savannah

A Charming Savannah Birthday Party

Chuck and I had an amazing long weekend in Savannah in celebration of his 30th birthday. We had visited once before – on our wedding anniversary in 2012 – and the second time around did not disappoint either of us. We did the whole 9 yards: a ghost tour in the Historic District, low country-style tapas, a book fair at Telfair Square (at which Paula Deen made an appearance), a luxuriant and romantic dinner at our favorite restaurant of all time, a night out dancing at the Bohemian Riverfront rooftop bar, a picnic at City Market, a nap in the sunshine at Forsyth Park, and fresh seafood on Tybee Island.

The food in Savannah is what really gets me! One morning I ordered TWO breakfasts, because I just couldn’t decide. I also particularly enjoyed a salted caramel brownie and chocolate covered strawberries that I found at an adorable, French-inspired cafe tucked away by one of the squares. It’s such a piglet city! And I have no regrets.

Anyway… Wishing the very happiest of birthdays to the Love of My Life ❤

 

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Good Times in Savannah

Chuck and I celebrated our first/second anniversary in Savannah, Georgia this past weekend. I think it exceeded both of our expectations! I’m not exactly sure what I did expect – but it was better 🙂

Top 10 Highlights were:

1) The beautiful Olde Savannah Inn in which we stayed. We had an eccentric Boston inn keeper who made the experience particularly interesting. I think she really liked us in the end… “Oh my goodness, you went from Seventeen Magazine to Lauren Bacall overnight!” Why thank you!!

2) The Crystal Beer Parlor’s grilled ham n’ cheddar sandwich (the bison burger was good too!) We were a tad overdressed (Savannah is a very casual/hipster town), but it was funny being dolled up next to a guy wearing ankle socks with his sandals.

3) The fact that you can walk everywhere and there are about 39384783 darling little parks where you can take a break and learn some history. Downtown is remarkably well-preserved! Beautiful, mostly original homes dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries.

4) The fact that Chuck and I were so sad we didn’t encounter ANYONE with Southern accents, we started speaking in them ourselves all Saturday evening and assumed alternate identities (we may have been a bit tipsy… my name was Tabitha… I was very convincing.)

5) The open container law… speaking of tipsy 🙂 It was pretty cool to take my cup of cider out on the street while we walked along the river.

6) The trendy Bohemian Hotel Rooftop Bar – awesome city views!

7) Decadent organic breakfasts at the Inn

8) City Market… so much art and local culture! River Street shops were pretty cute too. We visited a Honey Bee shop and did some honey-tasting… who knew there was such variety in honey!

9) Moonlight Carriage Ride through the Historic District and Victorian District. Very romantic (complete with a glass of wine to take with us) and an awesome tour guide who gave us all the historic/cultural trivia you could ask for (I’m a total sucker for history and trivia!) And… I must watch “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.”

10) Finally (and probably most importantly), our dinner at Elizabeth’s on 37th, a gorgeous old Southern mansion. OMG. Words cannot describe how amazing this experience was. Chuck and I both agreed it is the best restaurant we’ve ever been to. We were served by the owner himself, who told us that the owner of Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs had dined there the night before. Seriously, I can’t even bring myself to post the pictures I took, because they don’t do it nearly enough justice. We had scallops in truffle oil, fresh biscuits, filet, flounder, organic fresh salad, chocolate pecan pie…ahhh I’m drooling just thinking about it! To quote Chuck: “There is a line where great food actually becomes art. I think this is it!”

Anyways. The only “negative” was the Ghosts and Graveyards Trolley Tour. I’m a little spoiled by Colonial Williamsburg tours, but this was pretty bad. Overly dramatic, without even a hint of authenticity. Maybe it was the fact that it was on a trolley, with a clearly unemployed actor doing the honors with over-the-top flair. But, it was free (part of our package)… so who cares 🙂 I am sad I didn’t come away with one decent Savannah ghost story to share though!

Overall, it was a simply lovely weekend 🙂

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Anniversary Trip, Booked!

After a long week of cold-calling potential investors at work, eating like crap, and being overall crabby, I decided I needed to get on the whole book-something-to-look-forward-to thing. Plus, after a whirlwind summer of visitors, weddings, and trips home, Chuck and I have become rather homebody-ish in the past few weeks.

So, I booked our anniversary trip to Savannah for October 6th and 7th at the beautiful, historic, French Renaissance-inspired Olde Savannah Inn, right in the Historic District by Forsyth Park. Our package includes a $100 gift certificate to the renowned Olde Pink House Restaurant, two tickets for the Old Town Trolley to tour the town, and a moonlight carriage ride for two. It’s not Napa or Europe (we’ve got many anniversaries ahead for that, right?), but I am sooo excited. I’ve never been to Savannah! It looks so intimate and quaint.

I also booked a “surprise” date for Chuck and I next weekend. I’d say what it is, but with my luck, it’ll be the one time he actually reads my blog. He’s pretty smart though, so he’s probably already figured it out anyway. Regardless, I’m looking forward to doing something different together around here. 🙂

Today we are thinking of going to the Sneads Ferry Shrimp Festival, but it’s so muggy and gross out. Two storms have already passed through. I really do feel the need to do something though. I think we’re going to shave the cat instead!

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My Carolina Bucket List

In the process of learning to bloom where I’m planted and embrace my new home, I have made a list of things I want to do while we live in this area, big and small. For the things that seem insignificant – or like I could do that anywhere – they make the list mostly because it’s way cheaper to do it down here… and I have the time I never had before. 🙂

– Attend a few ballroom dancing classes. I’d love to focus on swing and tango. Better yet, Chuck is actually open to this idea!

– Hit up Myrtle Beach Safari down in South Carolina. Just 2-ish hours away, and I get to fulfill my lifelong dream of holding a baby tiger!! OMG.

– Eat at the one authentically French restaurant I’ve found in the entire Wilmington to Jacksonville area, Caprice Bistro. It’s not cheap, but I have yet to find a bad review, and it’s on the riverfront. Bien sur, c’est bon!

– Road trip to Charleston, SC to take the scandalous ”Dark Side of Charleston – Rated R” tour – or any of the ghost tours, for that matter. I briefly visited Charleston once, for a wedding this past November, and I must go back! Oh, and I love scandal. And ghost tours.

– Go shootin’. Seriously, I’m married to a Marine, and I’ve never been to a shooting range!

– Take a romantic and luxurious B&B getaway with Chuck in Savannah, Georgia…just for a weekend. Like here or here or even here. Gahhh. Or maybe here. Then, I’ll hunt down some Paula Deen comfort food. Yum!

– Girls’ trip to Raleigh. I hear it’s fun, artsy, and the shopping is pretty amazing. And around here, let’s face it – I am truly shopping deprived.

That’s my current list, but I’m fairly certain it will grow as I learn more about what the area has to offer. I’ve been feeling so much more positive lately (the new job + arrival of summer helps!) and just ready to take things in stride. I have a tendency to complain, and then leave a place/situation, only to look back and realize it was great and that I got so much out of it. We’ve got at least another year here, so I plan to take full advantage of it!