As in the rest of Tennessee, the driest, most reliable weather occurs in September and October. Memphis' weather can change rapidly. Its summers are hot, with an average temperature of 32+ C with uncomfortable humidity (57%-86%). Thunderstorms are fairly frequent in spring and summer, though winter and early spring see the most precipitation. Memphis does get snow, usually 3-6 in/8-15 cm a year, but it doesn't last long.

Chamber of Commerce

2969 Elmore Park Road; Tel.: +1 (901) 372 9457

Memphis Regional Chamber of Commerce

22 North Front Street Suite 200; Tel.: +1 (901) 543 3500

Memphis Junior Chamber of Commerce

Tel.: +1 (901) 682 2026

French Consulate

81 Monroe Avenue; Tel.: +1 (901) 525 7744

Business centers generally provide a range of services that include secretarial, translation/interpretation, and office services, including computer rentals, audio/visual equipment rentals, cellular phone rentals, copy and printing services, and temporary office space and staff. Most large hotels (some of which may be listed here) also have business centers that offer many of the same services that independent centers provide.

Adams Business Center Inc

5810 Ferguson Road; Tel.: +1 (901) 373 6200

Alliance Business Centers Network

3242 Players Club Circle; Tel.: +1 (901) 748 3610

Executive Business Center

1355 Lynnfield Road Suite 245; Tel.: +1 (901) 761 2420

International Business Service Center

2491 Winchester Road; Tel.: +1 (901) 922 8090

International Conference & Business Center

6465 N. Quail Hollow Rd., Suite 200; Tel.: +1 (901) 271 3700

Thousand Oaks Business Center

3705 Outland Road, Tel : +1 901-362-0707

Delta Conference Center

3960 Knight Arnold Road; Tel.: +1(901) 369 6920

Stritch Conference Center

650 East Parkway South; Tel.: +1 (901) 321 3567

Whispering Woods Hotel & Conference Center

11200 Goodman Road; Tel.: +1 662 895-2941

Willow Lake Conference Facility

4002 Willow Lake Boulevard; Tel.: +1 (901) 367 0108

Berlitz

6555 Quince Road, Suite 505; Tel.: +1 ( 901) 683 7371

Alpha Translation Services

Tel.: +1 (877) 283 4694

AAA Translators

5530 Stage Road; Tel.: +1 (901) 372 7373

Area Courier Service Inc

FedEx

Network Courier Services

Priority Courier Service

P. O. Box 751064; Tel.: +1 (901) 795 7813 or (800) 863 2789 (Toll-Free)

1102 Llano Cove; Tel.: +1 (901) 388 2988

Tel.: +1 (901) 387 3878

Passports valid for at least six months after arrival are required for all. In general, travelers visiting the U.S. are required visas. However, under the Visa Waiver Program, citizens of Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom are allowed to stay for 90 days without a visa. Citizens of Canada and Mexico do not need a visa but must carry proof of citizenship and identity. Beginning October 26, 2004, all travelers, including children of any age, who want to travel visa-free to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program must have a Machine-readable passport. Duty-free allowances are 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 2 kilograms of tobacco, 1 liter of alcohol, and gifts worth up to $100. Meat products, seeds, plants, fruits, and hazardous goods are prohibited.

The area codes for Memphis is 901. It is necessary to dial the area code and the number in making local calls in Memphis. There is no toll charge for any of the three local area codes from within the Memphis calling area.

Emergency police, fire, and ambulance

911

For local calls, dial the seven-digit telephone number. For long-distance calls within the U.S., dial 1, then the three-digit area code then the seven-digit number. For long-distance calls outside the U.S., first dial 011 and the country code. Four special prefixes, "800", "888", "877", and "900", are not area codes but indicators of special services. "800", "888", and "877" are toll-free calls. The "900" numbers charge you for the call and are often expensive. For collect calls or operator-assisted calls, dial "0" instead of "1". For local directory assistance, dial 411. For long-distance information, dial 1, and then the appropriate area code followed by 555-1212. The most common public phone is the coin-operated type. Telephone-card phones are becoming increasingly common.

