Beale Street, Memphis
I’m back from the USA, touring some extremely photogenic, if not exactly full-of-life, parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee (well, Memphis at any rate), so I’ve come back with a few pics. Here’s one from the famous Beale Street (home of the blues and all that) in Memphis. Beale Street is so widely-photographed that I tried to avoid straightforward photos of neon signs and street blues performers, and found this an interesting angle, as it takes in the Beale St. name, the famous lit-up signs and of course part of the enormous police presence – placed there by the state to stop tourists getting hassled by beggars and con artists, and therefore to protect the huge income to Memphis from tourism. I think between Beale Street and Graceland there must be at least half of Memphis’ income.
