DUCKS IN THE LOBBY

The first job I had straight out of college found me working in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. At the time, the location left much to be desired as to comfort & safety, but the address, in the low numbers of Union Avenue, was typical of the downtown area as a whole.

Without going into too much of a history lesson of Memphis at that point in time -- early 1970's -- the downtown area reflected the segregated status of the entire city; whites having fled to the suburbs & surrounding towns & the inner-city being neglected & given up to the African-America community.

Much of downtown Memphis held no attraction for visitors, nor was the historic nature of the city -- think Beale Street, the city's Rock & Roll heritage, it's location on the Mississippi River, for starters -- properly displayed, or advertised to attract tourists. For many years, Memphis remained "divided" by race & color.

The Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis was one of the many historic locations in Memphis which had fallen into disrepair & the hotel no longer lived up to it's claim as "The South's Grand Hotel".

While working downtown, I had many lunches at the counter of the Peabody Drug Store. I could see first hand the opulence of the hotel was years past. Even the ducks, which swam in the lobby fountain -- & were such a tourist attraction at one time -- seemed tired & dated.

Thankfully, for Memphis -- & the Peabody Hotel -- the worst of is over. The downtown area is now a mecca of activity with shopping, attractions, apartments & sporting activities. The Peabody too has been refurbished with millions of dollars invested in it, making it once again living up to it's name: The South's Grand Hotel.

I spent a night at the hotel several years ago & I can verify it more than lives up to it's name.

Along with the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, there are now two other locations; Orlando, Florida & -- are you ready for this -- LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.

I was recently in downtown Little Rock & spent a few moments in the Arkansas location, making comparison's & remembering both the history of the original Memphis hotel & it's current regal status.

For anyone who has been to Little Rock in year's past, you might recognise the facility as the location of the previous Excelsior Hotel. It was made locally famous by rumors/reputation of the former Governor of the state -- William Jefferson Clinton -- who (supposedly) held many ... ah ... "meetings" with potential ... ah ... "new state employees" in a room at the hotel. [The name of Jennifer Flowers comes to mind as an example.]

The interior lobby of the Little Rock hotel is just as grand & elegant as one would expect.

Even though I do not like heights & have a strong repulsion for being close to the edge of tall facilities, I do like riding in glass elevators & enjoy the view, going either up or down.

Maybe it's because there is the feeling, while riding, if the glass elevator falls, at least there will be the knowledge of how many seconds will pass before all the riders are pancakes on the lobby floor. You can't get that visual information from riding in an elevator in a shaft.

As with all Peabody Hotels, there are ducks in the lobby fountain. It's -- naturally -- a big attraction & all the small children seen to get a special pleasure out of seeing the ducks.

I did note on my visit to the Little Rock Peabody Hotel, that the lobby fountain is in no way as fancy & ornate as the fountain in the Memphis hotel.

In Little Rock, it's just ducks in a lobby fountain.

In Memphis, the ducks add sparkle & a touch of grandeur to the famous hotel.