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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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You Can Tell I’m From DC When…

… I make an unpatriotic ass of myself here in the South.

I was doing some last minute Christmas shopping at the Cotton Exchange downtown last night, when another young professional-looking girl stopped me to ask for some advice on her White Elephant/Secret Santa gift. She had a number of paper weights in front of her and couldn’t decide which to get.

I pointed at the red, white, and blue frog that said “Proud to be an American” on it, and without even thinking, said “Well I wouldn’t get that one.”

“Why?” she asked.

Just as I said something along the lines of “Someone may get offended,” I realized how ridiculous I sounded. “Oh…” she said, clearly dumbfounded, and slightly offended herself. “I would never think of that. You think so? I don’t think so.”

“I’m from DC,” I said defensively. “We’re overly PC up there…Sorry…You’re right.”

I was so embarrassed and scuttled away. Definite heartless Yankee moment. I’m disturbed that I’m actually that brainwashed!

Annual Oyster Roast on the Cape Fear River at the Chamber of Commerce. All you can eat fresh oysters and shrimp, open bar, and live music. Great time with new co-workers, community entrepreneurs, and the hubby 🙂

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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 🙂