Our Trip to Savannah

First, to whom is this being written?  I am writing it to ME.  I just write in this style as an aid to detachment and plus it is easier to write as if it is for someone else.  Then, I put it on the web so others can read it if they are crazy enough, or bored enough, to do such.  If you think it is too long or too detailed, pretend it is a bad novel and skip over the dull parts. For those of you who choose to read it, if you click on the links a new window will pop up. To get back to this page just get rid of the window. Lastly, on the map I have put some numbers (in bold). The numbers will appear on this page (in bold in the color black) next to the area which is represented on the map. All you have to do is find the number to know where we were in Savannah. The red numbers or words represent pictures. You click on them and a picture comes up in a separate window. You close that window to get ack to this page.

Well, there are a lot of ways to remember this trip but I think I will try to bring it to you in a combination of chronological and topographical order.  Now, having said that, I will go directly against it and give you some initial impressions.

• Savannah has the largest historical district in the country.  This is an area of town delineated in a configuration of squares (click here --> map).  Although this is a real, working, everyday, area of town, you certainly would not think so based on the amount of people wandering through it.  Regardless of the time of day or night, I have never been in an area which seems to have so few people.  Now, I don't mean it seems deserted.  It is not like Minneapolis when it snows.  In that case, Minneapolis that is, the streets become deserted as people hide indoors or wander throughout the habit trails (the skywalk as they call it).  In the historic district of Savannah it seems that just a few people come out, wander around, speak to others, walk their dogs, (back to that in a minute) and then somehow disappear.  Even the tour busses are not that obtrusive because they are small shuttles and not the large Grayline type busses.
• O.K., I ask you, have you ever been in a city which is so much in love with their dogs that when you go into a bookstore there is a book for $25.00 which is entitled "The Dogs of Savannah"?  It would seem that almost everyone in the historic district has at least one dog.  In speaking with some of the locals we found that as they wander through the squares they recognize each other and sometimes greet each other based on the names of their dogs.  And, having said that, in all of these beautiful garden squares through which we walked we saw no piles of dog feces.  Not even one.  Amazing.
• In THE BOOK, o.k., here we go.  You had better get used to me referring to the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" by John Berendt.  This is the book which inspired me, and a gazillion other people, to come to Savannah.  So, in the book, one of the characters is a loquacious, semilegitimate lawyer by the name of Joe Odom.  Well, we didn't meet Mr. Odom, but we did find that talking (and talking, and talking) is an Olympic sport in Savannah.  You wind em up and off they go.  Depending upon whom is speaking at you it is either absolutely wonderful or, well, you can guess about that.  I thought it was great.
• Even in March it is starting to get hot and oppressively humid. 
• This is a very old fashioned city which has not yet been compelled to catch up with some contemporary alterations.  By that I mean if you are handicapped, such as needing a wheelchair, you are for all intents and purposes, in the wrong city.  There are very few ramps cut into the curbs.  I didn't see one ramp leading up to a building.  Many of the streets are cobblestones or stones which are even larger so traversing them with a wheelchair would be virtually impossible.  The city, although for the most part flat, is by the waterfront on different levels (topography wise) and to gain access to the levels you use stairs or the aforementioned cobbled streets.  Apparently the city is under pressure to change this but, as the city says, if they were to do this it would void another ordinance, which is not to change the look of the architecture of the historic district.  So, we have two competing interests and laws. However, even where alterations could be made they are not. An example of this is a restaurant called Garbaldi's which is located on the second floor of a building but you enter on the first floor and to gain entrance to the dining room you must go up a flight of stairs.
• For all of Boston's claim to being civilized and being a city quite akin to a European city, in many ways I found Savannah to fit that bill to a greater extent.  For instance, Savannah has two Tea Rooms which we found, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if there were more.  Actual Tea rooms which serve Tea in the old fashioned style.  Now, Boston does have a chain called TeaLuxe, but it is just not the same thing.  And in Boston there are places which serve high tea, but they are found in large hotels. I will refer to one of the Tea rooms in Savannah later.
• There is a saying down here.  "The first question asked of you in Augusta is who are your parents?  The first question asked of you in Atlanta is what do you do?  The first question asked of you in Savannah is what will you have to drink?"  Well, the saying is not far off.  People in Savannah love to party.  But, from what I could gather, they do it in a rather genteel manner. I am sure I am probably not totally correct, but for all of the alcohol which flows freely, I saw no evidence of rowdiness.  Certainly, except for one day a year, they do not do it as done in New Orleans for example.  That one day a year is St Patrick's day when Savannah has the second largest St Patrick's day parade in the country.  I don't know about you but that certainly surprised me.  As we passed a shop on Bull Street we saw the St Patrick's day committee which even now was planning the parade for next year.

