@JLeslie, Memphis? I visited there for the first time about three years ago. My daughter and I had set up a rather exhausting trip with many stops and things to see. I’m afraid we had to skip things we’d planned in Memphis. We had a swell trolley driver who picked us up when we first got off the train into town. We later realized he was on the cover of the visitor’s guide we were using. We sat at one of the trolley stops and waited as three or four went by. They thought I was being left at the stop because of my wheelchair or something. One was going to call a supervisor. I explained we were waiting for a particular driver, and why. They spread the word, but not to him. Finally we got our guy, and my daughter asked him if indeed the guy on the guide was him. He looked and said, “Oh yeah, I forgot about that.” She asked if he would autograph it for us. He flipped. He couldn’t believe he was being asked. I told him that to my daughter and I, a star is someone who does their job well, stands out as a swell person, and makes life more memorable. When we got to town, he gave us directions, and helpful tips, and was very kind, and didn’t treat us badly because of the inconvenience my chair causes with public transportation. We told him we honestly wanted his autograph. He cheerfully gave it, and then bragged to the people he knew waiting at all the other stops. Some of the drivers saw me on board as they passed the other way, and gave him a point and a grin. He was so excited. My daughter still keeps that guide.
She was absolutely wild about Mud Island. The area getting to the entrance of Mud Island SUCKS for wheelchairs. We had to get help from kind passers by (and in Memphis there are LOTS) to help us get my chair into the place where we could catch an elevator. FINALLY we were on our way. Right. My daughter had to push my chair across like half a mile long walkway. THEN we get across, and still a lot is unfriendly for wheelchairs. She had great fun though, splashing around in the scale model of the Mississippi River. At the end, where it opens into the Gulf of Mexico, my daughter caught little, tiny, black tadpoles. She grew up in the desert environment of Nevada, so this was quite the experience for her. I was sitting in the shade, snapping pictures of everything. She kept running between her tadpole spot and me to share her wealth. She found some very tiny snails too.
She wanted to get in one of the little boats, but I could not get in/out and she couldn’t swim. The water was at least six feet deep. The next day we came back. I was a bit better prepaired. We got the full experience tickets, which included tram ride over and back. There were more visitors the second day. I let her ride a boat by herself. I hoped with knots in my gut that there would be no mishap, but that if she should somehow tumble, or get stranded, someone would be capable of helping her.
She rode about gleefully. When her time was about up, some guy from Memphis approached me, and introduced himself. He said his little boy was somewhat taken with my little girl, and that if she was willing to occupy one of the boats with his son, he’d pay for it. She was so inclined. The little boy had big sisters on another boat, and they teased him relentlessly. All had fun, and all ended gloriously friendly. We got back to our motel soooooo exhausted!
I just HAD to share the story. I don’t mind if no-one reads it, but it’s here for anyone who was bored and needed a story.