Day 8 - Homeward Bound

New Orleans - It was a little cool as we headed out to breakfast but the sun was shining. We had coffee and beignets at Cafe Beignets on bourbon in the garden with the statues of musicians. I would definitely recommend this as a great place to sample New Orleans coffee and donuts. It is a much nicer alternative to Cafe du Monde.

It was then time to check out and rescue our car from its forced parking of $24 a day charged by the Wyndham.

We were on the road by 10AM and headed to Memphis TN.

Lunch was KFC (don’t judge us) in Canton Mississippi when we stopped for gas, there was not much choice. It had a really filthy bathroom located in the convenience store.

Hotels in Memphis are not cheap, we stayed at the Hampton Suites (Hilton as we have HHonors to collect points) in a perfect location backing onto Beale St. And overlooking the FedEx Stadium. 

The room was great even though it was $189 plus parking was $17. Standing in line a woman commented that it’s funny how they never tell you about the parking costs when you book.

Since there was a basketball game that evening and the weather nice Beale St. was busy. 

Beale St. is to closed to traffic for the two blocks occupied by the bars and restaurants. 

Each bar has live entertainment all day long and it is customary to tip the performers. The basketball fans headed off to the game but the bars were still full of patrons.

We strolled taking photos and then went into B.B.King’s for a beer and listened to a great band called Memphis Jones. 

They were followed by a more traditional rhythm and blues band so decided to stay and we ordered several appetizers for dinner. They were ok but a little greasy.

We then went out to enjoy the warm evening and the fantastic neon signs lighting up Beale St.