Is this ANY way to start a trip from Logan Airport? There are giant windows immediately after security clearance at Terminal C, and this was our vista. Outrageous!
No matter, we still love Jet Blue. Especially when they are flying us to Jacksonville, from where we'll drive to Savannah for a couple of nights. Mo's got business he must attend to, and I've got plans to wander and explore. We had a great dinner down at the river, and then relaxed at the fire-pit by our hotel pool. It was in the 70s. Bliss!
After brekkie, Mo left to head north to his client, and I met my guide for the morning, the wonderful Phillip Sellers. Not being my first visit to the city, I wasn't looking for a typical overview tour. Phillip and I strolled through the historic district, and I learned a ton of interesting background anecdotes. This is General Oglethorpe, the founder of the Savannah settlement and thus, Georgia. And a total lunatic. So Savannah.
Spring has sprung. Flowers. Green grass. Lush trees. Sunshine. Fabulous.
We couldn't believe our good fortune when we discovered that Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis would be at SCAD's Trustees Theater on Thursday night. We nabbed two tickets, and made a fantastic night of it. As luck would have it, it turned out that one of Mo's potential clients was a presenting sponsor for the show. Culture! (Guy behind us wondering why I'm taking his picture...)
Mo in front of the original Savannah Cotton Exchange
There is so much to appreciate about this city, but we particularly love that it is devoid of the shopping-mall-as-"resort" culture that has permeated so many vacation destinations. Same stores, same restaurants, different longitude and latitude. Ugh. There are few chain stores in the historic downtown, and the independent shopkeeper is encouraged and celebrated. Equally celebrated is historic preservation and civic beautification. This looks like just about every block you come across.
Of course, I had to tour the Mercer House, home of Jim Williams. I'm not an antiques buff, by any stretch of the imagination, but the history of some of the pieces in the home was staggering. Not to mention the house and courtyard garden itself. An architectural dream. Don't tell anyone, but Mo met up with me after his meetings, swallowed his no-house-tour edict and tagged along. Maybe even enjoyed it...
Since we were on Monterey Square and in a guided-tour frame of mind, we toured Mickve Israel, the oldest continuous practicing Reform Judaism temple in the United States. The history and artifacts inside were fascinating.
Mo at the World War II Memorial on River Street.
And we're on the ferry across the river for a traditional low-country Friday Night Oyster Roast.
Mo shows off his crazy-good oyster shucking skills...
We sat by the river and watched the ships slide down the river and out to sea, and tried to figure out how those containers don't shift in rough seas in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean...
And we headed back to the mainland just in time for the First Friday Fireworks display.
Mo's work complete, balmy weather enjoyed, a city revisited and then it was time to hit the road. We left on Saturday, and headed south stopping to explore the sleepy town of St. Marys, Georgia from where the ferry to Cumberland Island departs (pictured below) and the vibrant Fernandina Beach, FL on Amelia Island. Reality called, however and it was time to fly home. Tough to be a grown up.
