passend zur badezimmerdiskussion im 'zahnarzt-thread' ein bericht vom januar 2006 aus dem 'arizona republic' ueber graceland und dessen innendekoration.
(dieser bericht steht in relativ verkuerzter form, basierend auf dem ebenfalls verkuerzten originalbericht aus dem 'lexington herald reader', im EPG. die komplette version lag mir damals noch nicht vor).
das original:
Graceland: Elvis hasn't left the building
John Bordsen
Charlotte (N.C.) Observer
Jan. 15, 2006 12:00 AM
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - What's the No. 1 road to rock 'n' roll destination?
Cleveland may hold the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but it plays second fiddle to Memphis. Last year, 413,000 souls toured the collection on Lake Erie; about 600,000 made the trek to . . .
Well, to see Elvis and what he left behind. The anniversaries of his birth (Jan. 8) and death (Aug. 16) are major events; his Graceland mansion on the city's south side is the hub of the Elvis Universe.
Graceland, where he lived, died and is buried, is part holy grail, part cash register. When you visit, keep these things in mind:
This ain't Beverly Hills.
Graceland - 3734 Elvis Presley Blvd. - is about nine miles south of central Memphis. The house was built in 1939 by a doctor whose wife's family had long owned the Graceland farm.
The mansion is nice, but in our time of McMansions, Graceland isn't palatial. Elvis bought it in 1957 for a bit over $100,000 and moved his folks there from a ranch home he'd bought the year before. The 22-year-old's star was clearly on the rise.
The same couldn't be said for the area around Graceland. When suburban flight hit Memphis in the '60s, wealthy residents built mansions east of downtown. Bellevue Boulevard - the road renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard in 1971 - was and is a pre-interstate highway to Mississippi, a mishmash of stores and car lots. Not that Elvis had much truck with the neighbors, anyhow.
Bring your wallet.
You're asked for cash before you get out of your pink Cadillac.
The mansion is on the west side of the street; parking, the visitor center and shops in Elvis Presley Plaza are on the other. Parking is $5.
Tip: Park for free in the strip center to the north of the plaza - it's also loaded with stores selling Elvis stuff - and walk over.
Besides souvenir shops, the official plaza has restaurants (nothing fancy), a theater and two museums. Graceland tickets are sold in the visitor center, as are souvenirs.
Pay to see just the mansion if your interest is only slight ($22), shell out $8 more for the Platinum Tour, which includes the Sincerely Elvis museum ($7 separately, for several rooms of personal items), Elvis Presley Automobile Museum ($12 separately, to view cars and motorcycles) and tour of the King's two jets ($8 separately). The $55 VIP tour is for die-hards.
This world is not flat.
Graceland is not well-suited for visitors in wheelchairs or with strollers. You must board a shuttle bus for the ride across the boulevard and through the gates. Although the mansion's second floor is closed to the public, some key rooms are down narrow stairways in the basement. Graceland was built as a private residence, not a walk-through shrine. The standard route through the place is mazelike.
If you can't handle stairs, forget about touring the jets at the plaza. Access is walk-up only.
Think smaller.
Graceland was built more than 60 years ago, when rooms tended to be smaller. At 17 by 24 feet, the dining room is large but not grand. Authorized photos, such as those in the Official Guidebook, make the chambers appear larger than they are and do not show the ropes visitors must peer over.
Tip: You can shoot photos inside Graceland, but you can't use a flash. Flashed light harms artifacts. Spokesman Kevin Kern says, "Guides and attendants are fairly well-trained on helping guests turn off the flash on a variety of cameras." If you're unable to do this on your camera, it's OK to hold a credit card, or something like it, over the flash.
The lived-in look.
The dining and living room you see first are formal; much more interesting are the places where the King relaxed.
The kitchen cabinets have see-through fronts; they're filled with everyday glassware and such. And they're still used every December, when ex-wife Priscilla, daughter Lisa Marie and Presley relatives in Memphis gather for an after-tour-hours holiday party. (They sleep elsewhere, not upstairs.)
Downstairs holds the pool room and TV room - well-appointed according to the famous owner's tastes and times, but a gussied-up basement nonetheless.
The pool room's ceilings and walls are covered in close to 400 yards of bright print fabric. You can't help but notice the big rip in the tabletop felt. The TV room next to it is an eye-popper in Prussian blue and bright yellow. Built into the far wall are three TV sets - an idea Elvis seized upon after he heard President Johnson liked to watch all three network newscasts simultaneously. (Because he recorded on the RCA label, Elvis typically received RCA electronics for free; all TVs and radios at Graceland are RCA.) There's a small bar, though Elvis was said not to be much for spirits.
But he did love TV: More than a dozen sets are around the mansion. Sadly, much of his personal record collection is missing. Archivists snatched most of it. There's a record player and a couple of LP jackets to show where he kept it.
Not as tacky as they say.
So how over-the-top is the décor? You hear a lot about the faux wilderness look of the Jungle Room - his first-floor den. Its look comes from his fondness for Hawaii, where "décor" is always laid on with a trowel. At one point, the room held a pull-down screen for a projector TV.
