Our “Memorable Time” In Savannah

In 2015, Brian and I decided on a long weekend getaway in Savannah, Georgia. While I have been to Virginia and Brian has visited South Florida previously, neither of us has ever been to the “Deep South.” Having lived in California, the Midwest, and the Northeast, I somehow avoided the South, perhaps subconsciously. When I spotted a round-trip ticket to Savannah for the bargain price of $110 per person, I had no hesitation in jumping on the deal. It had been quite a long time since we traveled domestically. We looked forward to escaping the bitter cold winter in New York.

Honestly, we never had a strong inclination to visit the South. Unfortunately, our understanding of the region largely came from popular culture, which was not always positive. I looked forward to being proven wrong. Savannah and Charleston stood out as the most intriguing destinations in the South. Both cities embrace their colonial heritage and celebrate their unique architectural heritage. Amazingly, both cities are very walkable and manageable. We were genuinely giddy about spending a long weekend in Savannah.

Before our visit, I spoke with my friend Ivy, who went to undergraduate at the Savannah College of Art and Design. When Ivy heard about our trip, she gave me a list of spots to visit in town. While a few historical places were on the list, most were places to eat and drink. That reminded us that the South has unique culinary traditions, which were novel and exciting to us. When it comes to food, the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic do not have the most stellar reputation. We certainly looked forward to fried green onion and our first bowl of authentic gumbo.

After checking into our lovely hotel, The Brice, we were ready to indulge in Savannah's best foods. Our first stop was Zunzi's, one of Ivy’s favorite lunch spots. Although the menu was quite international, we could get a hint of Southern flavors within the menu descriptions. I realized Savannah was quite a yuppie place when we saw South African black tea on the menu. The food was delicious but surprisingly expensive. Considering Zuni’s is a hole-in-the-wall place, it was expensive even by New York City standards.

Oglethorpe Plan earned its place in the history of American landscape architecture.

Among architects and urban planners, Savanna Historic City is celebrated for its architectural cohesion and its unique layouts. It is one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts and holds a unique “Southern charm.” The city's unique layout is integral to Savannah’s appeal, with nearly identical squares dotted across the historic center. The plan was devised by the city’s founder, James Oglethorpe. Known as the Oglethorpe Plan, it has been highly influential in urbanism and landscape in the United States.

The Oglethorpe plan arranged city blocks around public squares with smaller commercial blocks at the eastern and western sides of the square. The plan was rooted in the Enlightenment. The accessibility of public green space advocates social equity and embodies the democratic ideal of the newly founded colony. Savanna’s unique historic ambiance attracts not only tourists but also film production. The most famous location was Chippewa Square, where the famous opening scene of Forrest Gump was filmed. Interestingly, the bench that young Forrest sat on was installed by the film crew and was removed after the filming. Today, the infamous bench is housed in the Savannah History Museum.

For some reasons, it just screams “southern charm”.

I tried to discern any regional characteristics because this was my first time in the South. Aside from the pastel colors of buildings and many balconies, the most characteristic feature is the giant oak trees covered with Spanish moss. Savannh’s most famous public space is probably Forsyth Park. Named after Georgia Governor John Forsyth, the park was established in the mid-19th century and has many historical monuments. Naturally, the one that interested me the most was the Confederate Monument. The 48-foot-tall memorial column is topped with a bronze statue of a Confederate soldier, which replaced an early statue of a woman, symbolizing Silence.

This was my second time visiting a Confederate monument, and it was quite a jarring sight as an adopted “Yankee.” No matter how you look at it. The American Civil War is a struggle for state sovereignty over the issue of slavery. While not all Confederate soldiers were explicitly fighting for the institution of slavery, it would be disingenuous to pretend the Civil War had nothing to do with slavery, as many Southerners still insist. Even in 2015, the monument was fenced off to prevent potential vandalism.

