Memphis: BBQ, Blues and Beale Street

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - My first trip to Memphis, at long last. The weather really could not have been better at any point on this three day trip to the home of Barbeque, Blues music and Beale Street.
From April 1 to April 3 this year was one of my favorite weekends away from home.

The first memorable experience from the weekend came as soon as I left the hotel when my friend Ramon and I went on to search for Grizzlies tickets at the FedEx Forum.

Apparently we went on the "bad" side of the Stadium and ran in to three or four suspicious characters that looked like they may have been trying to pull something. Fortunately, most of them left quickly but one stayed and talked to us about Memphis, the NBA, etc... just stalling us. He looked like a much older Kevin Garnett. We walked toward Beale Street and the busier side of the FedEx Forum where it appeared we were safer.

After purchasing $5 tickets for the next night's Grizzlies game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, I had the chance to eat at the World Famous Gus' Chicken on Front Street. The chicken was good, but less than spectacular. The water was the worst I had ever tased making the experience a little less easy to enjoy, but enjoy it I did.

I spent much of the first night on Beale Street, mostly at BB King's Blues Club, which was another good experience.

The second day featured much of the history that Memphis is known for, including a morning visit to Elvis' home in Graceland, taking a tour of the mansion before signing my name on the wall. After a brief drive down to Mississippi (my first time in the state), we went to the National Civil Rights Museum and the Lorraine Motel exactly 43 years after Martin Luther King Jr. had been assasinated there.

Lunch at Rendezvous Charles Vergos was better than the last night's dinner at Gus. The ribs there wewre delicious, although very expensive.

I liked the experience at the Grizzlies game, but there wasn't much of a crowd and security wouldn't let anyone with 500 level seats on the first level at all. The Grizzlies won, but I was disappointed because I was unable to see Kevin Love play for the T-Wolves or Rudy Gay suit up for Memphis.

The last day was mainly a tiring drive home, but I did see 'Victorian Village' in Memphis and stopped at Lambert's Cafe in Sikeston, Missouri, a place that reminded me of New Buffalo's Redamak's with the waiters throwing the roll at customers.

Great place, with the best food. Better than any food I tasted the entire weekend in Memphis. Who knew?

Overall Memphis was great and an underrated place to visit. I'm glad I finally found my way there. It's a place all American travelers should put on their to-do list.

Minneapolis: Friendly and fun

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.- Sometimes the things you forsee yourself enjoying the most on a trip fon't pan out and other times things you thought would be a bore turn out to be a great moment in life.
One of the events I was looking forward to most on my three-day journey to Minneapolis last weekend was a boat ride on the Mississippi River. The Minneapolis Queen departed twice on Saturday, at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. But I was not there for either one. The boat ride would never happen. The walk from downtown to Boom Island Park was much longer, hotter and exhausting than I had predicted. I gave up trying to find the boat, but five minutes after I took a seat, I heard it taking off. I could have made it had I kept going, but oh well.
Because of rain and mid-day tiredness, I decided to put my visit to the Foshay Tower observation deck off until after dinner. It turned out to be the best decision of the trip. All in one night at the Foshay, I was lucky enough to have an elevator conversation with Chicago White Sox radio broadcaster Ed Farmer; experience a strong storm on the observation deck; hear a tornado warning while at the top floor of the building; and see White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski at the hotel bar on the first floor.
None of that was part of the plan, but it turned out to be the best part.
Minneapolis was surprisingly friendly considering I was wearing either a White Sox jersey or t-shirt for most of the time walking around the city. Everyone was willing to give directions and all the trash talking was friendly. In New York, it was nasty. But Minnesota seems to be a friendlier rival of the White Sox.
Hennepin Avenue was the center of life in downtown Minneapolis. It could have very well been a street in New York. Night life, clubs, theatres, it seemed like much of what was to do in Minneapolis was right on that street, the Broadway of Minnesota.
As far as a major American city not considered a metropolis like Chicago or New York, Minneapolis was pretty cool. It was easy to navigate with the streets and avenues being system being much similar to New York. It was livlier than Cleveland or St. Louis and had a lot of major companies based there such as Accenture and TCF. It is also the home of the Mary Tyler Moore show.
I like how much support they have for their Twins. There is a statue for every year in which a Minnesota Twin was given a Gold Glove Award.
I would definitely consider another visit to the city. Possibly for the Colts-Vikings 2016 game. At that time I would like to take a tour of the Metrodome (if it is still there), finally go on the Minneapolis Queen and take a segway tour of the city.

