Smile it's Cocoa Beach

After saying hasta luego to Gainesville, we made the 3 hour drive to the Eastern Coastline and Cocoa Beach. The night started with a quick meal at Coconuts On The Beach (bar right on the beach). The buffalo chicken sandwich was on point...after socializing with the locals we decided to stick around an hang out for the Giants v. Cowboys game. After taking the car back to the hotel and walking up the beach...I got to witness some crucial wind-surfing and a sunset wedding on the beach.

Back at the bar we enjoyed rum-runners and other frozen concoctions while we watched Monday Night Football. We wound up meeting 3 ladies who were in town for a funeral, and were honoring their family member by visiting his favorite bar. The were from North Carolina, Indiana, and New York respectively and we stayed until the bar was shut down...from there we took the party to the beach where we went swimming! After a brief swim we then headed to another bar up the street...in the process one of our new friends found $180 on the beach.

This small treasure led to a cab ride to the local Denny's where we all enjoyed some delicious breakfast. Unfortunately Denny's also attracts sloppy looking fellows who probably still live in their parents' basement and have no problem showing off the never in fashion plumber's crack. Anyways, I realized that I had left my watch on the beach - and luckily we meandered along the coast until we stumbled upon my watch. It was off to bed...

The next day was spent hanging out on the beach. The upcoming weekend was host to a major Air Show, and we luckily got a free showing when several planes flew over throughout the day. The best was when 4 fighter jets flew about 100 feet over our heads leaving our ears ringing for minutes. The water was excellent as was the Brazilian Thong bikinis that occasionally walked by; however, the rather elderly women rocking a two piece with a matching visor was rather disturbing. The end of the night was wrapped up by hanging poolside for a few hours before heading to bed.

Work the next day was held at a very picturesque location - River Rocks Restaurant. Along the banks of the Indian River the restaurant was an amazing location. The French Dip sandwich was excellent, and it was all-in-all a good day on the job. Our next major stop is Orlando...but on the way out of Cocoa Beach...there was a "sign-twirling street man" who was spinning his $4.99 pizza sign like there was no tomorrow, waving at cars going by, and really jamming out to the whatever was pumping through his headphones. I was able to snap a quick pictures...would have loved to had a video - it was a priceless sight!

Cocoa Beach - Lovin' Life

View of Beach from Bar Stool

The Sun Sets in the West

Wedding on the Beach

Night-time Skyline

Beach at Dusk

Coconuts on the Beach

Gross man at Denny's

Air Show Practice Over the Atlantic

Cocoa Beach for the Day

Airplanes Flying By

More Airplanes

Sky and Ocean

River Rocks Restaurant

Indian River View

Looking out Across the River

Dock View from Bar

Strange Man Dancing with Pizza Sign

Gainesville - AKA Gator Country

Three nights in Gainesville, Florida in a penthouse suite. Sounds like a weekend of a lifetime, and it all started out that way. Thursday night we pulled into the hotel around 10:30 and then went to the Gainesville Ale House for dinner and some drinks. We settled in at the bar and hung out for the rest of the evening...we met a group of girls out celebrating a 21st birthday party. The birthday gal had a checklist that she had to accomplish by the end of the evening. The list included taking body shots of tequilla off of her friends (see picture below)...the girls laid on the bar and allowed shots to be enjoyed from their bodies. Another item on the list was to be given a pair of boxers from a guy at the bar...we were asked to donate to the cause, but found out that plaid patterns were not suitable to the birthday girl, and were unable to help her in that quest.

The next day we drove around the University of Florida Campus, and grabbed lunch at Leonardo's Pizza. It was delicious and sitting outside in the Florida sun was spectacular. We then watched The Social Network which was an excellent film with a tremendous script.

Now it was time for the weekend to take-off...Friday Night in Downtown Gainesville. However, it was an ultimate disappointment. We got dropped off in the heart of downtown and went to several bars and had some drinks...but none of them were hopping or had a great atmosphere. Jersey Shore's Pauly-D was in town but it was $30 to get in to watch him spin. After declining to pay we went into a bar and once again it was lackluster. Apparently it was slow weekend because the Gators were on a bye and they had not been playing well. Last I checked that is even more a reason to go out and have a good time. Nevertheless, downtown Gainesville was a huge disappointment. To make it even worse we were waiting outside for Pauly-D to leave the club...and a simple joke about a "situation" turned into a Police Officer asking us to leave. He could not tell us what we did, but had no problem threatening us with his handcuffs and telling us he would arrest us for 'disorderly'.