We arrived right on time into Savannah airport after an uneventful flight through Atlanta.  Oh, one thought about the Atlanta airport, in which we spent on hour on a layover.  In the airport they have separate rooms for smoking lounges.  That is something we definitely do not have in Boston.

Our friends David and Linda picked us up at the airport and drove us to their beautiful home which is located south of Savannah.  We spent a few minutes there, drove into Savannah and up to our Bed and Breakfast, the Magnolia Place Inn (1).  So, here is a virtual tour of the Inn.

• I could say the outside is beautiful but look for yourself by clicking on the pictures (1, 2, 2a, 2b).  To entice you to click on them two of the pictures have Nancy in them. Um, I am also in two of them but that is not an inducement. Oh, by the way, this is the house in which Conrad Aiken was born.  It is not where he grew up nor is it where his father murdered his mother and then killed himself.  He supposedly did this because Mrs. Aiken was spending too much money on parties.
• There is a little reception and business office to the left of the main building in a separate small building. 
• So as we enter the main building you can see the wonderful entrance with the dark woods and the imposing staircase to the left (3).  The high ceilings are great.  There are guest rooms on this ground floor and room 203 is where the Aikens lived.  To the right is a combination living room and dining room (4), depending on the time of day.  Being a bed a breakfast you get breakfast.  Each day we had a combination of either an omelet, or pancakes, or waffles or a melange of grits and eggs and cheese.  Along with this came bacon and ham and fruit and pastries of all sorts.  And of course coffee or tea.  As you can guess, we didn't eat much of a lunch each day.  So, you can go down to this dining room and have breakfast.  The dining room metamorphosizes into a living room in the afternoon where at about 3:00 you can have coffee and tea and then at 5:00 hor doerves and wine.  But, we didn't eat breakfast in that room.
• As you exit the room you look straight ahead at the staircase and as you ascend the staircase and go to the right you get to our room, the James Madison room (5,6).  Quite the room with a four poster bed, high ceilings, a working fireplace (7, 8, 9) and, best of all, the balcony (10, 11).  We ate our meals out on the balcony as we overlooked Whitaker Street, Forsyth park and the rest of Savannah.  The worst thing about the balcony was that it made it quite difficult to get on with the rest of the day.  After all, as you sit on the balcony, reading a paper, eating a breakfast served on a silver tray, drinking your coffee, why leave?
• Here are a few more pictures of the place showing people eating on the porch and Nancy perched on our Balcony (12, 13).
• Before I finish my discussion of the Bed and Breakfast it would not be complete if I didn't speak about the staff.  Jane, the owner, knows Savannah like the back of her hand.  As an example, she knew all of the restaurants which have been recommended in various culinary magazines and took personal offense when we had a bad experience in one and left.  She, of course, knew the owner and was going to call him to express her dismay.  The staff, such as Patrick (14), Mollie and others were to a person great.  They were there when you needed them and absolutely invisible when you wanted to be on your own.  Jane and I traded stories and Patrick provided us with wonderful information about Savannah.  Between Dave and Linda, and the people at the Magnolia Place Inn, we didn't need to find a tour guide, we had our own.

So, back to the time line.  After we settled into the Bed and Breakfast we (Dave, Linda, Nancy and myself) headed out for a walking tour.  Immediately adjacent to the Bed and Breakfast is the Georgia Historical Society building (2) (15, 16). 

