I originally started this blog post in October but just now found the time to finish it...
Tonight I was chatting with one of my best friends about the cities I've visited. The conversation came up due to some photos I took that I've hung up on the walls of my living room. During that conversation I was explaining how much I loved the city of Savannah. For those of you who have known me over the past 7 years you probably know that I've had a psuedo-personality for much of that time. Savannah, was the stage name I picked for my job at WTH. No, I'm not a stripper! I worked in Customer Service for 3 years at a travel agency where, at the time I was hired, everyone had to have a different name. I chose the name Savannah because I thought it was unique and beautiful, and it was a place I had always wanted to visit. I guess you could say it was another location on my "list" that I absolutely had to check out.
A few summers ago Brian and I decided to take a southern road trip; however, due to time constraints we ended up just traveling to Savannah, GA for a few days. I booked us a room at the Marshall House hotel after watching an episode of Samantha Brown's Great Hotels on the Travel Channel. Though the additional research I did around the web was probably not a good idea... mainly because of the ghost stories that were attached to this particular property.
Savannah is a gorgeous city and the people there are wonderful. When they say "southern hospitality" they are talking about Savannah, Georgia. The people we met were courteous, friendly, and always willing to give us a few recommendations around the city.
While I could talk forever about the beauty of the city, the great personalities, and how much I love it I'll spare you all that and stick to a few of my favorite highlights. Our first night in Savannah we decided to have dinner at the Olde Pink House. We had a corner table on the 2nd floor overlooking one of Savannah's squares, the room we were in was originally the master bedroom of the house painted in what I would call a dark purple (like an eggplant) but what is officially known as "Savannah Black." All the food was amazing - scallops, fried green tomatoes, and my personal favorite sweet potato ravioli. This was by far one of the best meals - food, service, atmosphere - that I have ever experienced. And trust me, that's not necessarily an easy task. Later on in the evening Brian and I took a haunted horse-drawn carriage ride around the city only to find out that the Olde Pink House is haunted and that patrons using the 1st floor bathroom often get "locked in" by a jealous ex. Thank goodness I didn't know that in advance!
The second highlight of our trip was dinner at a local tapas bar, called Jazz'd. It was one of those restaurants we kind of stumbled upon while walking around the city. It looked cool so we decided to try it. We enjoyed a delicious small plate sampler and sangria in the basement-like setting early in the evening, all of which was excellent. Outside of the food and the wonderful service we had here, two other things stood out and impressed us leaving this meal as a trip highlight. One was the fun and vibrant artwork that surrounded us along the walls and the other was the live music that started up part way through our meal. When the evening entertainment began I saw the singer take his place on the stage and knew we were listening to live music. Brian, on the other hand, had his back to the stage and thought that the restaurant was piping a recording of Frank Sinatra through its speakers. We were both in awe over the talent of this young man. The one thing that didn't fit with our experience was emerging into full sunlight after our meal - thanks daylight savings time.
For beer lovers, or those who just love a good place to drink, definitely check out Moon River Brewery. The drinks are fantastic - I personally enjoyed their home-brewed cider - and the service at the bar can not be beat. We sat at the Moon River bar late one evening drinking and chatting with our bartender, another employee who was off that evening- who was absolutely hilarious, and the folks next to us. It is hard to explain why this is one of my highlights but something about the great drinks, the friendly people, and the atmosphere makes this one of my favorites. Several months or so after our trip to Savannah I found out that Moon River Brewery was being investigated by one of those ghost hunter shows. Again, glad I didn't know how haunted this place supposedly is prior to going. While I normally steer clear of these shows due to the inevitable lack of sleep and bad dreams that follow, I couldn't help but watch this one since I had actually been there and LOVED it. Sure enough I walked the same areas that are apparently haunted within the regular visitor areas of the restaurant. In addition, the third floor of the building is said to be an area that they cannot renovate due to previous supernatural experiences. All of this makes Moon River an intriguing place to visit when you're in town. I know the next time I'm in Savannah I'll be making a beeline here regardless of what haunts may await.
I saved the most interesting highlight for last. Brian and I gravitate to hole-in-the-wall places, especially when we travel. Thanks to him I've learned to appreciate things that aren't just popular with the tourists. Before leaving the hotel for the night we asked the front desk for a recommendation on a local, hole-in-the-wall bar that would be a good spot to hang out. We walked a few blocks from our hotel to a bar called Pinkie Masters, often a local haunt for former president Jimmy Carter. On the way we passed the beautifully lit up and ornate Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Known for its famous clientele and Pabst Blue Ribbon the dimly lit, rather rundown looking Pinkie Masters was exactly what we asked for. At the jukebox was a person with a short blond bob haircut and stone-wash jeans belting our Barbara Streisand. It wasn't until after they turned around that I realized they weren't a woman. For the rest of the evening, we enjoyed their, uh, singing of various songs including the very memorable rendition of "Memory." The friend of the man with the bob, whom we sat next to at the bar, had long brown hair around the length of mine at the time. He was full of compliments about how great my hair was but at the same time was trying to compete with me over who had the better locks. Overall, it was a very strange experience, one that I was too sober to fully enjoy. However, it is one that I won't soon forget.
If you are ever in Savannah, I highly suggest the following experiences in addition to those listed above.
Grab some BBQ at Angel's - tucked down a side street off the now famous Chippewa Square (used during the Forrest Gump filming) this local restaurant is a gem!- Hang out in Forsyth Park - the iconic fountain in historic Savannah and a gorgeous open, green space to lounge around in.
- Get a tasty treat at Leopold's Icecream
- Take a drive out to Tybee Island
- Grab a few drinks at River Street
- Walk the squares of Savannah - they are beautiful!
Traveling to Savannah only made me love this city more. It also provided one of my light bulb moments where I realized I really am a southern girl. All those years I thought I wasn't because I was born in Baltimore and lived for a few years in the Northwestern part of Maryland. One taste of those delicious fried green tomatoes and I knew it... I'm no Yankee!
