This wayfarer has spent a LOT of time daydreaming about places to go & people to see, but I can honestly say that Savannah, GA never even entered my mind. In what is an embarrassing admission of "Jay-Walkers"-style ignorance, I wasn't even really... *cough* sure where in the hell Georgia was until I met my significant other (SO), who went to college there. I mean... I knew it was in the "South", but that could mean like, between Texas & Arizona, or by Virginia... You know, I think it's time to get back on track here... Anyway, I just never had any vested interest in exploring the area, but the SO has a place down there (with central air), & I needed to get out of the city & have an adventure, so I figured "why not?".
As it turns out, there is absolutely no reason not to visit Savannah. For crying out loud, LOOK AT IT.
Factoid: Supposedly, Maj. Gen. William Sherman decided to save the city of Savannah from destruction during his infamous "March to the Sea" in 1864 as a birthday gift to Mary Todd Lincoln. Savannah is also on or near the top of virtually every "Most Haunted Cities in America" Google search.
My week in Savannah consisted of approximately 10% gawking at Spanish Moss trees & 90% eating seafood or BBQ while gawking at Spanish Moss trees.
The Historic District has several scenic cobblestone-&-fountained/statued squares that are hard on your car & unsafe at night, but when you're touristing, serve only as a source of wonder.
Back at the house, the scenery stayed amazing, & I got to chase little lizards around with my macro lens.
So... Epic, Gothic scenery, endless quantities of crab (seriously, SO & I put down 10 crabs in one all-you-can-eat sitting), a big, screened-in porch to enjoy the evenings on, & lizards to stalk... What else could I possibly ask for?
Maybe a sprawling, still-creepy-even-though-it's-daytime-because-Savannah-is-super-haunted, famous nineteenth century cemetery ala Bonaventure?
Pictured Above: Fuck Yeah.
SO and I also spent some time blowing off steam at the range, which may not seem like a big deal to my not-NYC readers, but take note: you're only allowed to have a gun in this city if you're a cop. Or a criminal. So it was exciting for us.
Plus, the SO had told me how fun it can be to gauge the reactions of rednecks when the Arab shows up at the range with an AR-15. Pity that he didn't have a beard that week. Having not spent much time in gun-circles, I didn't really know what to expect, but everyone was extremely friendly, trading tips, talking shop, etc.
We met a couple, the male half of which was leaving for military deployment & wanted his wife to know how to shoot, & the female half of which had never fired a gun. She was pretty antsy about the whole thing, & her anxiety garnered me my favorite GA gun range quotes (add thick southern accents for your enjoyment):
Him: "Just think of it as, like, a tool. You know, like a hammer."
Her: "Well I tried to use a hammer the other day... 'bout hammered m'thumb off."
Him: "Well, then I guess you'll have to be more careful."
Her (to me): "I have a crazy ex, you see, & if he comes in the house while my husband's gone I wanna be able to shoot 'im. Good thing he's a fat bastard, because I can't hit nothin'!"
Towards the end of the trip, we spent an evening by the beach on Tybee Island. It was very festive; they have events on the pier regularly, & there were a lot of beer-swillin' middle-aged dancing people. Did you know they have shark fishing down there?! Freaky.
The photos below are the view from "Uncle Bubba's" restaurant, where the SO & I decimated the local crab population. I seriously would not recommend the place (tacky decor, limited menu, dim-witted waitstaff), but the location was fantastic for a sunset view of marshland. For the record, places I ate that were AWESOME: The Crab Shack, Elizabeth's on 37th, The Crystal Beer Parlor, & Angel's BBQ.
This trip was all about dipping my toes in the water, so to speak (don't literally do that... most of the water is marshland, so that would be pretty gross). Next time I hope to spend more time downtown, at Forsyth Park, & definitely do a ghost tour.
