Memphis is famous for: Elvis (Graceland), BBQ, the Blues (music), Beale Street, Greyhound, FedEx, and Civil Rights.

Trainwise, there's the depot, a mix of old and new, the Mississippi river bridges, and a tram system with old cars. About an hour to the east is the Casey Jones museum (car required) - good for a half day out. Somewhere to the south of Memphis is where the Casey Jones wreck occurred.

Graceland is almost unmissable. A bit Disney-esque, but even for non-fans it's impressive.

Great place, well recommended.

OTOH, the trains have been rather late to and from there lately, what with the border checks and terrorism alerts and so on, . . . . but this is hardly the only route with late trains, of course!

One things not mentioned about Memphis is the Mississippi River.

The River: The reason the city is there in the first place. The Chickasaw Bluffs are high enough to be flood proof and solid enough that the river has not eaten them away. There is a tour boat, the Memphis Queen, that leaves from the foot of the Bluff near downtown that takes you for an hour or so up and down the river ride. Usually they will stop at a sand bar so you can get out on one. Feel free to collect some. It is nice ride.

The River Bridges: The northern bridge, which is by itself was built for Interstate 40 in the 1970's. It took longer to build than any of the older bridges. Six lane highway bridge.

The southern three bridges: These were all built at this location because it was the only assuredly stable point on the river channel anywhere near Memphis.

Northern bridge of the three: The Harahan Bridge, two railroad tracks (still very much in use) with roadways (not in use since 1950) cantilevered out on each side. Built about 1915 by the Arkansas and Memphis Bridge Company, jointly owned by St. Louis Iron Mountain and Southern, the Cotton Belt, and the Rock Island. Owned by Union Pacific. 25 mph speed limit, no weight restriction. This was the second bridge built over the Lower River.

Center bridge of the three: Commonly called the Frisco Bridge, Actual name the Memphis Bridge. A single track bridge, with the deck originally planked level with the top of rails for wagons and horses to use the bridge between trains. Opened in 1892. The first bridge to be constructed across the Lower River and the southernmost bridge across the Mississippi River until the Vicksburg Bridge was opened in 1930. Built by the Kansas City Ft. Scott and Memphis and Kansas City Memphis and Birmingham, (predecessors to the Frisco) but used by all railroads until the Harahan Bridge was opened. Presumably at that time the planking for the wagon road was also removed. Owned by BNSF, 25 mph speed limit, some restrictions on short heavy cars and power draw on the western approach, but no weight restrictions otherwise.

Southern Bridge of the three: The Memphis and Arkansas Bridge, opened 1949, four lane highway bridge, carries all the US highway numbers that cross the river plus I-55.

Comments about a few other things:

Beale Street: a somewhat Disneyfied rebuild of the most famous (infmaous) part of downtown. It was the place for booze and prostitution where the law did little but do body counts for years. Then it fell into disrepair to the point of being burned out hulks. Someone decided to rebuild it and turn into a tourist attraction. A lot of people felt that it would improve the air in the city if it were buldozed flat and something else entirely put there. Unless drunkeness is your hobby, go early in the evening. Be careful where you park if you want to have a car when you decide to leave.

But I digress......Mud Island is a park about 200 yards offshore from downtown. It has a museum and a few other things to look at. You've got Beale Street and some riverboat excursions.....also just off the streetcar loop. The minor league ballpark is also just off the streetcar line as is the Orpheum Theatre, the Convention Center, and the symphony hall. You could find enough to spend a couple or three days in the area...and it would certainly be a warmer 'spring break' destination.

Of course during spring break earlier this year I spent a day watching a blizard unfold from a dome car on VIA's Canadian.....so I might be a little biased against trying Canada before the middle of May!

First the downside for Toronto - the weather. In March, temperatures generally vary anywhere from the mid 20's to low 50's (although I remember a sunny weekend about five years ago when the temps were in the 70's). March is also generally wet and there's always the chance of a major snow storm. The other big complaint from both residents and tourists is the large presence of panhandlers and homeless persons on the sidewalks downtown.

On the upside, Toronto is an exciting city, rewnowned for its cultural diversity. It is also a safe city. Public transit is very good with a large network of buses, streetcars, subways, and an LRT. And there's plenty of things to do.

For the railfan, on weekdays, Union Station hosts up to 36 VIAs, Amtrak's Maple Leaf, and countless GO commuter trains. Also, Canada's busiest freight mainline (at around 60 trains a day) is a 35 minute GO train ride east of downtown. Other things to do (in addition to those previously mentioned - sporting events, CN Tower) include shopping, several museums, live theatre, the Toronto Zoo, the Ontario Science Centre, and lots more.

I agree with you! I am an American (Brooklyn, NY boy) who lived in Toronto 4 seperate times, worked in Toronto, owned a marine business in Port Perry, etc., etc. and I have been to many big cities around the world. Toronto is, aside from NY, the greatest, most interesting, most cosmopolitan, most pleasant and satisfying with some of the nicest looking girls and good food in the world! I mean it! Alsoi, Niagara Falls is only 2 hours by train or bus or car from Toronto--good for a side trip.
Don't miss both. Watch out for winter, though, it's harsh--like all the Great Lakes cities (Chicago, Cleveland). Summer, fall are the best for visits.

If you are into that sort of thing, Elmwood Cemetary can be an interesting visit. It has all the east west railroads through the city together on its northern border. When it opened it was on the outside edge of town, about 1840, do not remember exaclty. It was the burial ground for everybody from the rich and famous (or infamous) on down for years. Some interesting monuments. Also has a large Confederate section, many with small stones having only numbers. There is a Chinese section. The oldest stones have the names in chinese characters only, some have both but the more recent are usually Roman alphabet only. It is in what is today a pretty bad part of town and closes bafore dark.