Fast forward a few years, and the issue with Confederate monuments became front and center in public debate. After the infamous United the Right Rally in Charlottesville, cities and towns across the South began to cast a more critical eye on these monuments. Like many other towns, Savannah created a special commission to evaluate what to do with their Confederate memorials. The city adopted the recommendations, including relocating two controversial busts to the military cemetery and placing a plaque to provide better historical context to the monument's history. Crucially, the monument was renamed the ‘Civil War Memorial’ to commemorate all the dead from the war, not just on the Confederate side.

The iconic central fountain at Forsyth Park.

For most visitors, the central fountain is the most popular spot at Forsyth Park and perhaps the most photogenic place in the city. The foundation was modeled after the monumental fountains on Paris’s Place de la Concorde. Impressively, the fountain is made of bronze; the way water sprayed outward creates a festive effect. The fountain’s fame is further solidified in numerous movies, including Forrest Gump, The Longest Yard, Cape Fear, and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

Se capped the visit to the park at the nearby Mansion on Forsyth Park, now Hotel Brado. As the name suggests, this swanky hotel used to be the mansion of a wealthy businessman, Lewis Kayton. This five-star hotel exceeded our travel budget, but Ivy recommended hitting their bar/lounge for cocktails. I was immediately drawn to the peach schnapps cocktails. I was quickly reminded that we were in the ‘Peach State,’ after all. The service was not particularly great, but it was just about the most delicious drink I have ever had.

It is place like Leopold's Ice Cream that makes southern cities like Savannah so charming.

Speaking of regional flavors and southern charms, our favorite outlet in Savannah would be Leopold’s Ice Cream. Their flagship parlor on Broughton Street is a beautiful time machine to the past. This 105-year-old shop carries all the classic flavors, but the store’s historical ambiance drew in visitors and locals alike. The shop’s most famous patron is President Jimmy Carter, whose favorite flavor was butter pecan. To this day, the shop continues to offer ice cream to the former president and the Carter Center in Atlanta. Naturally, I chose Butter Pecan and Georgian Peach flavors for the ice cream. Objectively speaking, I didn’t think their ice cream was especially special, but the branding and the ambiance were enough to warrant a visit. The staff here also embodied the ‘Southern hospitality,’ including handing out iced water to customers in line outside.

To take a break from all the food and drinks, we were ready to explore Savannah's cultural side. Because I did not research much about Savannah’s history and cultural scheme, we visited the SCAD Museum of Art. The museum is housed inside a Greek Revival building and holds a small but respectable collection. Interestingly, it has one of the largest and most respectable African American arts. The museum’s large modern extension and its contemporary art collection left a particularly deep impression on me. It was somewhat unusual for a college art museum to have admission, but we certainly did not mind supporting an art school, albeit a private one.

After a few hours at the museum, we walked fifteen minutes to SCAD’s own shop, aptly named shopSCAD. Many private art schools operate their own art store and boutique, but shopSCAD may be the nicest we have ever been to. It is an effective way for a school to showcase students’ work. This is also a great way to jumpstart a student’s career. It also makes this store one of the best shopping destinations in Savannah. I wish we had enough disposable income to invest in original art!

Beautiful mid-century architecture dotted along Boughton Street.

One thing that jumped out to us about Savannah was the number of churches. Being one of the oldest cities in America, Savannah is steeped in the history of religious freedom. From the historical perspective, Christ Church is the most important church in town. Founded in 1733, it is the oldest church in the colony of Georgia, thus the ‘mother church of Georgia.’ The first church service here was held open-air. It was also the site of North America's first Sunday School class. The current neo-classical church dates to the mid-19th century and looked more like a courthouse than a historical church.

Buto most visitors, the most attractive churches have got to be the Cathedral of St. John The Baptist. The cathedral may be Gothic, but it was constructed in brick and finished with white stucco. The highlight is its interior, richly decorated with gilded architectural details and an impressive collection of stained glass. With 81 stained-glass windows, this church may be the grandest building in town.