You now cross the street and head over to Forsyth park (3) (17, 18, 19), the largest park in the historic area.  Aside from being quite beautiful, and immaculately maintained, it is famous for the fountain in the middle of it.  The swans in the fountain, which I don't think you can see in the pictures here, are featured in many photographs of Savannah.  The fountain is also famous because on St Patrick's day the water is a brilliant shade of emerald green.  The square in which the part resides is one mile in circumference and so people use this square as a running tract. On the last full day we were in Savannah (Saturday) there was a wedding taking place by the fountain.  Good thing it wasn't raining.

You head up Bull Street out of Forsyth Park and immediately across the street, taking up the entire corner on the left, is a building with a marker saying "Armstrong State College" [this plaque is not in any of our pictures] (4) (20, 21).  And, if you didn't look closer, or know about THE BOOK, you would think it was the college.  But the marker does say that the building, which is Armstrong House, was the home of the college.  If you look closer, you will see that it now houses the law firm of Boughans, Williams and Levy.  So what you ask?  Well, Jim Williams (22), who is a pivotal character in THE BOOK was convicted of murder.  His conviction was quashed three times and then in the fourth trial he was finally declared innocent.  The lawyer who handled his second through fourth trials was Sonny Seiler (23) who is a member of Boughan, Williams and Levy.  Sonny Seiler is also notable because he is the proud owner of Uga.  Actually, he is the proud owner of Uga6 who is shown in the picture.  Uga6 is the sixth in the line of bulldogs which are the mascot for the University of Georgia.  For each ballgame Uga gets hauled up to the stadium at University of Georgia so he can march onto the field to the universal applause of everyone there.  Uga 1 - Uga 5 are all buried in the stadium with gravestones which are prominently displayed. 

Directly across from the law firm is the famous, or infamous (depending on how you view it), Oglethorpe Club (5) (24).  Oglethorpe was the general who came over from England and not only originally settled Savannah but also set up the concept for the squares which dominate the historic district.  Matter of fact, he himself provided the funds and labor for the first four squares.  The Oglethorpe club is a restricted club which has no black members and one Jewish member.  Unless, he has died for even ten years ago he was quite old.  He was a member because his progenitor was one of the first individuals to settle in Georgia.  It is interesting to note that although the Oglethorpe club shuns Jews, Oglethorpe did not.  I guarantee you, as I stand at the entrance to the Oglethorpe club (25) I would have little or no hope of entering, nor for that matter would I desire to do such. Oglethorpe brought  35 Portuguese Jews, with him to the New World.  And, in a cemetery which has now been paved over and has become part of Wright square, he provided a plot of land for the burial of these Jews (25a).  I don't think Oglethorpe would approve of the club which bears his name.

You continue walking down Bull Street toward the center of Savannah and get to Monterey square (6) (26).  If you walk toward the left and then make a slight right you see a pair of houses on your left.  One of these is an imposing brick house with an American flag hanging from an upper balcony.  This is the famous Mercer House (27, 28, 29, 30) (7).  No, Johnny Mercer did not live in it.  It was built by a progenitor of his, General Hugh Mercer, but Johnny never lived in it.  Jim Williams bought, refurbished, and lived in it.  Remember Jim Williams?  He is the fellow who was tried and finally acquitted of murder.  By the way, this took more than eight years.  Williams lived in Mercer House until he died of what some say are natural causes and others say are questionable.  Williams held a yearly party which was a must for all of the best in Savannah.   His sister now lives in the House.  Matter of fact, if you look carefully at the pictures of Mercer house in one of them you will see his sister looking out of one of the windows. Oh, as opposed to other houses in Savannah,  she makes it clear, through a posted notice, that this house is never open for a tour.  Actually, you can't blame her.  People have actually climbed over the fence to try to get in.

There is great significance, above and beyond the obvious, of the American flag.  Jim Williams was, well, lets say an iconoclast.  He hated having his (note) historic district ruined.  So, when a movie producer managed to have the streets in the entire Monterrey square covered with dirt, and a set produced to make it seem like it was the 1800's, Williams took offense.  As they tried to take a movie shot aiming towards his house he ruined the shot by hanging a Nazi flag in the window.  As they moved the camera he moved the flag.  Now, this would have been tasteless enough but now, as we go directly across the square, to what would have been in plain view of the flag, we come to the oldest Congregation in the USA continuously practicing Reform Judaism and one of the oldest period, Congregation Mikveh Israel.  But before we go to the Congregation another word about the Williams house and the house to the right of it.  In the back of the Williams lot (the house and its attached houses take up an entire block) is a carriage house which is a gift shop. The shop has some nice little things to buy but more notable was another really nice woman with whom to speak and a black cat who demanded attention.  So, who am I to refuse?

