September 18, 2025

Memphis, TN > Oxford, MS

It is their Thursday before Parents’ Day Weekend at Old Miss. We arrived in Memphis just before it had gone 21:00 last night. We took a taxi to the hotel, which was a total rip off. Should have known it at the the and should have just gotten out of the taxi and gone back to the taxi stand. We will definitely make a complaint. It a good first impression by Memphis.

The hotel is a Courtyard by Marriott. Technically it is called Courtyard Memphis Airport, but it is almost three miles from the airport, and actually on the same road. The bed was very comfortable, and the room nice. It is nice to stay somewhere where there are sufficient electrical outlets, an extra desk and a comfortable bed.

The fixtures in the bathroom were a little more confusing. Telling which was is hot or cold on the sink and shower took some time. The hot water took its sweet time getting to the room. The shower was actually very nice. It was so comfortable in the bed that sleeping until 07:30 was possible. Ok, the first time awake was 04:30, but it was a simple take the stomach pill and go back to sleep.

Breakfast isn’t included here. They have a Bistro just off the lobby. Starbucks coffee without the Starbucks breakfast items. They did have a an “eggs your way” plate. I ordered it without the potatoes, tomatoes or sourdough toast. The young lady behind the counter said it was less expensive to get a side of eggs and a side of sausage than to order the plate. Save me $3, so I gave it to her as a tip.

The eggs and sausage were fine. Clearly Keto by the amount of grease on the plate when they were finished. Even the accompanying cappuccino was good. A better way to start a new city than a rip-off taxi ride from the airport.

There are two possible routes to Oxford. Both take just about an hour and a quarter. The fastest on is straight south on Interstate 55 to Batesville, then a left turn east towards Oxford. The other route included just a little Interstate 240 to State Route 78 which runs southeast down towards Oxford. It takes you to Holly Springs and the Holly Springs National Forest. In Holly Springs you leave Route 78 and get on Route 7 which runs southwest to Oxford.

It might be interesting to drive through Batesville. It is a small southern town which made cannons for the confederate army during the civil war and still has a confederate memorial in the town square. Hey, we are clearly in the south.

The Holly Springs route appears to be more scenic, due to the national forest and crossing Sardis Lake. Holly Springs, Mississippi, also has a civil war history. It served as a Union supply depot and headquarters for General Ulysses S. Grant before his Vicksburg campaign. The town was the target for sixty-two different raids during the war. A significant part of the city was burned to the ground by Union Troops in retaliation for the raids.   

Maybe lunch in Holly Springs? Not many restaurants to choose from. The “best” one according to trip advisor is “Southern Eats” and it is a buffet lunch. It will really be too early for lunch by the time we get there. And we are having an early dinner with Grace tonight, she has some sorority things to do tonight. So maybe no breakfast.

For dinner we are going to Bouré, an American Cuisine place not too far from the University. Now what about Oxford? Well reading to “official” documentation the lands were ceded by the Chickasaw in the Treaty of Pontotoc Creek in 1832. Three white guys “purchased” the land from Hoya, the female Chickasaw landowner. It would probably be best to use stolen in place of ceded and purchased.

They named it Oxford, after Oxford, England, intending to promote it as a center of learning in the Old Southwest. The Mississippi legislature selected Oxford as the site of the state university in 1841. The university opened in 1848. Union Female College opened in 1853.  Today, it is the 14th most populous city in Mississippi with a population around 26,000. That does not include the approximately 27,500 students at Old Miss. So, obviously it is a college town.

Probably not much unlike Linfield College in McMinnville, OR where I spent my first year. McMinnville only had 8,000 people in 1970, so it was a little smaller. I remember the sidewalks being rolled up at sunset. I am expecting Oxford to be a little more vibrant. Of course, Linfield had less than 1,000 students in 1970. If memory serves me, I think it was actually less than 400.

We shall see. Looks like it might be time to wake sleeping beauty. The line for coffee is long, but I need to go get the rental car and check out is at 11:00.  Dropped off the coffee to Mary and then headed out to take the 10:00 shuttle back to the airport to pickup the rental car.

The rental counter is quite a distance from the shuttle drop off point, but the steps are needed. The car wasn’t ready when I got to the rental counter, but honestly it is my fault since I am still over an hour early. The rental car showed up, a Honda Accura with 46,000+ miles on it. Connecting the phone seemed impossible until it was realized you actually needed a cord if you wanted to use apple play.

So, using my phone it was back to the hotel to pick up Mary. I was a little surprised to find her ready and waiting in the lobby. We loaded the car, pulled out a cable to connect my phone to the car, programmed in the hotel in Oxford, chose the most scenic looking route, and we were off.

They “scenic” route may or may not have been such. Basically, the route turned out to be highway lined on either side by trees, thus nothing to see. Well, almost there was a great deal of construction along the route, and lots of trucks. Need to try the other route on the way back to Memphis on Sunday.

We stopped once n the way down at what appeared to be a Dairy Queen at a gas station, not an unoften combination. However, although it was a gas station is really wasn’t a Dairy Queen. After realizing this we decided to simply get back in the car and keep going on the Oxford.

We arrive in Oxford just before it has gone 13:00. Check in time isn’t until 15:00. We we head of Five Guys, next door to the hotel to grab some lunch. It will blow my carbohydrate count for the day, almost all the carbohydrates are in the bun, which I shouldn’t have eaten. Should have wrapped the burger in lettuce. Oh, well.

After lunch we went to the hotel. It was still only 13:30 but why not try and check in. The lady checking us was very helpful and said a room was ready. Well, Friday and Saturday there will be four of us, Rochelle and V joining us, the room was supposed to have a king bed and pull-out couch. The first room had a queen bed and no couch. After several more tries we ended up in a room with two queen beds.

We hung out for a while at the hotel and then drove to the Old Miss campus to pick up Grace at her dorm, Minor Hall. We connected with her and then drove into the downtown. Found an parking spot not far from the restaurant on the square in the center of town.

The chosen restaurant, Bouré, was full and had a thirty-minute wait at 17:00. The only waiting area was the bar upstairs and they wouldn’t let Grace in because she wasn’t 21. So, we walked down the street to the Oxford Burger Company. Not that we hadn’t had enough burgers for the day. It was really good. I chose the chicken strips which at least had fewer carbohydrates than a hamburger with a bun.

After dinner we walked around the square and down to the cigar shop, Spring Street Cigars. They carried the Padrón 2000 Maduro at $11.99 a stick. A tad bit less expensive than Ronnie, but not much. We purchased a box and then headed back to the car so we could get Grace to the sorority dance practice at 19:00.

After dropping off Grace at her dorm, and then Mary at the hotel I went back to the cigar shop and had a cigar. It was quite lovely. Then at 21:00 I drove back to the hotel.

Tomorrow is a big day, and Saturday bigger. Rochelle should be here by 11 tomorrow and Harry V should come in late about 20:00.

Buonanotte e ciao,

Enrico e Maria