Elvis bought the furnishings in Memphis in a single 30-minute shopping spree in 1974. The room wasn't called the Jungle Room; he simply knew it as "the den."
That's the room, by the way, where the visiting Presleys of today still open their Christmas presents.
The glass partition that sets off the music room from the living room looks more Shakey's Pizza than Louis Comfort Tiffany. Elvis commissioned the panels, which bear matched peacocks.
And the dining room, with its high-back chairs around a 6-foot mirror-top table, is ersatz chic.
But keep in mind that many rooms have been locked by curators into the colors and furnishings of the 1970s, an era that many professional decorators just as soon would not discuss.
Elvis was not well-educated and, despite his wealth, not a recreational traveler. Much of what you see reflects his working-class sensibilities and time spent in glitz-crazy Vegas.
But consider this: He could've knocked out walls or built onto the old Georgian Colonial house, but he had enough sense to leave it largely alone. Instead, he added outbuildings behind it and, down on the street, limited his imprint to the music-themed front gate. (The Jungle Room was the exception: It was a patio he had enclosed.)
The meditation garden (and ultimate Presley resting place) south of the mansion, and the racquetball building out back, were built in 1965 and 1975, respectively. Both are functional; neither is smothered in tackiness.
Best indoor places to linger.
The tour route leaves the house to take in dad Vernon Presley's garagelike office and the trophy building - a rec room that holds display-case exhibits - plaques, clothes (including Army fatigues and stage jumpsuits) and curios. The collection is extensive, a place to wallow in pop culture and American folkways. The Sincerely Elvis museum back at the plaza pales in comparison.
Part of the racquetball building displays costumes from his later concerts, but the mood is more serious than sequined.
The attendant stationed there tells you Elvis spent part of the morning of Aug. 16, 1977, at the spinet piano in the lounge, playing/singing for girlfriend Ginger Alden and Presley cousin Billy Smith and his wife.
That concert for four was his last gig: Elvis went to bed and was found dead hours later.
Do see the Lisa Marie.
The Lisa Marie, at the plaza, is intriguing - a Convair 880 jet that may be the only walk-through attraction time-bending curators haven't fiddled with. Elvis purchased it in 1975 and probably would think it little-changed. It is a front-to-back series of narrow rooms, living/conference room to personal bedroom. As his "flying Graceland," the Lisa Marie is his lifestyle in miniature.
Details: For hours and prices for visiting Graceland, Elvis Presley's home and final resting place, 1-800-238-2000 or www.elvis.com/graceland.
quelle: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepu...eland0115.html
(dieser bericht steht in relativ verkuerzter form, basierend auf dem ebenfalls verkuerzten originalbericht aus dem 'lexington herald reader', im EPG. die komplette version lag mir damals noch nicht vor).
das original:
Graceland: Elvis hasn't left the building
John Bordsen
Charlotte (N.C.) Observer
Jan. 15, 2006 12:00 AM
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - What's the No. 1 road to rock 'n' roll destination?
Cleveland may hold the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but it plays second fiddle to Memphis. Last year, 413,000 souls toured the collection on Lake Erie; about 600,000 made the trek to . . .
Well, to see Elvis and what he left behind. The anniversaries of his birth (Jan. 8) and death (Aug. 16) are major events; his Graceland mansion on the city's south side is the hub of the Elvis Universe.
Graceland, where he lived, died and is buried, is part holy grail, part cash register. When you visit, keep these things in mind:
This ain't Beverly Hills.
Graceland - 3734 Elvis Presley Blvd. - is about nine miles south of central Memphis. The house was built in 1939 by a doctor whose wife's family had long owned the Graceland farm.
The mansion is nice, but in our time of McMansions, Graceland isn't palatial. Elvis bought it in 1957 for a bit over $100,000 and moved his folks there from a ranch home he'd bought the year before. The 22-year-old's star was clearly on the rise.
The same couldn't be said for the area around Graceland. When suburban flight hit Memphis in the '60s, wealthy residents built mansions east of downtown. Bellevue Boulevard - the road renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard in 1971 - was and is a pre-interstate highway to Mississippi, a mishmash of stores and car lots. Not that Elvis had much truck with the neighbors, anyhow.
Bring your wallet.
You're asked for cash before you get out of your pink Cadillac.
The mansion is on the west side of the street; parking, the visitor center and shops in Elvis Presley Plaza are on the other. Parking is $5.
Tip: Park for free in the strip center to the north of the plaza - it's also loaded with stores selling Elvis stuff - and walk over.
Besides souvenir shops, the official plaza has restaurants (nothing fancy), a theater and two museums. Graceland tickets are sold in the visitor center, as are souvenirs.
Pay to see just the mansion if your interest is only slight ($22), shell out $8 more for the Platinum Tour, which includes the Sincerely Elvis museum ($7 separately, for several rooms of personal items), Elvis Presley Automobile Museum ($12 separately, to view cars and motorcycles) and tour of the King's two jets ($8 separately). The $55 VIP tour is for die-hards.