Right next to Mercer house is a beautiful house owned by Adler family (45), composed of the patriarch, Lee Adler and his wife Emma (30a) (8). The Adlers and Jim Williams were sworn enemies. The Adler's openly backed, funds and otherwise, the district attorney who prosected Jim Williams. They were open enemies on almost any committee on which they both served and they both served on almost any important committee in Savannah. If you look carefully at the picture of the Adler house you will see a dog lounging on the balcony. It was the barking of the Adler dogs which, at least in part, alienated Jim Williams. To retaliate Jim Williams would play his pipe organ so loud that it would not only rattle the windows of the Adler house but also the walls themselves.

Now we cross Monterey Square and approach the Congregation (9). As I approached the Congregation (31, 32, 33) I thought, this looks like a church.  And as I found out later, the Congregation took over a church building, so at one time it was.  We were not allowed entry.  There was a sign suggesting that you could take a virtual tour on the webpage.  Big Freaking Deal!!!   I did wonder whether the Congregation was young, old, active etc.  I got my answer when I walked by on Saturday and and saw the rabbi leading about 15 teenagers into the hall.  A bunch of adults were also waiting to go in, ranging from rather young to quite old.  Based on this I would have to say it is an ongoing concern. By the way, in talking to Walter and Rose they visited Savannah long ago and did manage to get into the Congregation and said it is beautiful. I took a little peak in on Saturday and concur.

Back to our walk on Thursday.  Actually, I am combining our walks on Thursday and Friday.  We walked past houses, gardens and street scenes (34, 35, 36, 37).  Some absolutely stunning and some in need of repair.  At one time almost the entire historic district was run down and boarded up.  I have seen pictures of what it was and now I see what it is.  The transformation is startling.  We walked through numerous squares with some pretty impressive vegetation.

On the right side on Bull Street as you head toward the band of the river is one of the many locations of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) (10).  Like Cambridge and Boston with Harvard and BU respectively, Savannah has a love-hate relationship with SCAD (38).  When SCAD first arrived it began buying building in the historic district and although it gutted the insides for its use it meticulously restored the exteriors.  This was great.  However, since it is a school, as soon as it did so the building went off the tax rolls.  This is bad.  The school brought in students, first a few, and now more than 8000.  The students brought in funds.  This is good.  But, being art students, they also brought in a lifestyle into a rather staid community which was relatively foreign (understatement).  They also caused some chaos.  This is bad.  SCAD now has the money, and is using it, to buy up a lot of property (like Harvard and BU).  Now that the historic district can maintain itself this is looked up as being very bad.

We continued down into the "business district" and went to the Sapphire Grill for dinner (11).   It was a good meal and they were very attentive. On our way to dinner we stopped into a wine shop called the Savannah Wine Shop.  O.K., the name is not too original but a wonderful example of what Savannah has been doing. It is in a region of the district which, if you want to be kind, is in transition. Part of it is getting some new shops including the wine shop, some funky clothes shops and some arts and crafts type shops. Other areas, well, they could use some work. But, back to the owner of this new wine shop (it still smelled of paint). He (tongue fully in cheek) calls himself a "viniferous facilitator" (12).  He was a total hoot.  He talked about wines he had, he talked about wines he didn't have, he talked about wines he might have and he talked, and talked. We ended up buying a bottle of wine but I don't even know if that mattered to him. Anyway, if I lived in the area, I would certainly go back to his shop. If for no other reason just for the entertainment value.

So, after dinner we walked back to the bed and breakfast. We said goodnight to David and Linda, and went up to our room where we had two glasses of sherry awaiting us and two pralines by our bed. I could get used to this.

