Savannah, Tuesday, April 19
I signed us up for a trolley tour of Savannah. We left the hotel at 8:45 on a shuttle to downtown, with our driver, Janice – a wonderful woman with that fantastic Southern sense of humor. She regaled us with tales of Savannah all the way in – pointing out some of her favorite landmarks like Savannah’s “ex-creme makeover house up there on the left,” the Telfair Women’s Hospital founded by “Mary Telfair, who I only have one word for – a NUT! She only liked women, so she started this hospital for the ladies to go and have their babies. If you had a boy baby, you were kicked out after three days!”
Our trolley tour was fascinating, taking us around Savannah’s Historic District, through most of the city’s 22 squares, along Bay Street and down to the riverfront. Max and I got off at the Riverfront for some lunch, then hopped back on another trolley to get back to our starting point for the return shuttle at 2:30.
As usual, he was the star attraction. I had people coming up and saying, “Weren’t you on one of the tours? I saw him (pointing at Max) on the trolley!” I am invisible without that boy!
Once again, I’ll let the pictures do the talking:
Max watches Savannah roll by on our way intown for our trolley tour.
Dolphins are considered lucky in Savannah, so a lot of homes have dolphin downspouts. As our tour guide pointed out, this doesn’t look so much like a dolphin as some sort of catfish.
Sitting pretty in one of Savannah’s many squares…
Hey! Why aren’t we riding in a horse-drawn carriage?
The steeple of the Independent Presbyterian Church is the tallest structure in Savannah's historic district – just seven inches taller than the Catholic Church according to our trolley tour guide!
A tired pup, ready for his nap after a long hot day in Savannah.
Later, after a nap for both of us, we headed back to town in Tumbleweed for dinner at Cha Bella – a restaurant I found on dogfriendly.com. They have a beautiful outdoor patio, where dogs are welcome, and Max and I had a marvelous, leisurely dinner.
Starting with a glass of Pinot Grigio, followed by some of the best bread I’ve had in weeks – sourdough with a whipped honeyed butter, and a filet cooked to perfect medium. I have to say it beat out Mac Joe’s back in Amarillo!
It was a beautiful, soft evening with temperature right around 75 degrees. After a day that felt like mid-July in Maine, it was a treat to be sitting outside with the late afternoon sun slanting through the trees, eating a fabulous meal – plus there were NO mosquitos!
Rufus would have loved Cha Bella - for its commitment to locally sourced, organic food, as well as its patio, with curtains, chandeliers above, and four old-fashioned, plank-seat swings!
Max waiting for our table on Cha Bella’s outdoor patio.
My filet arrived looking succulent on a bed of mashed potatoes, with carrots and spinach, and topped with mushrooms and gravy.
The late evening sunlight made this bread into something almost otherworldly. I love the way the light comes through between the slices…
By the end of the meal, Max had done me a huge favor – he helped me finish my filet…
Nice! Glad you are able to be in Savannah finally! love, Cin
Cindy– We’ve had a great time. Looking forward to moving north tomorrow.
exquisite photos.
Hank – gotta love the iPhone 4!!