This world is not flat.
Graceland is not well-suited for visitors in wheelchairs or with strollers. You must board a shuttle bus for the ride across the boulevard and through the gates. Although the mansion's second floor is closed to the public, some key rooms are down narrow stairways in the basement. Graceland was built as a private residence, not a walk-through shrine. The standard route through the place is mazelike.
If you can't handle stairs, forget about touring the jets at the plaza. Access is walk-up only.
Think smaller.
Graceland was built more than 60 years ago, when rooms tended to be smaller. At 17 by 24 feet, the dining room is large but not grand. Authorized photos, such as those in the Official Guidebook, make the chambers appear larger than they are and do not show the ropes visitors must peer over.
Tip: You can shoot photos inside Graceland, but you can't use a flash. Flashed light harms artifacts. Spokesman Kevin Kern says, "Guides and attendants are fairly well-trained on helping guests turn off the flash on a variety of cameras." If you're unable to do this on your camera, it's OK to hold a credit card, or something like it, over the flash.
The lived-in look.
The dining and living room you see first are formal; much more interesting are the places where the King relaxed.
The kitchen cabinets have see-through fronts; they're filled with everyday glassware and such. And they're still used every December, when ex-wife Priscilla, daughter Lisa Marie and Presley relatives in Memphis gather for an after-tour-hours holiday party. (They sleep elsewhere, not upstairs.)
Downstairs holds the pool room and TV room - well-appointed according to the famous owner's tastes and times, but a gussied-up basement nonetheless.
The pool room's ceilings and walls are covered in close to 400 yards of bright print fabric. You can't help but notice the big rip in the tabletop felt. The TV room next to it is an eye-popper in Prussian blue and bright yellow. Built into the far wall are three TV sets - an idea Elvis seized upon after he heard President Johnson liked to watch all three network newscasts simultaneously. (Because he recorded on the RCA label, Elvis typically received RCA electronics for free; all TVs and radios at Graceland are RCA.) There's a small bar, though Elvis was said not to be much for spirits.
But he did love TV: More than a dozen sets are around the mansion. Sadly, much of his personal record collection is missing. Archivists snatched most of it. There's a record player and a couple of LP jackets to show where he kept it.
Not as tacky as they say.
So how over-the-top is the décor? You hear a lot about the faux wilderness look of the Jungle Room - his first-floor den. Its look comes from his fondness for Hawaii, where "décor" is always laid on with a trowel. At one point, the room held a pull-down screen for a projector TV.
Elvis bought the furnishings in Memphis in a single 30-minute shopping spree in 1974. The room wasn't called the Jungle Room; he simply knew it as "the den."
That's the room, by the way, where the visiting Presleys of today still open their Christmas presents.
The glass partition that sets off the music room from the living room looks more Shakey's Pizza than Louis Comfort Tiffany. Elvis commissioned the panels, which bear matched peacocks.
And the dining room, with its high-back chairs around a 6-foot mirror-top table, is ersatz chic.
But keep in mind that many rooms have been locked by curators into the colors and furnishings of the 1970s, an era that many professional decorators just as soon would not discuss.
Elvis was not well-educated and, despite his wealth, not a recreational traveler. Much of what you see reflects his working-class sensibilities and time spent in glitz-crazy Vegas.
But consider this: He could've knocked out walls or built onto the old Georgian Colonial house, but he had enough sense to leave it largely alone. Instead, he added outbuildings behind it and, down on the street, limited his imprint to the music-themed front gate. (The Jungle Room was the exception: It was a patio he had enclosed.)
The meditation garden (and ultimate Presley resting place) south of the mansion, and the racquetball building out back, were built in 1965 and 1975, respectively. Both are functional; neither is smothered in tackiness.
Best indoor places to linger.
The tour route leaves the house to take in dad Vernon Presley's garagelike office and the trophy building - a rec room that holds display-case exhibits - plaques, clothes (including Army fatigues and stage jumpsuits) and curios. The collection is extensive, a place to wallow in pop culture and American folkways. The Sincerely Elvis museum back at the plaza pales in comparison.
Part of the racquetball building displays costumes from his later concerts, but the mood is more serious than sequined.
The attendant stationed there tells you Elvis spent part of the morning of Aug. 16, 1977, at the spinet piano in the lounge, playing/singing for girlfriend Ginger Alden and Presley cousin Billy Smith and his wife.
That concert for four was his last gig: Elvis went to bed and was found dead hours later.
Do see the Lisa Marie.
The Lisa Marie, at the plaza, is intriguing - a Convair 880 jet that may be the only walk-through attraction time-bending curators haven't fiddled with. Elvis purchased it in 1975 and probably would think it little-changed. It is a front-to-back series of narrow rooms, living/conference room to personal bedroom. As his "flying Graceland," the Lisa Marie is his lifestyle in miniature.
Details: For hours and prices for visiting Graceland, Elvis Presley's home and final resting place, 1-800-238-2000 or www.elvis.com/graceland.
quelle: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepu...eland0115.html
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