Travels of Jackie and Randy: Goodbye to Savannah

At last, spring is here! Although it was cold and rainy again today, it's not as cold as it used to be and it doesn't stay cold nearly as long. We will be leaving this area soon, so over the weekend we took one last trip to Savannah, to say goodbye to that beautiful city. Savannah seems to represent the best of the South, with its variety, beauty, history, Live Oaks and good food. We specifically went there this time to eat at the Pirate House Restaurant.

The building is reported to be the oldest in Georgia, dating back to 1754. It started as a colonial Herb House and was later transformed into a tavern; during this time it earned a reputation as a good place to get shanghaied into service on ships. Now it's a popular tourist spot. Like many old places, there seems to be a misunderstanding between "let's keep it historic-looking" and "this could use a good cleaning". But it's not over the line and it really is quite appealing. It's actually several separate small buildings that have been joined together over the years. We were seated in a tiny room that just held 3 tables; most of one wall was taken up by the fireplace.

The restaurant (like most of Savannah) bills itself as haunted, and I suppose that it has as good a chance as any. The modifications over the years encourage the feeling that something is odd here; for example this spookily-lit staircase goes right up to the ceiling.

But we weren't here for stories, we were here for the food! And it turns out that they do fried chicken very well. This is one of Randy's favorite meals, so it's always a treat to find a place that does it right.

I was looking for something that I won't get up North so I ordered a shrimp po'boy. It was OK, but I think the chicken is their real specialty.

After lunch we took a short walk towards the riverfront area, ending up at Emmet Park's tall harbor light. It looks like an over-grown light post, but from 1858 through the 1930s it really was used to guide ships around dangerous areas.

And of course we admired the architecture. If there is a book of Savannah's iron gates, it must be a huge, heavy book, because there seems to be no end to the variety.