Friday morning started with a wonderful breakfast on the balcony. We headed out and retraced many of our steps from the previous day. On the way down Bull Street we stopped at E. Shaver, Bookseller (13) (39). We went to the bookshop because we were told that is was the best in the area for obtaining books about Savannah. Upon entering the bookshop two older women were talking. Both were employees of the shop and one was complaining that she now had 25 Hagaddahs to get rid of because her daughter no longer wanted them. The daughter wanted a new version. I must say that is not something I expected to happen. We immediately engaged the silver haired lady (40) in discussion and she told us everything about places to see in Savannah, places to eat, and some stuff about the Jewish community. I have already related that information to you in an earlier portion of this tome. She was another example of getting a person started in discussion and standing back. We went back later to the shop and bought a book.

Across the street from the bookshop is the Hilton Hotel (14). In and of itself there is little notable about the Hotel. But, the building of it was hotly disputed. It had to pass muster before the Board of the Historical District and there were sufficient disagreements between people that it literally tore the group apart. It was like a mini civil war in that people within families would not even talking to each other. At least for a short period of time.

We went a bit further down Bull Street and then headed to the Market Square area (15). This is a square of interesting shops, restaurants and entertainment. It is sort of like a very miniature Faneuil Hall. It didn't take long to stroll through it. From there we went to River Street which as the name indicates is a road along the Savannah River. This is one of those roads which are best accessed by going down a long group of stairs or taking a very long trip around various streets in a car. And, once you get to the road, much of it is lined with very large paving stones. So, that is what I meant about not being friendly to those who need a wheelchair. Anyway, this is a real touristy area. A bunch of relatively uninteresting restaurants, shops selling cheap merchandise, and night clubs which are to be avoided. As you can guess, we spent very little time in this stretch. One notable thing about River Street is that across the Savannah River is the Savannah Convention Center.

We headed west a bit and went past the notable Telfair museum (16) (41, 42, 43, 44) which was begun under the bequest of Mrs. Telfair. We did not enter but I did take a couple of pictures of the outside. Now, the triple banners on the outside have a double layer of significance, which seems to apply to most things in Savannah. The statue in the middle is featured on the cover of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" and was originally in the Bonaventure cemetery. It now resides in the Telfair Museum. It had to be removed from the family plot because so many people were coming to see it they were desecrating the area.

Now, back down Bull Street and back to the bed and breakfast. Across from SCAD is the Gryphon Tea Shop (17). This is a great little shop that either was an apothecary, or has been done up to look like one. Anyway, looks aside, it is a true tea parlor with high tea, low tea and every tea ceremony in between. Nancy had iced coffee and scones with clotted cream and jam. I had tea with scones, clotted cream and jam. We sat, watched the people around us, and ate. Not a bad way to spend part of the day. Oh, this shop is actually part of SCAD and is run by the students. So, another business which does not supply taxes to the city.

Afterward we once again headed down Bull Street and back to the bed and breakfast for more conversation and a leisurely sojourn on the balcony. That evening we were scheduled to go to a restaurant named 45 South but, to make a long story short, it didn't work out. We went, we saw, we got disgusted, we got pissed, and we left.

And a good thing we did because we ended up at a restaurant that had a wonderful atmosphere, music and food --- The Bistro Savannah (18). First, the restaurant had muted lighting with brightly painted walls. The music was there but not especially loud. Of course I liked the music because the CD they were playing is one that I own. Second, the waitress, Theresa was cute as a button and just wonderful. Again, as with many Savannians, talkative and forthcoming. She is a student at Armstrong State and so we spent a bit of time discussing where she was going and what she seemed to be doing with her life. Which, basically, she had little or no idea. It was clear that she enjoyed working at the restaurant and I later learned that this restaurant engenders incredible loyalty in its staff. They do it by having consideration for the students by enabling the students to have a schedule which assists them in their life and in their studies. It benefits the restaurant and benefits the students.

