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Published: August 1st 2012
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We lucked out....it didn't rain today. Because of this, we had an excellent day walking Savannah and seeing what it has to offer to the pedestrian tourist.
We began the day with the excellent deluxe (continental) breakfast at The Marshall House, which included toast, bagels, cereals, oats, fruit and even two types of quiche. It was a nice spread. We finished up, got ready and headed out into the clamy and humid cloudy day in Savannah. I have to say, I was worried about the heat here in Savannah, but the clouds have been our friend; it hasn't been very hot at all. Nice, quite humid, but totally manageable for a tourist pedestrian.
We began by walking Bull St towards Forsyth Park. On the way we saw a few more of the squares we didn't get to see yesterday (we've now seen all of them....I think), the many beautiful houses lining Bull street and its cross streets, churches and synagogues and the quiant shops and cafes and such on Bull St. Arriving in Forsyth Park we were already dragging our chins from all of the beautiful architecture, live oaks and spanish moss, and the park just continued that. The
fountain, the walkways, the people, even the fields and playgrounds. It was so pleasant. As we approached the main fountain in Forsyth Park, a gentleman approached us and asked if we cared for a picture together by the fountain. We said of course. I knew at this point we were being roped into some sort of sale, as he came from a little booth manned by a few other gentleman making flowers out of palms (common in Savannah apparently). He took the photo and invited us to watch his brother make a palm flower with his eyes closed...I was up for it, even though I knew it would cost a bit....hell, we'll get to meet a few people and chat, and see the process of making the flowers. Casey was his name and he proceeded to weave a flower from a palm, with his eyes closed, while singing a song I can't remember. In a minute or so we had the palm flower, we had met a few nice people, had a good conversation that ended in a great lunch recommendation for the Crystal Beer Parlour (along with a good bashing of Paula Deen) and it only cost us 5
dollars. What a nice experience it was.
We walked some more, went back to the hotel to rest a bit, then headed out to the Crystal Beer Parlour for lunch. Boy was it great. The atmosphere was authentic and local. The furniture and decorations looked original with old fashioned booths and old photos, and the menu looked great. It is a really old place, with nearly a hundred years of history, having been around before, during and after prohibition (at one time a speakeasy they say), serving people the in Savannah the whole time. We ordered the appatizer special, fried okra stuffed with cheese, the fried oyster sandwich with slaw and a bowl of classic crab stew. It was all excellent. The clams were crispy and delicious, the soup hearty and tasty, and the okra a real treat. All in all a great meal for a great price in a great place. Thanks Casey for the great recommendation.
After lunch we walked more. The streets, the houses, the squares. The usual beautiful stuff. We ended the walk at the Isaiah Davenport House, a preserved historical building in Savannah, previously owned by master builder Isaiah Davenport in the early
1800s. It was falling to bits as a tenement house in the 1930s to 1950 when a group of prominent Savannah ladies decided to oppose the demolition of the house and the building of a parking lot, bought the house, began restoring it, and sparked the movement to preserve old Savannah architecture. It is an accurate restoration of a middle to upper middle class family home from the 1820s. It was a very interesting tour and sight.
We finished up at the hotel, rested and prepared for dinner at The Lady and Sons restaurant, Paula Deen's famous restaurant. We went down for the wine and cheese reception at 5:30, played a little checkers on an antique gaming table, and left for the restaurant. The buffet meal was great, with fried chicken, ribs, beef stew, mac and cheese, rice, biscuits, brocolli, collard greens and more. There was a salad bar as well, and a choice of one of three desserts. We choose the peach cobbler and the chocolate cake. All in all it was a good meal, if a bit heavy. However, it is clear that the cult of Paula Deen has gotten out of control, with the restaurant, a
full store, and so much merchandise you could spend your life savings and still have a few shirts and books left to buy.
We took a walk after dinner on the waterfront and stopped for a scoop of ice cream at Leopold's Ice Cream Parlour. It was surely another great day.
Tomorrow, Wormsloe Historic Site, Bonaventure Cemetary and Tybee Island.
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