Savannah GA

After a night of pouring rain at the campground in St Augustine, our boat looked a little cleaner but everything seemed wet.  We headed out in a storm and drove to Savannah in a storm and found a motel some near to the historical center. We knew we wouldn't be able to find good parking near the sights.

For the past several months, I've been reading book after book about Savannah, Charleston and lands in between.  I was psyched to see the town depicted in "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" by John Berendt; which of course I re-read for the occasion.  If you haven't read it, it focuses primarily on a murder trial where a local antique dealer and restoration architect, is tried for murder 3 times (2 were mistrials).  Other eccentric townspeople who befriended Berendt are also important characters in the book.

Our first impressions of Savannah weren't too great, but then, we were staying on the outskirts of the downtown.  Much of it is, well, decrepit, and in need of restoration.  As we approached downtown, though, we could see the beautiful streets, bordered by huge live oaks, dripping in mysterious Spanish moss.  We hopped on the trolley tour and saw street after street of beautiful old homes, back to the 1700's, each facing lovely squares (outdoor living rooms).

Savannah was declared too beautiful and charming by General Sherman, and so escaped his burning and plundering on his march to the sea.  Instead, he presented the city intact to Lincoln as a gift.  So most of the military history we were seeing and hearing about was of Revolutionary heroes from South Carolina.  Of course, there was some talk of "that recent unpleasantness.. the war of Yankee aggression".

We learned that Savannah is the 4th busiest port in the USA which surprised us.  (First is Los Angeles, followed by Long Beach, then  New York/New Jersey.  (I'm not sure why New York and New Jersey count as one, when they didn't combine Los Angeles and Long Beach?)

Everywhere we were reminded of "Forest Gump" sitting on his park bench, eating his box of chocolate.

I wished we had stayed in town in one of the many charming inns, wandering the streets and exploring the shops and churches would have been wonderful... in better weather.  Instead we made it back to the burbs and continued to dry out the boat.

Savannah GA