Now, onto the most important part, the food. I started out with an appetizer of Fried Oysters with a smoked jalapeno aioli and waffle chips. This was one of the most incredible, wonderful (I could go on but you get the gist of it) dishes I have ever layed my lips around. Nancy had a salad composed of salad greens, pears, walnuts and gorgonzola cheese. It was delicious. For the main course Nancy had a blue crab stuffed tilapia with champagne sauce. It was great. But, although my main course may sound weird, it got the prize. I had a grouper which was broiled and then squirted with a special BBQ sauce. It was served with peach and pear chutney on a mound of creamy stone ground grits. Now, this was a high class restaurant but it did not stop we from sopping up the sauce first with my bread. And, when that was gone I will have to admit I used my fingers. I would like to be able to tell you about the desserts. But, we were so full we couldn't get to them.

Last, and definitely not least, the manager came over and asked what we thought. I told him that I would "bribe someone" for the recipe for the aioli. I have many times, in many restaurants, asked for a recipe and have never been allowed to have it. But here the manager said, immediately, sure, why not? The head chef could be contacted between 2:00 and 4:00 P.M. the next day and he gave me a number to call. Well, I did just that and although I didn't get the recipe proper, I did get all of the ingredients and a hint on how to make it.

Saturday morning began with another fine breakfast. We were to meet David and Linda at 11:30 A.M. and had a couple of hours to waste so I went for a walk and Nancy stayed at the bed and breakfast and read. I wanted to get away from the upper crust area and so walked past Forsyth Park to Drayton Street and then to Abercorn Street. In all of our previous travels we had never seen such conveniences as a supermarket, or a launderette or a gas station. We knew the people downtown had to get their daily needs somewhere and I found those somewheres. These are areas of smaller homes and less expensive condominiums. I also wanted to go to Abercorn street because in THE BOOK there is a drug store/ breakfast joint prominently featured called Clary's drug store. I had a foreboding about this place when I saw the name had been changed to Clary's cafe. And, indeed, with the fame of the book, and the influx of people, the tiny and quirky drug store had been sold and replaced by this rather generic cafe with the same name. I didn't even take a picture of it. It just wasn't worth it. Oh well, fame is a two edged sword.

I really can't tell you where I walked in detail because I put my brain on autopilot and just let my feet take me where they wanted to go. I went to the corner of Abercorn and Oglethorpe, another prominent mention in the book, and along the way saw a great house with some fine foliage. I also passed by the Colonial cemetery, the first city cemetery in Savannah.

By the time I returned at about 11:00 it was rather humid so I spent some time inside and awaited David and Linda who picked Nancy and myself up at about noon. Under most normal circumstances I am not a cemetery crawler, but I wanted to go to Bonaventure cemetery (49, 50, 51, 52). Again, as with so much I have mentioned, this cemetery was prominently mentioned in THE BOOK and it has a ton of history associated with it. One thing I quickly learned from another individual who was a font of knowledge, or just wouldn't shut up, depending on your point of view, is that there is a Jewish part of the cemetery. But, this is not because they were excluded, but this part was bought by the various temples in the area and is run pretty much by them. This did necessitate a change in the exit from the cemetery since in a Jewish cemetery you are not supposed to exit from the same road you entered. They therefore added a slightly different exit road.

We drove into the cemetery and saw a building which is the visitor center. Upon entering the center we were essentially swallowed up by the chairman of the Bonaventure Cemetery Preservation Society, Terry Shaw (46). He could have talked to us for six years. As is, he just kept going, sometimes without taking a breath. He told us about the history of the place, about various misconceptions and outright lies about the place, about things which are correct and about things which are not correct. He told us about their efforts to maintain the place and to find out who is actually buried in it. He showed us plot plans and maps and roads etc. etc. etc. He was great. The Bonaventure Historical Society even has a website if you want to go to it.

There were certain specific gravesites I wanted to see. There is a very famous statue of a young girl who died. I include that here but it was not one of the sites to which I was initially traveling (47). One of the sites I wanted to see was the plot of Johnny Mercer. On this very famous site his gravestone says --- "And the Angels Sing". How absolutely appropriate (48). He is buried in his family plot.

