Lora, Cole and I arrive in Memphis, Tennessee after driving all day. We are all tired, hot and hungry. We go to the famous Beal Street thinking we can find a neat restaurant and get a bite to eat. We find nothing on the street so we go to the Peapody building.  We walk inside and try to take the stairs to the 2nd floor but they are all blocked off. We are directed to the elevator.  Lora is complaining because she is so hot, it’s very crowded, and she is tired.

” I hate Memphis, I can’t wait to get out of here,” she says.  There were a couple of ladies and a gentleman in the elevator with us. They are dressed up as if going to a premiere or something.  The gentleman asks where we are from and we tell him, Ohio. I explain to them we have been traveling and Lora’s tired.  One of the ladies smiles and says, “Hang around, you may be in for a surprise”.  Lora and I look at each other, wondering what she means. So we decide to give it a try.  We go back outside and wonder why people are line up on the street.  There is a red carpet laid out running into the Peabody building.  Then we see the two ladies and the gentleman stet  from the elevator who are walking the red carpet. The lady looks at us and winks.  Then, we see the sign:  “Hustle and Flow”, a new movie that had been filmed in Memphis, Tennessee, using local people in the movie. Cameron Diaz and Steven Seagal were supposed to at the Memphis Premiere.

We catch a glimpse of Cameron Diaz as she gets out of her limo to walk the red carpet.  I look around and here we stand, me, Lora and my little six-year-old grandson, in front of Hooters between two of the waitresses.  We walk inside and go back upstairs, so we can look down and see the red carpet parade, and I spot Steven Seagal one of my favorite actors.  It turned out to be an amazing day after all.

Location:Memphis, Tennessee