Photo: The view from atop the Foshay Tower at night. Just minutes before a funnel cloud was spotted in the area.

Indianapolis: More than just sports

The reason I like Indianapolis more than any other "mid-major" city in America is that it is first and formost a sports town. The capital city of Indiana hosts the Indianapolis 500 in May, the largest single day sporting event in the country. In addition to having the best single day sporting event, the town is all home to the best team in the best sport, the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL. The town is painted blue every Sunday during football season. Over the last 12 years, this basketball hotbed has turned into a football town. Indy is home to mid-major college programs such as Butler and IUPUI and also professional teams like the NBA's Pacers, IHL's Ice and the minor league Indians. In addition to hosting the Big Ten Tournament on a yearly basis, Indianapolis is on a six-year rotation to host the NCAA Final Four. In 2012, Lucas Oil Stadium, the Colts' new home field, will be home to Super Bowl XLVI.

Much of the time, Indianapolis' tourism is sports-based. I made my 20th visit to the city last weekend to see the Illini play in the Big Ten Tournament. Unlike the previous 19 trips to the city, I wanted to make an attempt to see what the city had to offer outside of sports.

Following the Illini's impressive win over Wisconsin, my father and I walked over to the Indiana Convention Center and then over to the Canal Walk.

The canal walk is not far from downtown and convenient for anyone who would like to get a quick view of the museums, public art and historic landmarks. It reminded me of the Amstel Light commercial where scenes from Amsterdam were used as background shots. It was so quiet, you would never know you were near the downtown area of a major U.S. city.

One of the spots on the walk I wanted to hit was the USS Indianapolis memorial. The USS Indianapolis was the final United States ship to be sunk during World War II. It's not as big as I thought it would be, tucked away in a corner next to the canal. But I liked it, it provides information on the ship and is a good tribute to one of the final events of the War. Any history buff that visits Indianapolis should definitely make a trip there.

No big city in the midwest is better for a family visit. I had a chance to visit the nation's only accredited combined zoo, aquarium and botanical garden Saturday morning. Although the animal viewing experience would be a lot better in the summer, I enjoyed my visit. THey have a fun Dolphin show to attend in the Dolphin Dome. Sea creatures, bears, flamingos, elephants, giraffes. A lot of things to see at the zoo and they aren't far from each other either.

Families also enjoy the Indianapolis Children's Museum, the largest in the world.

The most recognizeable Indianapolis landmark is the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Monument Circle. This monument is not much smaller than the Statue of Liberty and has stood as Indiana's centerpiece since 1902. The town is also fun for church lovers, with a number of tall structures not far from the Circle.

While New York and Chicago are known for their junk food like hot dogs and pizza, Indianapolis is known for a classier food, their steaks. If you are looking for a fancy, expensive dining experience, you will have plenty to choose from in downtown Indianapolis. One day I will have to set aside some extra money to dine at St. Elmo's Steakhouse on Meridian Street. Some have said that is the best place for a steak in the country.

New York is the city that never sleeps. Conversely, Indianapolis is known as "nap town." It is often quiet downtown, but there is plenty to look at and do at the right hour. The best part of the town is its big city feel with the friendliness of a small town.

Photo: The USS Indianapolis memorial sits alongside the Central Canal in Indianapolis. It commemorates the people that died in 1945, when it became the last American ship to be sunk in World War II.