Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The Society of Automotive Historians Meeting in Tupelo, MS, March 24-27




Hi folks -- arrived in Tupelo, today, the birthplace of Elvis. Indeed, I took a walk this afternoon and saw the hardware store in Tupelo where Elvis bought his first guitar in 1946 -- he really wanted a .22 rifle, but ended up compromising with his mother on the guitar.




Tupelo is an interesting place, and quite surprising to me. It has some great history beyond Elvis, but what surprised me was its vibrancy -- the many restaurants, new businesses etc. That is because Toyota erected a plant to build the Prius here, although the plant is not in operation and just sitting there, completed but with no life -- a massive structure surrounded by empty parking lots.




I should have known the Japanese were here, for the first channel on my Hilton cable is the Japanese news channel!




So we have a boom town that is not yet booming, and in limbo perhaps due to the unintended acceleration issues.




In addition to visiting the Tupelo automobile Museum on Friday, I hope to find a place where I can by small Elvis dolls for the folks back home! More on this trip soon.

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