Report from Worlds in Memphis
Overview
Day 0 and the judge photo
Wednesday report:
Two uneventful flights (had to change in Atlanta, which claims to be the world's busiest airport). First one was delayed 15 minutes, which gave me pause since I checked a suitcase. However the second one was delayed an hour, which allowed John Shannon (a friend and judge from New Mexico who had been stationed in Va. Beach) to make the flight and become my seatmate. We chatted nonstop, which made the flight go quickly.
Met a third judge in the airport and split a cab to the player registration party, a bbq buffet at Graceland. It was fabulous having Elvis's mansion all to ourselves. We toured with headphones and a prerecorded audio tour (for the Jungle Room, press 37).
I was impressed at how truly Graceland is the Elvis Shrine. All the downstairs and basement rooms are on display, just as Elvis left them. TVs with knobs, harvest gold and avocado kitchen, rotary phones. In the outbuildings are gold records (platinum etc), outfits in glass cases, even a guitar or two. His grave is there too, in a small cemetery with a few relatives. There are additional museums - I missed his private plane the Lisa Marie, but I did cruise through one devoted to his cars and motorcycles.
At 9:30 players and judges alike boarded buses to take us to the downtown Marriott. There was a 10:00 pm"Your First Pro Tour Event" for judges in the lobby, so I caught that and met up with roommate Ingrid Lind-Jahn, a regional judge from Wisconsin.
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