 miles. Then I-40 keeps merging with some other highways every 1 or 2 miles or so. Then it's only I-40 for another 196 miles. Then it's I-240 towards Jackson, then I-55, then I-240 again and then I-55 again. And then US-51 to the Elvis Blvd. That's Graceland, that is, not a hotel. So yeah, I don't know these ways yet, but it sounds like most of it is major highway.

[stef-the-kicking-cuty]

Oh, I forgot. We're starting off traveling down there around 6.30 or 7.30pm tonight. So if I don't need any sleep, then by the time we get to Memphis, the travel welcome center might still be closed. But you never know. And the way I know me, I'm probably going to sleep for a few minutes at a time, just to get more energy. So if the welcome center is open, I'm 100% sure to check it out. In fact, let me research at what point we might hit it, because I'm just straight driving there then. That is a wonderful idea. Thanks!

[stef-the-kicking-cuty]

And I think, you're right with the hotel not having a fridge possibly, cause it's so cheap. In that case, does anyone on here in that area know a WalMart or something? We could buy some steaks there and just hit a gas station with a microwave. Does anybody also know a gas station with a microwave? Cool beans, we're almost done with our planning. You can log onto the internet at McDonald's too. I don't necessarily need a hotel for that, would be nice though...

[stef-the-kicking-cuty]

Aaargh! Bill Cosby is in Tunica, MS, about 40 minutes from the Elvis museum. THE Bill Cosby. I'd soooo love to see that. Holy Moly, besides Eddie Murphy, he's my all time favorite comedian. What do you think guys? Should we go??? A ticket is like $55 bucks. I know, my mom might not want to go (I don't even think, she knows, who I'm talking about), but maybe I could. I'd be dying to see him.

[stef-the-kicking-cuty]

It's actually only 30 minutes

[GlutenFreeManna]

And I think, you're right with the hotel not having a fridge possibly, cause it's so cheap. In that case, does anyone on here in that area know a WalMart or something? We could buy some steaks there and just hit a gas station with a microwave. Does anybody also know a gas station with a microwave? Cool beans, we're almost done with our planning. You can log onto the internet at McDonald's too. I don't necessarily need a hotel for that, would be nice though...

If you have time before you leave go to a Walmart in your local town and pick up a state road atlas. It will have a list in the back of all the Walmarts in the US. Otherwise, most big towns have a Super Walmart or Target and where ever you end up you can just ask the hotel staff for directions to the nearest one. Not all McDonalds have the internet and you have to pay at the ones I have seen, but if you can find a Panera Bread they all have free internet. So do some Starbucks and some Chick fil A's. Another place to look for free internet would be a large bookstore or a public library (you will probably have to get a visitors card to use the internet at a library, but they should let you if you ask nicely).

[stef-the-kicking-cuty]

Cool! I'm getting sooooo excited. I'll definitely ask for the WalMarts. I wasn't sure, if WalMarts are EVERYWHERE over here, but it looks like they are. We just found out what hotel we're staying at. It's the Super 8 at the airport. We saw the pictures, it looks like we got a great deal. They have breakfast, refrigerator and nice swimming pool. We saw some pics already. My mom woke up, she said, she's so excited, she can't sleep. Me too, lol . Oh, and she knows Bill Cosby, too. She tends to watch the "Bill Cosby" show. Looks like this will be a fun road trip with lots of pics to show

[stef-the-kicking-cuty]

I will now finish my potatoe salad and do some research in the "free internet topic". Will let you know, what I came up with. Glad I'm enrolled at Ashworth College in private investigation... lmao .

[GlutenFreeManna]

Cool! I'm getting sooooo excited. I'll definitely ask for the WalMarts. I wasn't sure, if WalMarts are EVERYWHERE over here, but it looks like they are. We just found out what hotel we're staying at. It's the Super 8 at the airport. We saw the pictures, it looks like we got a great deal. They have breakfast, refrigerator and nice swimming pool. We saw some pics already. My mom woke up, she said, she's so excited, she can't sleep. Me too, lol . Oh, and she knows Bill Cosby, too. She tends to watch the "Bill Cosby" show. Looks like this will be a fun road trip with lots of pics to show

LOL. Yes Walmart is nationwide. You may even be able to see them from the interstate before you pull off an exit. Super 8 is a decent budget hotel. I'm glad you got such a good deal. Have fun!