There are several cellular service providers in the U.S., including: Verizon Wireless, Cingular, T-Mobile, AT&T Wireless, Nextel, VoiceStream, and Sprint PCS. Mobile phone numbers follow the regular telephone number convention, with the seven-digit telephone number followed by the area code. If you choose to bring your cellular phone into the U.S., check with your home cellular service provider to establish compatibility of your phone with systems abroad. Rent a locally compatible cellular phone before you arrive to obtain reasonable rates and reliable service.

Foreign currency must be exchanged to U.S. dollars. Money can be exchanged at banks and various foreign-exchange services. Most restaurants, shops, and hotels will take travelers' checks and major credit cards. Travelers can also withdraw cash from ATMs. The basic unit of U.S. currency is the dollar, which equals 100 cents. Coins are the copper penny (1 cent) and four silver coins: the nickel (5 cents), the dime (10 cents), the quarter (25 cents), and the half-dollar (50 cents). Silver $1 coins and "golden" dollar coins also exist. Paper bills come in denominations of $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100.

• Restaurants 15 to 20 percent of bill, none at fast-food restaurants.
• Bars About US$1 per drink or 10% to 15% of drink prices.
• Airport Skycap/Porter US$1 per piece of luggage.
• Taxis 10 percent of fare.
• Hotel Bell Desk US$1 per piece of luggage or per taxi summoned.
• Hotel Housekeeping US$1 per person per day.
• Hotel Room Service 15 percent of bill.
• Parking Attendant/Valet 15 percent of parking rate.
• Haircare/Personal Services 20 percent of bill.

Memphis is in the Easter time zone (Greenwich Mean Time minus 5 hours). From early April through late October, Georgia switches to daylight-saving time.

Sales tax in Memphis is 7%. There is no VAT.

110V AC, 60Hz. Plugs are of the flat, two-pin type.

Public transport in Memphis is provided by the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA), which operates throughout the city from 4:30 a.m. until 11:15 p.m. They also operate the Trolley 2 buses in the downtown area. The famous Main Street Trolley lines run up and down Main Street from Auction Street in the North to J.O Patterson in the South. These antique trolleys also make a Riverfront Loop that gives a close-up view of the Mississippi River, the Pyramid and Mud Island. The nights when special events are held, the Main Street Trolley runs until 1:00 am. For schedules and information, call MATA at (901) 274 6282. Taxis are everywhere carrying your message throughout this thriving port city.

No specific immunizations are needed to enter the United States. For more information, contact the Center for Disease Control at 800-342-2437.

Barbeque housed in a 1890 mansion is filled with antiques and collectibles and serves delicious dry-style barbecued ribs. For a fancy meal, the French contemporary cuisine of Chez Philippe at the Peabody Hotel is very delicate and the service proficient The new restaurant of Karen Blockman Carrier, Beauty Shop (Midtown), is a hip eatery lodged in an old 1940s-style beauty shop where one can appreciate a fresh and inspired Caribbean-Southwest-Asian food while seated in refurbished hair-dryer chairs. Melange, in Midtown, is a hip restaurant and tapas bar serving delicious Mediterranean meals. For Pacific Rim cuisine, Tsunami (Midtown) is well ranked by locals. In East Memphis, fine contemporary innovative cuisine can be found at Erling Jensen's Restaurant. Not far from Graceland is Fourway, a south Memphis landmark serving the best soul food among which a tasty velvet sweet potato pie. Music enthusiasts will like the atmosphere at B.B. King's Blues Club where rollicking bands perform while spectators enjoy the Southern comfort food.

The best shopping is music. Blues you can Use prides itself to be the largest Blues specialty store in the world and also sells blues-related souvenirs, posters, T-shirts and more. Shangri-La Records is the place to look for recordings from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s in the old vinyl platters.

Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley, is the second most visited house in the United States. The rock'n'roll promenade can be continued at the Rock'n'Roll Museum which displays attires of the great rockers and bluesmen. The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in Overton Park contains a notable collection of Italian Renaissance works and American modernist paintings. Woodruff Fontaine House is an example of a 19th century Franco-Victorian style mansion. The summer is an ideal time to wander around the Dixon garden and visit the Dixon Gallery. The Lorraine Motel where black civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968 was transformed into an America's Civil Rights Museum. Finally, golf enthusiasts have to test Firestone Country Club, one of the premier golf courses in the world.