And there is the site of the burial of Conrad Aiken. His site is right by the edge of the cemetery next to the Savannah River. He is buried right next to his two parents (53, 54, 55). Yes, the parents who died when the husband shot the mother and then shot himself. The story goes that Conrad Aiken was visiting the grave of his parents and the ship the Cosmos Mariner went by. Aiken was so taken by it he used it in some of his poems and as you can see, on his gravestone he is apparently a little less sure of what is going to happen to him for he again employs the Cosmos Mariner. This was at his request. The other interesting thing is that his gravestone is elevated in the form of a bench. This is also intentional, at his bequest, for it is the tradition for people to sit on this "bench" with a drink and have that drink in his memory. This is what occurs in the book and apparently occurs quite regularly. I was sorry we did not bring the appropriate libations for the occasion. It was an oversight on our part.

From the cemetery we went to what is described as the "Poor Man's Hilton Head". On the way to the bridge between Savannah proper and the outer island and Tybee we went past the ballpark of the local minor league ball team, the Savannah Sand Gnats. Yep, you've got it, a ball team named for an annoying insect. As opposed to Hilton Head where the beaches are private, on Tybee Island the beaches are public. Hotels can be built on the beach, and there are certainly enough of them, but the beaches are still available to everyone. Having said that Tybee, as a whole, was our biggest disappointment. The South Beach is overrun with tacky motels, hotels, gift shops and tourists.

But, if you can find the north beach, where the famous Tybee lighthouse resides, then you have found a gem. Here is the lighthouse, some homes and a restaurant to which I will return in a moment. First, the lighthouse, is a testament to the stupidity or bullheadedness of man. This is actually the the third lighthouse. The first lighthouse was washed away by the tide. So, in their infinite wisdom, the wise men decided to build the second lighthouse in exactly the same spot with exactly the same result. So, they decided to build the third lighthouse a little further inland. This lighthouse still stands. It is not a working lighthouse. The light shines but it is not used for navigation purposes. Next to the lighthouse is the North Beach Grill. This is a little beach shack where you eat out of paper plates and sacks and drink beer from a bottle. But, having said that, it is what you eat. We ordered two things for lunch. Now, again, please remember the surroundings and the tenor of the restaurant. We ordered shredded fresh crab with an astoundingly good sauce. It was served on a slightly sautéed bed of new asparagus. We also ordered Andouille sausage with black beans and rice. These were incredible dishes being served on paper plates and containers on a porch with seats and tables and umbrellas and people dressed in shorts and bathing suits. This is a little gem which is pretty much kept secret by the locals. Good!

We strolled around a little bit and then headed back to Savannah and found out why no one, at least to my mind, in their right mind would live on Tybee and work in Savannah. There are incredible houses at low prices but the road in and out is like the road to Key West with all of the same problems including flooding, hurricanes, and being the only two lane road in and out. So, on our way out the traffic slowed to a halt. It was not fun.

We got back to the bed and breakfast and sat down for a little wine and conversation. By that time the afternoon had frittered itself away and we went back into the main portion of the historic district to go to another restaurant. This was Garbaldi's which was highly recommended. We got to the restaurant and proceeded to look at a highly unimaginative menu. So, what do do, what to do? Aha, Garabaldi's was located next door to Bistro Savannah. So, I know this sounds crazy, we went right back to the restaurant we were at the previous evening and again were totally thrilled. Once again we had the Oysters for the appetizer and Linda and David went absolutely nuts over them. For my main course I had the seared beef tenderloin with Shitakes, scallions and crispy corn pancakes. Nancy had caribbean red snapper with pineapple salsa. Dave had the Shrimp and Tasso with peppers, leeks and grits. By the way, don't ask me what Tasso is. I don't remember and don't have the foggiest idea. Linda had a huge rare tuna steak with a ginger glaze reduction. And, once again, we were too full to even contemplate dessert.

We returned back to the bed and breakfast and got to sleep early. We awoke early on Sunday morning to the small pastries and bananas which had been prepared for us since we could not stay for the "real" breakfast, caught the taxi and headed to the airport. Of course, upon entering the Taxi the woman driver started talking and for about the next twenty minutes didn't stop. And, that was that.

I don't think Nancy is in a rush to go back. But, for a period of four days although I brought a computer I never used it except to download pictures. I never called work to check on messages and I have no idea, even at this point, about my email messages or my phone messages. Maybe this was because of me and Nancy and maybe it was in part Savannah. Whatever it was, I needed this. I hope to return.