[stef-the-kicking-cuty]

Thank you, I'm glad, too. Here's another question. Do you know, if I can substitute Xanthan Gun for corn starch to thicken potatoe salad? I don't have corn starch anymore. Xanthan Gun frequently makes those little cubes, that won't dissolve, so any hints are greatly appreciated. I swear, it's the last question, lol.

[jerseyangel]

Thank you, I'm glad, too. Here's another question. Do you know, if I can substitute Xanthan Gun for corn starch to thicken potatoe salad? I don't have corn starch anymore. Xanthan Gun frequently makes those little cubes, that won't dissolve, so any hints are greatly appreciated. I swear, it's the last question, lol.

Don't use xanthan to thicken potato salad. Why do you have to thicken it--is it the hot cooked German type? If so, you could use potato starch, or any flour mixture you have on hand. Even a couple spoonfuls of gluten-free pancake mix would be better than the xanthan.

[lucia]

Hi Stef,

Graceland is fantastic! You get to see the whole place, even the swimming pool. Hope you have fun.

Besides Graceland, drag your Mom down to Beale Street if she's willing. It's a street with bars and clubs that has really great music every single night. I'm a jazz fan and was a little worried that the music would be watered-down tourist slepch, but it turned out to be great. We met a guy who had traveled all the way from Japan with his trombone to blow some with the old gentlemen who play there every night. I understood why when I heard those guys!

[stef-the-kicking-cuty]

Cool, we just arrived an hour ago. Tonight we will see Bill Cosby first. I so hope, that the show is not sold out yet We will have to see. We travelled 20 hours, so if we're still up for it, we will go to Beale Street tonight. Man, this place is fantastic. I did the secret hotel thingy on Travelocity. We have free HBO, free internet (apparently otherwise I couldn't post), free breakfast. A refridgerator, a microwave, a coffeemaker, our own stuff to iron the clothes and so on. Superhuge bathroom, and tomorrow morning I might take a quick swim in the pool, before we go to Graceland. Guess, how much we paid with that secret hotel thingy??? 30 bucks for 2 people! And it's a great non-smoking room, too! I'd do that again any time. Now I have to log off and go get dressed for the Bill Cosby show with my hot "dragon" outfit. I feel like paaartyyy. Thanks a lot guys for your help with the food. The potato salad turned out very well. Talk to you all later Oh, tomorrow is Graceland then. Yeepee!

[stef-the-kicking-cuty]

OK, here we go. Saw Bill Cosby yesterday. It was hilarious. Had breakfast this morning. I've had 1.5 hours making a plan. First we go to Graceland, then we'll go to the Public Earthquake Center (mainly cause it's free, lol), then the Rock'n'Soul Museum (which is on Beale Street), then the River Park to see the Mississippi up close (do they have alligators down here?)... hehe, I should drop my mom of and ask her to wait, until I'm back from the restroom... just kidding . Then the Hollywood Casino with Hollywood items that they used in past movies, then we go home. About 6 hours into the drive I will go and see the huge Titanic at Pigeon Forge. I know, the museum will be closed, but I heard, that this is the biggest Titanic museum ever built. From the outside it looks like the original Titanic, while it was sinking. It's built half size, but still. From the inside, it looks like the Titanic, too. And they have some original things from passengers and crew in there, too. But as I said, it's closed, so we might just take outside pics and then keep going. Soooo excited. See you all later. Elvis, we're coming. Yeeehaaaw!!!

[jerseyangel]

Have a great time, Stef! We were to Memphis years ago and enjoyed it

[stef-the-kicking-cuty]

Sorry, I was posting this so late. We left Memphis Sunday evening at about 9.30pm and arrived back in PA Monday afternoon at 3pm. Ever since then I was just busy, busy, busy I had all my hands full FLYing, training for the Worlds, writing down class plans and playing with my toddler. All I wanted to say is, if you're ever planning on visiting Memphis, most venues you can bring your own food to. We had a cooler with food on the parking lot at the Elvis museum. Same with Beale Street and the Rock'n'soul museum. Or at the pyramide and the bridge over the Mississippi. It was a nice weekend without gluten anxiety.