I'm sharing some travel diaries I'd put together from previous trips. Starting with Savannah in January of last year.
We started our travels for this year with a quick weekend getaway to Savannah, Georgia. It was important to me that, in the midst of wedding planning and other committed travel, our first trip be something just for us and no other reason.
The AirBnB we booked was an adorable experience in tiny house living. It was down an abandoned-looking street that was some kind of lane nestled between two real streets and late at night we thought we heard a mass of mice squeaking, but other than that it was perfectly situated at the eastern edge of this minuscule city.
Savannah is perfect for meandering the day away, with its squares every few short blocks filled with trees and benches inviting you to sit for a moment or more in the shade.
We arrived in the afternoon on Saturday ravenous from a morning of travel. After unloading our bags in the room we ventured out for our first meal. Unbeknownst to us, many lunch places close at 3pm (we learned this at 3:01pm) and it was several stops at places we'd researched before we found one that was open: Zunzi's. Oh, Zunzi's.. it was meant to be, and it was awesome. We shared a giant plate of mashed goodness with meats and sauces and salad as well as beers and their signature iced rooibos tea. We ate outside at the side of the building where tables and umbrellas were set up along with some games of corn hole. The food was so good. This memory is a huge highlight for both of us.
On Saturday night we ate at The Grey, a restaurant in an old Greyhound bus station helmed by a woman chef who, like us, came from NYC (Prune, to be exact). Except she set down roots.
Sunday morning we walked through Forsyth Park as it was enveloped in a dreamy fog.
After a quick breakfast at Foxy Loxy Cafe, we took a cab to Wormsloe Historic Site. We spent the late morning there, where we walked down a mile-long wide road lined on either side with those huge craggy trees draped in Spanish moss. Aside from the occasional car, it was just the two of us on that road.
At Wormsloe we also "hiked" a 300 yard trail soft with pine needles and dotted with huge palms. It was warm and humid in a comfortable, good-for-your-lungs kind of way. It was definitely not Upstate New York.
All in all we spent maybe just two hours at Wormsloe and in that time found such stillness and calm there. It was what I was looking for out of this trip: something we could share away from the rest of the world, a time for us to hold hands and be content in each other, sometimes in silence. It was a bonus that we were surrounded by nature and history built out of earth and oyster shells.
Broughton Street is a main shopping strip in Savannah. At Savannah Bee Company we had a fun little mead tasting as well as tried tupelo honey, a local honey made from the rare nectar of this marsh tree. We were told that this year's bloom was only 36 hours!
The water happens upon you too. There's a surprising and drastic decline in topography from Bay Street to River Street, the northern-most street before the Savannah River that places you suddenly level with the boats.
Our dinner on Sunday night before we left was at Public. No pictures available because it was a wonderfully dark and moody interior lit by candles, dim bulbs, and whatever moonlight filtered through the trees into the huge windows we sat near. It made for a pretty romantic end to the trip.
We really lucked out on weather during this trip, hitting 70 degrees both days with sunshine. We were able to slow down and find quiet within the city too by doing what Savannah asks of you. We waited patiently in a long line for the famous Leopold's Ice Cream and took it to a nearby square to enjoy on the bench. We watched people and their dogs, talked about nothing in particular, and felt the ease that only perfect weather can bring.
Slow, small, sweet. Thanks Savannah!
Comments