Savannah

We were finally able to redeem our weekend of childcare that we bid on for a church youth fundraiser in the spring. Rob and I decided to take a weekend trip to Savannah. My dad surprised us by paying us a visit after a business trip to Virginia so he got to join us on the weekend adventure.

Rob decided to give me birthday present early. He surprised me with a Cannon Rebel T3i camera. I had been coveting an SLR camera for months. I took a picture of myself practicing with my new camera in the side view mirror.

One of my favorite things about Savannah was all the romantic Spanish Moss...

...and fun architechtural elements...

...and early American history. This was the perfect place to visit for all of that.

I have a bit of morbid obsession with old cemeteries. They fascinate me. 

Colonial Cemetery was opened in 1750 and is the resting place for many of Savannah's oldest  citizens.  We had a contest to see who could find the oldest tombstone. Rob won. The date: 1765 but the stone was too worn to make out much else.

Rob and Dad sporting Spanish Moss toupees. 

During the Civil War, Federal troops took over the cemetery grounds during their occupation of Savannah and many of the graves were looted and desecrated. As a result many headstones were removed from where they marked graves. After the occupation the stones were places along the brick wall of the cemetery. 

The Savannah Cotton Exchange building was completed in 1887 during the era when Savannah ranked first as a cotton seaport on the Atlantic and second in the world. The Cotton Exchange was the center of activity in the staple which dominated this city's economic life before its evolution into a leading industrial seaport. It was where the prices of cotton, lumber and turpentine were set for the world.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the golden age of Savannah's cotton export, empty European cargo ships came to Savannah carrying a load of cobble stones for ballast. When they arrived, they unloaded their ballast stones and loaded up with Savannah's cotton. These stones made good pavers and building materials along Savannah's River Street. They have a wide variety of origins: mostly England and Europe, some from Africa and the Caribbean and though they're beautiful to look at they are a pain (literally) to walk on.

Having drinks on River Street

For my one of my birthday dinners we went to "The Lady and Sons" which is one of the first restaurants Paula Deen started. 

Can you see the grease on my finger?

Super sweet southern lemonade and fried green tomatoes were my favorites. I'm sure Paula is a great cook, but apparently she wasn't there that night because we all thought the food was a bit overrated. 

This is the spot where they filmed "Forrest Gump" on his bench with his box of chocolates.

"Life is like a box of chocolates. Ya never know what you're gonna get."

I loved the architecture.

This is the historical district with it's rigid regulations of color and design....

...versus the Victorian district where things are a bit more lenient. 

We had an Elvis sighting. No, really.

The long stairs from the main street down to river street.

Looking down to the river.

Dinner at the restaurant/inn 17hundred90. The restaurant was in the basement of an original home built in 1790, as you might guess my the name.