Surprised by Savannah

In Savannah, I was hoping to meet up with Jack, a friend from college who I haven't seen in a number of years. Unfortunately, he was out of town on a business trip - doubly a shame cause he’s done some pretty cool/unique stuff that I think y’all would have enjoyed reading about. Hopefully he’s in town when I’m back on the East Coast later this year. Though he was out of town, Jack was kind enough to let me crash at his place, which was a  great location to explore Savannah from.  

I had heard that Savannah was nice and worth a stop, but admittedly hadn’t heard much beyond that, so I didn’t really arrive with many expectations. Still, Savannah managed to blow the picture I had in my mind out of the water. It just might be the prettiest US city I’ve ever been to: Spanish moss covered oaks & palm trees, colorful colonial architecture and stunning churches, parks galore, fountains and statues. It seemed like a third of intersections had been turned into squares with small parks in the middle, which gave the whole city a quiet, peaceful feel.  

Parks & Statues

Forsyth Park

Scent Garden

Architecture

City Hall

Pretty Churches

The Cathedral Basilica of St John the Baptist - unfortunately I got there 30 minutes after visitor hours ended, so didn't get to see the inside

Miscellaneous

America's first Girl Scout lodge

Not sure if this proposal was real or a marketing gimmic

A public display/prayer wall - each color ribbon represents a different a cause the Sisters of Mercy pray for. Passersby are encouraged to select the color ribbon of a cause that is near to their heart and tie it onto the fence to join it with the prayers of the Sisters. 

Those of you familiar with Savannah may notice River Street is not pictured in any photos. Don’t worry, I did go to River Street, just on a run (I have a hard and fast rule: no stopping for photos on runs).  

I also enjoyed the food of Savannah. Savannah Seafood Shack, voted the best low country boil in Savannah, lived up to the billing. Their house Cajun seasoning really set it apart from other boils I’ve had. So good I forgot to take a picture. 

I explored some coffee shops in Savannah that felt like neighborhood institutions too. Waters Cafe had decor and music that really popped, as did their sandwiches. The cashier remembered my name and wished me well on my way out the door, which I thought was a really nice touch. Mate Factor had a much more mellow vibe and served a host of fresh baked goods, fruit teas, and, of course, Yerba mate, in addition to coffee. Amitai, who was in town from Chatanooga for a few weeks to help out at the Savannah shop told me about all the cafes under the same ownership group across the US (they all have different names and a local flavor), their mission of spreading joy and positivity, and gave me a free mango mate drink. Hoping to hit a few more of their shops as I head west.

Waters Cafe

In addition to its beauty, Savannah had a neighborhood like aura to it that made it feel like big town rather than a small city. Don't know that I'd be saying this had I visited on a stifling and humid summer day, but I was really sold on Savannah - will be adding it to the list of potential post odyssey landing spots. 

Getting warmer, 

KDog