Land of the Free, Home of the Brave

I spent the weekend of the 4th in the beautiful, historic city of Savannah, Georgia.
I went with 3 of my girls, and we stayed at the Inn at Ellis Square, a nice hotel right in the middle of historic district. (I definitely recommend it). We arrived on the 2nd and spent the day getting acquainted with the city. I've been once before, probably 8 or 9 years ago, so my memories of Savannah were quite blurry. But the Spanish moss, the cobblestone streets, the roudy drunkards on River street, and the southern twang in every "how are you today?" made me realize why I loved Savannah so much.

Day 1: Sightseeing & ghost touring.

We walked around Savannah, staying near the Inn and Historic District. Everyone is SO nice in Savannah! Really love that Southern Hospitality. One of the traits that allows me to pride myself in having been born and raised in the South. We ate in a Pub on River St. where I had some Deep fried grouper and fries. Mmm :) There were some drunk guys next to us, so that kept things interesting. Fourth of July weekend meant a lot of drunk people at all hours of the day. It's five o'clock somewhere...

There's definitely something eerie about going on a ghost tour in a city that is built on its dead. If you have never heard this before, I will elaborate. Savannah was originally planned on 4 squares, so naturally when people died, they were buried outside of these 4 squares. But since the city became a popular destination and port, it expanded...on top of the cemeteries. As a result, ghosts run amok. If you believe in that sort of thing ;)
I'm winking as if I don't, but I definitely do. It freaks the heck out of me. I do think it's really cool at the same time, and most of the "horror" ghost stories are kind of lessons in karma. Don't piss people off in this life, or the real crazies will come back and do something to you after their dead. So, be nice to everyone. Pretty good thing to live by, eh?

We met 3 nice marines on the tour. Very timely, considering we were there for Independence Day. They were stationed in NC, so they obviously weren't dodging bullets on a daily basis, but a couple of them had been in Iraq for 13 months stay. Incredible. Fighting for your country is a concept beyond the majority of us. Yes, It's a last resort for a lot of people, but it doesn't change the fact that it is remarkably selfless and brave, and the rest of us sit around sipping on Starbucks or picking up bananas at Publix. I guess that's the folly of it all. I never know what to say to soldiers, though, especially since they are all around my age now. I want to say "Thank you for serving us." but it seems as lame as saying "Thank you come again." And it's kind of awkward. It shouldn't be, but it is. Especially if they are in uniform because then the fact they are fighting for you is as blatant as the fact they are human beings. So, I ended up parting with a "Good luck, guys." I think there was an understanding there.

Note: If you ever get the chance, purchase a caramel chocolate dipped apple from the Savannah Candy Factory. Best $6 I ever spent.

Day 2: Beach...or Not.

We woke up bright and early on Saturday, expecting a full day of lazing and tanning (well, just me) on Tybee Island. But the beach had a different idea. The wind speeds seemed telling of a tropical storm and the lashing of sands on our bathing suit clad bodies had us on and off of Tybee Island within an hour and a half.

The pool at the Inn was a nice refuge (and way to wash off the sand, which managed to stay with us for the remainder of the trip) and we met a nice Scandinavian family there.

After swimming, we took showers and long naps, which didn't thrill 2/4 of our party. If you know me, you know that I was one of the ones sleeping. And happy. Then, we went on a long walk in search of Mrs.Wilks' Boarding House, which is known for its Southern food, and I had been craving some good ole Southern cooking the entire trip. But we got there only to see it was closed, and we ended up eating at Mellow Mushroom. Mellow never disappoints. The nice part of this, though, was that it was in the more residential part of the city and absolutely beautiful. I would love to live in one of those houses. We pretty much gave the stink eye to anyone who came out of a house, appearing to be a resident. After eating, we went to River St., where the entertainment is always 100%. Whether it's eating, people watching, shopping, I am never bored there.

Day 3: Red, White, and Blue

It was surreal to be in Savannah for the fourth of July because that city was there in 1776. We stuck around River St. for most of the day. Entertainment was at it's PEAK. There was a radio station broadcasting from the pavillion, and a bunch of tents set up in a festival - fashion. The fireworks were beautiful, but probably would have been better if people were more courteous and hadn't stood up in front of the families & groups of people (including us) who had laid out blankets hours in advance to reserve a spot. People these days.


I'm so proud to be a GA girl