12.09.10
Awoke to a good start with seasonally delicious breakfast pumpkin waffles (from Deborah's mix!). Performed some routine maintenance and headed towards points South.
We took the local roads to see the coastline of South Carolina. Aptly named The Low Country, it is flat flat marshland with winding tributaries and bays. Every bridge seemed to have the same view - a few shrimping boats, a few long docks stretching from houses hidden back on the solid land, and miles and miles of marsh grass between the numerous tributaries . At low tide, it is all a big sand pit with boats held hostage until the water returns.
We drove through the historic town of Beauford, home to Parris Airfare Base and a large Confederate cemetery. The houses and marinas were lovely, but the downtown was modernized and quiet. Apparently, they have fantastic Shrimp festivals in Beaufort, but we certainly aren't in the right season. We took Rachel Ray's advice and stopped for lunch at Signe's Cafe in Hilton Head. Rachel had said the breakfasts were not to be missed, but we had a three inch thick crab tart and shrimp and grits. We left with a piece of Key Lime bread pudding, two blueberry muffins for the morning, and a double chocolate muffin with chocolate cream cheese icing covered in chocolate ganache.
Hilton Head was what we expected (boring) and we drove straight out. We drove through Savannah to the closest Walmart for some necessities shopping. We ate our deserts, watched two episodes of 'Community' and fell asleep.
Woke up early and headed to the historic downtown of Savannah. We parked the RV in the visitor's center, learned that we could leave the RV (with us in it, we assumed) overnight for only $8. Sweet deal.
Savannah is awesome. Established in 1733 by James Oglethorpe, he laid the town out in the grid which still exists. We started on River Street, right next to the river, and moved up to the street level Factor's Walk, which are old factories, including the Cotton Exchange, converted to restaurants and shops. Since the river is not incredibly wide, the huge cargo ships that come in from the ocean glide right by the Riverfront. They are so massive, seen from ground level, like a moving city block floating right behind the factory roofs. They are really cool to watch.
We headed into the old city, which is only about one mile in length and breadth. The city is simply stunning. The buildings are old and have so much character. The cities 24 parks are lushly green, evenly spaced throughout the city and surrounded by beautiful old estates. We stopped in some beautiful stores (our favorite was The Paris Store and the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Store) and found the prices very reasonable. Even in the restaurants and convenience stores, Savannah was much more affordable than Charleston. Charleston was great fun, but there is a real charm and pleasant energy all around Savannah.
After we took a tour of the ridiculously gorgeous Owen - Thomas House, we found ourselves right outside of Lady and Sons, Paula Deen's restaurant. I'm sure that it was awesome when she was there cooking, but, it seems to have become simply a tourist attraction, and not really a culinary experience. It wasn't that great. Sister Sharon's cooking was much better!!
After more walking around the city, we visited the Telfair Academy of Arts and then the modern art. I highly, highly recommend visiting them (one ticket gets you in to both plus the Owens - Thomas house). Just the buildings alone, where the art collections are housed, are amazing. The permanent collections in both contain some amazing pieces, including plaster casts of Laocoon (which mom had fallen in love with at the vatican) …. at the Academy. The current exhibitions at the modern were "Modern Masters" from the Smithsonian collection, and Southern Folk Artists. I've become quit taken with a few Southern Folk artists in the last few weeks….
We had asked our docent at the Owens House, where our best chance of encountering a ghost would be. She recommended the Olde Pink House bar. Upon entering the house, they directed through the dining rooms to the bar. After we had already ordered our cocktails, looked around to find that the bar really seemed like an addition, we asked the bartender if she had ever seen a ghost. She informed us that there were stories, but they were all based downstairs in the Tavern Bar! I was pissed that the concierge hadn't asked us which bar we were looking for. By the time we finished our drink and got down to the Tavern bar, there was not an open seat in the place. It was absolutely gorgeous. Apparently, the owner of the house, a Savannah mayor, I believe, used to throw debaucherous parties down there for his many concubines. One day, his wife came home early and while most people fled, one concubine ran into the bathroom and the wife locked her in. She died in there and to this day, neither the bathrooms or their stalls have locks on them, because her ghost has tried to lock a few of the female staff in there. We were really tired after our day of walking though, so we decided to just head back to our rv. We'll have to go back and have a drink there someday…..
We did look for a party on our walk home, but everyone was too cold to come out and play. Since it was the second night sleeping without hookup, our battery ran out in the night, and we awoke shivering! As soon as the parking lot gate was up, we headed out to Tybee Island, to get some heat, and spend a nice quite, spending free day. Took a long, long shower, walked on the beach, saw some more dolphins frolicking where the ocean meets the river, and drove by the Pulaski Fort.
We both would have like to spend more time in Savannah, but we have a few people to visit on the way to meet Kyle and Grandma in Florida.
Now we're visiting Nicole's high school friend and the High Museum, in Atlanta, GA. We are warm and toasty in Rachel Doomiche Walker's apt, but have to go out every few hours in the night and make sure the heat is running and the rv doesn't freeze! Spending a lot on propane....
Soundtrack:
Otis Redding
Little Richard
Ray Charles
Vicky Lawrence (The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia)
Click here for photos!
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