down ol’ Savannah way: day one

Yesterday around noon I landed in Savannah, GA for my writer’s retreat of sorts.  I’ve never traveled alone to this extent.  When I travel for work, it’s always with at least one other person; usually more.  This is my first experience visiting a city in a far-off land in solitude.

Spoiler alert: it’s freaking great.

Savannah is a lush, hauntingly beautiful city.  The plentiful live oak trees are all gnarled and sprawling, with their limbs draped in clumps of Spanish moss.  It’s the oldest city in a very old state, and that storied history permeates every block, square, park, and monument within.

Check-in at the carriage house I rented wasn’t until 4pm, so I took an Uber from the airport right to Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room, a famous local lunch spot in the middle of the historic district.  The Wilkes family has run a restaurant out of the lower level of their home since 1943, only open for lunch 11am-2pm daily.  It’s such a must-visit destination that President Obama stopped their for lunch on a trip to Savannah (they have the chair he sat in set aside with a ribbon on it; incidentally, I sat at the table the president ate at.)  It’s certainly a unique experience.  Everything is served in communal tables, family-style.  The wait was over an hour, but it was worth it.  Once you get in the door, you sit down and the food is waiting for you on the table.

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Since I’m traveling alone, I got seated at a table at which I was easily the youngest by 25+ years.  My lunch guests were friendly and talkative; communication is key when you’re passing around plates of collard greens, mashed potatoes, rutabaga, mac and cheese, creamed corn, and so much more.  The main attractions were the fried chicken (best I’ve ever had, so much flavor,) barbecued pork, and beef stew.  They brought fresh biscuits, steaming hot from the oven.  A glass of sweet tea awaited me at my place-setting.  Once we had had our fill, they brought out small dishes of banana pudding with chunks of banana and crumbled Nilla Wafers, and I also got a piece of blueberry pie with ice cream. It was delectable, and we all left very satisfied.

After lunch, I still had about an hour until I could check-in, so I walked over to Forsyth Park, which is a block away from where I’m staying.  It’s the largest park in Savannah,  and a bustling center full of pedestrian traffic, runners, bicyclists, dog-walkers and whatever else you can think of.

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I sat on a bench and enjoyed the beautiful weather, light breeze, and pedestrian traffic until 4pm, whence I sauntered over to the carriage house at which I’m staying, punched in the door code, and walked upstairs.  It’s a comfortable studio apartment situated above the stall they used to park the carriages in.  I tried to look inside the stall but they blocked the door.  Cannot confirm whether there’s a carriage within or not.

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It’s a great space for a little solo getaway for a week.  Once I got comfortable and situated, I’m pretty sure I closed my eyes for about a half-hour (I got up at 4:20am to make the plane, cut me some slack.)  Afterward, I walked through Forsyth to the far end, where there was a coffee shop I found on Google Maps called the Sentient Bean.  I got a “giant” iced coffee and took a seat outside.  I’m hoping my lunch yesterday will be the only meal I eat indoors on this trip.  I sat and wrote for an hour or two before deciding to walk to dinner.  A couple friends of mine who had visited Savannah recently recommended a place called the Treylor Park.  It was over a mile’s walk, but that’s no big deal in a city like Savannah.  I welcomed the stroll!

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The scenery was hard to beat.

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That jasmine smelled so good.

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I reached the Treylor Park after my leisurely stroll through downtown Savannah and immediately headed to the beer garden out back to start my eating-all-meals-outdoors streak.  I took a seat at the bar, ordered a local IPA and the Nachos Grande (we’re talkin’ waffle fries covered in fried chicken, bacon, country gravy, cheddar cheese, pickles, and balsamic gastrique… I know, they were amazing.)

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My father told me about his trips he’d taken in the past, solo vacations not dissimilar to this one.  He’d gone to Amsterdam and London, if I’m not mistaken, which is a bigger culture shock than goin’ down home to Georgia.  He told me he loved the solo trips because they forced you to meet the natives.  Sure enough, while sipping my beer, two ladies my age sat down next to me and struck up conversation.  Their company, as well as the bartender’s jovial nature, made the dinner much more enjoyable.  I finished the meal with a Georgia Mule (local twist on a Moscow Mule) sipped out of a copper cup, as is tradition.  I said my farewells to the ladies and we went our separate ways.

The walk back to the carriage house was peaceful and the air had cooled nicely.  I opened the windows when I got inside in hopes of getting it nice and cool while I slept, and turned in for the night.

I’ll probably summarize today’s goings-on later tonight, or perhaps tomorrow, but for now, I’m gonna get back to working on the book.  So far, Savannah’s everything I hoped it’d be!

–J.