Savannah

Thanks to some time off after an interview in Augusta, Jane and I were able to take some time to relax in one of my favorite cities in the US. Savannah, GA has always held a certain air of mystery and excitement for me ever since my first visit here with my family.  From the layout of the city with it's beautiful green squares breaking up the monotony of the downtown every block in any direction, to the delicious down home food, to the beach just down the road, and especially with the amazing old school buildings that harken back to the old days of the south, there's just something mystical and magical about being in Savannah.  It's one of those cities that feels like it has resisted the pull of the modern world, preferring to stay behind in a slower, more peaceful time, which I fully approve of.

After arriving in the early evening, we checked into our hotel and then had an absolutely amazing dinner at The Olde Pink House, choosing to eat in their basement area which is stylized in the manner of a prohibition era speak easy, complete with a talented piano player rocking old school tunes.



Then it was off to some of the local bars, as per recommendations of our hotel clerk and our waitress.  We hit up several bars off the beaten path and saw some of the night-life of the Savannah locals.

The next morning it was off to the riverfront to explore.  Some of the riverfront is a little run down (which I think adds a little to its charm although at night I'm sure I'd find it very sketchy).  This area here is clearly a much better kept part, with an old schooner and a maritime monument fountain.

To me, Savannah is a city that is easy to fall in love with.  It's the quirky, mysterious atmosphere of the city that draws me in, and this statue symbolizes to me a lot of that quirky history of Savannah...  This is a statue of Florence Martus, aka the Waving Girl, who lived on an island in the Savannah River and, as legend has it, "From her rustic home on Elba Island, a tiny piece of land in the Savannah River near the Atlantic Ocean, Martus would wave a handkerchief by day and a lantern by night. According to legend, not a ship was missed in her forty-four years on watch."

But of course, the most striking feature of Savannah is the city's 22 open squares, which break up the roads through downtown and provide peaceful, musical, relaxing, active, vibrant, fascinating green spaces for locals and visitors alike to congregate.  The city was originally laid out in 1733 with four open squares, and as the city grew the design was replicated.  There's something instantly relaxing about sitting down with some food at one of the park benches in any given square and taking a few minutes to sit back, observe, and rest.

And as we explored the city, we also came across this historical cemetery, with the trees smothered in Spanish moss... I bet at night this could be one of the creepiest places I've been, but during the day it was actually really cool to see the stories of some of these ancient Savannah families.

If anyone can guess the significance of this picture below, you win a prize...  it's more than just another beautiful square in Savannah, it's where the famous bus stop scene in Forrest Gump was shot, although the bench they sat on is now in a museum.

Of course, lunch had to involve a peach margarita / peach mixed drinks... you can't vacation in Georgia without sampling everything peach that you can find.

And we wrapped up our day with two final attractions... the first is the most photographed site in Savannah, the Forsyth Park Fountain.  It has sister fountains in the Place de la Concorde in Paris and in Cuzco, Peru.  It's a pretty awesome fountain.

Literature fans might recognize this Savannah landmark... now a restaurant, this is supposedly the inspiration for the opening scenes of Treasure Island, where old Captain Flint died in an upstairs room in this building.  Jane is hanging out front here trying to keep me from getting us lost :-)