So far, Savannah has been a very genteel place based on everything we saw. I was surprised by how different of an environment the waterfront is from the rest of the city. Luckily, Savannah escaped the urban renewal that ravaged so many other cities. River Street was the most touristy section of Savannah. The lovely cobblestone promenade has numerous shops, bars, and restaurants. The place gets rowdier as the day passes while the libation sets in. Naturally, we also wanted to partake in the action. The recommended place was Wet Willies, a Savannah-based chain famous for its alcoholic slushy. We got a giant cup of peach mango and pina colada slushes for eight dollars each. It might be a touristy thing, but we enjoyed ourselves. With Wet Willies in hand, we had a great time enjoying the river views. I was surprised to see how many container ships visited the Savannah port. It was a good reminder of Savanna’s unique position at a transportation hub.

Before dinner, we stopped by a little shop near Ellis Square called The Salt Table. As the name implied, it was a boutique dedicated to all things salt-related. The store was a vivid testament to the clientele that visited Savannah. Since we were on vacation, we were persuaded to purchase a Himalayan salt block for stovetop cooking. It was just the kind of practical souvenir that we love. This weekend may be the best weekend getaway we ever had.

It was only a short walk back to the hotel, so we were ready to return to the hotel before our dinner. Since this would be our final dinner in town, I made a reservation at Savannah’s most venerated culinary institution: the Olde Pink House. Because this restaurant was known as the classiest place in town, I felt obligated to freshen up and wear our formal attire for dinner. We joked that we might one day move down here.

Ellis Square seems to be the new center of commerce in town that is specifically catered to more corporate retailers.

As we crossed a street just north of the squares, an anonymous man jumped out of the passenger side of a car in the middle of the road and began throwing sucker punches at Brian. I was a few steps before Brian at that moment. A punch had already landed on Brian when I realized what was happening. In that split second, I assumed this was a robbery attempt. Because of a heavy salt block we just purchased, I handed my messenger bag to Brian for the last few blocks. Surprisingly, the man did not attempt to take the bag, and I did not understand his true intention. Was this an abduction attempt?

Brian immediately went into defensive mode by shielding his face and fell to the ground. When I raised my right fist and prepared to punch back, the assailant fell backward slightly and appeared surprised that I would fight back. I distinctly remember the guy was laughing as he jumped back into the car. It seemed bizarre because it was difficult to discern what was the intention of the assault. There was no attempt to grab our pack or our wallets. This brazen attack in the bright daylight did not make any sense. This may not be the busiest part of the downtown area, but plenty of pedestrians and traffic were still around.

It did not take long until the police arrived. The car behind the assailant's vehicle was honking to draw maximum attention to what was unfolding. As we began to talk to the police, the driver, whose name was Erica, was eager to provide an official eyewitness account for the police report. Upon learning that we were from out of town, Erica and her daughters apologized profusely on behalf of the citizens of Savannah for what happened to us. She stressed that this was uncommon in Savannah and felt ashamed that the ‘Hostess City’ did not hold up to its reputation. It was honestly bizarre to spend our vacation sitting in a police car to give an official statement to the detective. Although Savannah is not among the most dangerous American cities, it was still not the safest.

Needless to say, Brian was shaken up because of the whole episode. After the police report was filed, there was nothing to do except return to the hotel. He was happy to stay in the safety of our hotel room. We debated whether to make our dinner reservation at the Olde Pink House. I understand why Brian preferred to stay in and wait for our flight out the next morning. Eventually, we decided not to let the incident rob us of a great meal in Savannah. As expected, the dinner was very lovely. We could see why this was the most popular spot in Savannah. When we asked for a check, we were surprised to learn that Erica paid a big portion of our dinner bill. We told her in conversations that we were planning on having dinner here in casual conversations. She called the restaurant soon and left her credit card information. We were stunned by her act of kindness touched us.

A lovely note from the staff of The Brice.

When we returned to our hotel room, we were again surprised by a lovely note and a spread of goodies the hotel staff had left for us. They have heard about the assault, and we appreciate their thoughts and gestures. The assault was apparently on the local news; it was strange to read about yourself in the news. Although we could never truly get over the incident, the people of Savannah demonstrated their hospitality above and beyond. I doubt we would return to Savannah soon, but we could never forget about this little weekend getaway.

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Our “Memorable Time” In Savannah

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