As neither Eli nor I know anyone in Memphis, we decided to give couchsurfing a try and connected with a resident of the de Cleyre coop. Somewhere between 10 and 15 residents, plus many temporary travelers, make up this fun and eclectic group. They were having a tie party for someone's birthday when we arrived, so we donned our ties (which someone had generously pre-tied into a Windsor knot) and spent the evening talking with people about life in Memphis.

I always thought Eli was strangely obsessed with barbecue, but turns out that other people are, too. This was the icebreaker of choice and led to spirited conversations about the best place in town. The abundance of good options meant that on Thursday we had fried chicken for breakfast and barbecue for lunch and dinner. My proudest moment of the trip was at lunch, when I managed to eat more ribs than Eli.I highly recommend the Cozy Corner to anyone passing through Memphis. See the smoke coming out the chimney? That means that delicious things are happening inside.

In between excessive eating we made it to two really interesting museums. The National Civil Rights Museum is attached to the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. The exhibit starts with a moving film about the Memphis sanitation workers strike and the days leading up to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The strike had one of the most powerful slogans in recent history: I Am A Man. Ultimately, the workers won, but only got a 10 cent raise.

After going through the museum you go across the street into another building. This used to be a hotel and was where James Earl Ray stayed. You don't actually go into the room from where he shot Martin Luther King Jr., but are in a simulated room exactly next to it and look at a window towards the balcony where he was standing when he was shot. This felt both creepy, voyeuristic, and detracted from the message of the rest of the museum—remembering the civil rights struggle and trying to connect it with the problems that continue. Outside the building we saw a protester with signs asking people to boycott the National Civil Rights Museum. His signs stated that this was a $10 million tribute to the assassin and reminded people to “STOP worshiping the past START living the Dream.”

In the afternoon we visited Stax Museum of American Soul, focusing mainly on Stax Records. The grew from a little garage operation to making Memphis music famous with people like Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Sam and Dave, Mavis Staple, on and on. They really emphasized hiring and developing people from the community. They taught sound engineering, let people audition when they needed a new backup musician, and had a record shop where folks could browse and talk about new hits from Stax and other studios. Great music.

In addition to tasty pork and a rich cultural history, Memphis is home to the world's third tallest pyramid.