Savannah sojourning

We had two packed days in Savannah, a delightful, eccentric and beautiful city. With its “open carry “ drinks laws, it reminds me a bit of New Orleans.   It is the home of the Savannah College of Art and Design, and is filled with college age students.  Actors  stroll the streets in period costumes, pretending they’re famous citizens.  In the last two days we’ve met a pirate, Robert Louis Stevenson and Forrest Gump, who chatted with us in the breakfast room of the hotel this morning. It is the land of the whimsical  and artistic. I love it.

We began the day with a trolley tour, which was helpful in giving us an overview of the city.  We started at the river area, then branched out into the neighborhoods which are punctuated by  verdent squares, as you can see by the map.

We got off the trolley from time to time to walk in the neighborhoods.  The entire town is one giant photo op.

We had lunch at Elizabeth’s on 35th, in an elegant mansion..

We took a tour of the Andrew Low house, whose son, William, married Juliette Gordon, who founded the Girl Scouts. She was the last person to live in the house.  She got the house, but no money to run it so she turned it into a boarding house !

We were free today to do whatever we liked. We took our time getting up and eating, then did  some shopping at the many stores at the river’s edge. We returned to the hotel to statch our booty then headed off to the Mercer-Williams house to take the tour.

On the way over, we ran into lots of dogs and their owners, as today was Wag-O-Ween.   Dogs and owners were dressed up, looking for treats from the local merchants-  what a hoot !

We got to the mansion with little difficulty. If you’ve read the book or seen the movie, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil put Savannah on the map as a tourist destination. This house was originally commissioned by the great grandfather of the singer Johnny Mercer (who wrote  “ Moon River,” among many others) and was restored by Jim Williams, a flamboyant  bon vivant  antique dealer whose standing in society was very important to him. He gave a Christmas party every year which was one of the most sought-after invitations in all of the city.  And then there was the murder..

if you haven’t read the book or seen the movie, I urge you to do so. The film, directed by Clint Eastwood, starred Kevin Spacey. Unfortunately no photos were allowed in the interior of the building or the gardens, since it’s still a private home.

We visited the Jepson Center for the Arts to check out their exhibits then, overcome with thirst, ended up at a rooftop bar with views overlooking the city.

We spent both evenings at the Olde Pink House, a place highly recommended both for food and entertainment. We ate in the River Street area with the group last night and wandered over later for a drink. We ate a light meal there tonight- fantastic  appetizers – then once  again  ended up in the basement bar listening to the piano player. Last night Diana Rogers played and sang;   tonight’s entertainment was David Duckworth who sang and played, with his wife Alisa accompanying him on the bass.  Both pianists were wonderful, accomplished musicians and a real treat for us.

Now it’s time to say goodnight, since it is already the next morning.

We leave for Jeckyll Island tomorrow for two nights.