After that situation we decided to catch a cab back to the hotel and eat at IHOP! The next morning was filled with college football and lounging. We went out for the evening back to the Gainesville Ale House. We watched UFC, college football, and the NLCS at the bar and befriended Brandi (our bartender). Brandi invited us to a alloween party later in the week, which we are looking to attend and also brought us out Sunday for the NFL games.

The early games were watched at a T.G.I. Fridays which was nothing special, but the afternoon match-ups were watched at a combination of Gumby's Pizza and a bar. This version of Gumby's Pizza was way cooler than the one in Blacksburg...and of course I ordered Pokey Sticks!

Gainesville was a bit of a mixed bag...some fun stories but also lots of disappointment. What did you expect Tim Tebow went to school here...and my visit makes me hate that self-righteous cat even more.

Nothing Says Happy 21st like Body Shots!

DJ Pauly-D Spins in Gainesville

Nashville Predators and Midget Wrestling

A trip to the country music capital of the entire world was quick but very eventful. The hotel I stayed at was located right across from the Grand Ole Opryhouse. And you wouldn't believe some of the "live" entertainment that went on out there. On Thursday Nights they have midget wrestling. And this is not held inside for the viewing pleasure of paying customers, but rather out back of a bar, and the parking lot fills up with motorcycles, pick-up trucks, sleeveless t-shirts, and cheap beer cans. Unfortunately I arrived too late to watch any of the brawling, but was just in time for the hardcore burnouts across the litter filled parking lot...leaving behind the smell of burnt rubber. There was also several large groups of rednecks hanging out in the bed of their pickup trucks...

Earlier in the night we headed out and had Zaxby's for the first time. The chicken is absolutely amazing, and has found a very high spot on my fast food rankings. Later we decided to go catch the Nashville Predators game. We found a spot to park, and walked through this alleyway which connected to Broadway St (where the bars and stadium are located) and saw nude karaoke bars, but did not venture inside. We found a scalper and purchased seats 7 rows from the ice for 25 bucks. Once we were inside we learned it was college night, and beer was 1/2 price for the first period and intermission. The game was great and we saw two very young and talented teams in the St. Louis Blues and Predators. The Predators won the game...and we were forced to listen to the obnoxious cheers that occur after every Predators goal!

Anyways Nashville was fun...between my first experience with Zaxby's, the Nashville Predators game, and the aftermath of the midget wrestling spectacle....

Nasvhille Photos - What a Night!

Bridgestone Arena

Jumbo Screen

The Predators Shoot and Score!

Getting Loose Before the Start of the Game

Jaroslav Halak

Nashville Predators v. St. Louis Blues

Faceoff!

The Action Up-Close

It's Getting Rough Out There

The Gloves Are Off

Action at Other End

AT&T Building in Nashville

Nashville Entertainment on Thursday Nights

The Midget King of the Ring

And I was Walking In Memphis...

Going in to my first trip to Memphis, I did not know what to expect. But I did know one thing...I was looking forward to visiting a new city for the first time in a while. The location of my hotel was not ideal...it was about a forty dollar cab ride to downtown...and it was in the "rough" part of town. We learned during our trip that there was a good risk of us witnessing crime in that area of town...which is why our hotel had a tall metal fence surrounding it from pedestrian traffic.

Nevertheless, after arriving in town we headed downtown and visited Beale Street. The street is closed to through traffic and is just full of bar-hoppers - beer can be purchased on the street and you can walk in and out of bars with beverages. Located on Beale Street is Morgan Freeman's club Ground Zero and several other happening spots. One of my favorites was Wet Willie's where the only drinks they serve are alcoholic slushies. I sampled Purple Haze which was a fusion of Sex on the Beach and Shockwave (a blue colored drink that was made with 190 proof grain alcohol). We visited another bar with dueling pianos and also a large outdoor dance floor and live music stage. It was here we met Sarah and Mike - Sarah went to Radford and was visiting Memphis on business as well. While waiting for the cab to take us back we came across a Memphis-native Quad...who had lost his cellphone and was trying to get in touch with his cousin and or his cousin's girlfriend...after facilitating a reunion we caught our cab and called it a night.

