I had an amazing past week at the Brizo Blogger 19 reunion that took place in Memphis, TN. Along with over seventy (!) other bloggers, fellow Material Girl and Chicago blogger Julia and I spent the past few days catching up with new and old friends, touring St. Judes Children's Hospital, the Target House, the Delta / Brizo Factory, and numerous cocktail parties and dinners! Here's a recap of my visit to Memphis and some highlights from the past week!
Having arrived a day early, myself along with a few other bloggers got the chance to explore Memphis, TN. Above is a view of the Mississippi River from Riverside Lane and Downtown Memphis.
And the Riverboats.
We stayed at The Peabody hotel, a historic hotel known for the "Peabody Ducks" - the twice daily marching of ducks from the elevator to the fountain. The picture above was the view from my room looking out past buildings to the river at sunset.
Of course, we couldn't be in Memphis and not have BBQ. Our first night, upon recommendation, we had dinner at the very casual and tasty Central BBQ in downtown Memphis.
After dinner, we walked the neon lit signs and blues clubs of Beale Street.
One of the highlights of our trip was visiting Graceland. Here's Christian of Maison21, Raina of A Stylist's Life, me, and Tyler of Tyler Wiser Home standing in front of Elvis' pad, Graceland Mansion.
We loved the chic, vintage vibe of Elvis' house. The living room fireplace features a sunburst mirror and mirrored tiles.
How great is this console? Also in his living room. Love!
The pretty yard and rear of house at Graceland (beyond this is a pool area).
Christian checking out the golds (a seperate musuem adjacent to the house).
Along with the Graceland tour, we checked out Elvis' private jet. Here's Christian, me, and Tyler in front of the "Lisa Marie."
Then came the cars: Elvis had lots of them. (Raina, Christian, and I pictured above.)
The next day, came the important part of our trip, we toured the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital where we learned about the history of the center, walked the wings of the actual hospital, and engaged in a bit of volunteer work. Here in the atrium are international flags, as the center welcomes anyone, from anywhere.
We also toured the Target House, a center for patients and their families to stay in while receiving treatment. The facility features public living areas such as living/sitting rooms, a dining room, a play/craft room, a gym, and media room (above).
Corridors of the Target House are lined with a collection of artwork contributed by celebrities. The colorful drawing above is by John Travolta.
After a long day of tours, we cultimated our day with a dinner and entertainment in one of the historic ballroom's at The Peabody hotel.
The next day, we toured the Delta Factory headquarters in Jackson, TN. (Picture above via Instagram)
On our last night in Memphis, we had a farewell dinner at the infamous BB Kings Blues Club (where there just happens to be a private club on the second floor called Itta Bena, formerly a speakeasy!).
The dinner menu for the evening.
Our farewell dinner party at Itta Bena restaurant overlooking Beale Street.
Many thanks to Brizo for hosting all of us bloggers for the Blogger 19 reunion in Memphis, TN!
{All photos by Jill Seidner Interior Design}
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