The next big adventure was to Graceland - the mansion and museum of Elvis Presley. We got to walk through the halls that the King once walked - saw his billiards room (with the same color couches as wall paper), his den (where he kicked it and watched 3 TVs at once), his jungle room (which had a waterfall, wood carved table and chairs, and was inspired by Hawaii), and where he played racquetball (which is now dedicated to his countless awards). Our tour also allowed us to see his meditation garden which is where the King now rests and also his personal jets, car collection, and numerous halls filled with memorabilia. Graceland was interesting, but it retroactively satisfied my desire for Elvis knowledge for my 22 years of life, and without a doubt satisfied that knowledge for the rest of my life.

After Graceland we checked out Huey's Hamburger in downtown Memphis. The burger was voted best in Memphis and it did not disappoint. We then drove around and saw FedEx Forum - Home of the Grizzlies and Autozone Field - Home of the Memphis Redbirds (Minor League). The rest of the week was filled with more delicious eating including The Butchershop which was located overlooking the Mississippi River. It had probably the first/second best steak I had ever had in my life. They cooked the ribeye on a large grill right in the middle of the restaurant - meat was so tender and flavorful!

Our final meal in Memphis was at Chalres Vergos' Rendezvous, home of world famous bbq. Celebrities photos were all over the large establishment including: Eli and Peyton Manning, Dick Vitale, Blake Griffin, Alex Rodriguez, Don King, Bill Cosby, 3 Presidents (Ford, Clinton, and W.), and also the Prime Minister of Japan. The dry-rub were absolutely excellent and the smokey brisket had a ton of flavor. The BBQ nachos that we had as an appetizer was superb...nachos, cheese, pork and chicken, jalapenos, and bbq sauce!

Memphis was a great town - the next stop is another Tennessee destination...Nashville!

Moments in Memphis

Beale Street

Friday Night on Beale

B.B. King's on Beale Street

Bridge Across the Mississippi and into Arkansas

Mud Island Pyramid

Autozone Park - Home of the Redbirds

Great Steaks @ The Butcher Shop

Welcome to The Butcher Shop

Best Ribs in Memphis are Located Down An Alley?

Rendezvous - Home to the Best Ribs in Memphis

Home of The King...Graceland!

Graceland Mansion & Grounds

Welcome to Graceland

Where Elvis Lived - Graceland Mansion

The Back Of Graceland Mansion

Balcony on Second Level

Graceland Foyer

Living Room & Grand Piano

Dining Room

Graceland Kitchen

Where Elvis' Parents Sleep

The Jungle Room

Wood Carved Chairs

Stuffed Animals and Guitars

Jungle Room Coffee Table

Jungle Room Waterfall

Elvis' Full Bar

Excellent Choice of Televisions

Awesome Couch and Coffee Table Monkey

Shooting some Pool

Matching Walls and Couch

Billiards Room Shelf

Racquetball Room Bar

Pinball and Personal Gym

Initials in Racquetball Court Lounge

Racquetball Lounge

The Pool Area

Graceland Grounds

Lisa Marie's Swing-set (Located Way Too Close to Picture Below)

Elvis' Make-shift Firing Range

Fountain in Meditation Garden

Presley Monument

Presley Family Tombs

Elvis Presley's Resting Place

He was called "The King" for a reason...

Music's Greatest Honor - Grammy

Walls and Walls of Golden Records

Converted Racquetball Court - Even More Music Awards

More than a Music Legend...Check Out these Fashion Statements!

The Golden Suit

Wedding Day Tuxedo

Bridal Gown

Just a Night Out On The Town

Evening Gown

Blazer and Double Necked Axe

Collection of Elvis Outfits

Purple Suit with Owl Buckle

Leather Suit (Total Bad-ass)

Boxing Robe from Movie

Military Uniform

The King's Whip Collection

The Pink Cadillac

White Lincoln Continental

Mercedes Benz Limo

Ferrari for the King

At the Drive-in with the Purple Caddy

Big Balling with the Rolls Royce

Cruising in the MG

One of Elvis' Autos

Elvis had a Ton of Toys

Golf Cart

Snow Mobile

Elvis' Personal Jets

The Lisa Marie

The Tail is even Taking Care of Business

The Bathroom with Spanish Brass and Golden Specs

The Living Room

Television Area (One of Many)

Conference Room On-board Lisa Marie

The King Loves Gatorade and Diet Dr. Pepper

Sitting Room (Complete with Pull-out Couch)

Elvis' Bed

Elvis' Jet Star Personal Jet

Jet Star's Interior