Besides the opportunity to reference one of my favorite Joni Mitchell songs ever, I thought it was pertinent because both Justin and I are hitting the highways this weekend - Justin off to Chicago (to ostensibly work for a client, but mostly to try out Boystown - beware the Pride Rockets lining Halsted, Justin!! Stop by Elaine Place, my old stomping ground street!! Track down Borderline Music on North Broadway and buy a Cyndi Lauper remix cd!) and I'm hitting the shores of Hilton Head, South Carolina to spend a week with my family - and get my sister married off to her terrific husband-to-be. It should be a great week down there - but my particular interest is in a little city about 45 minutes away: SAVANNAH, GA!!!!I have a small fetish for Georgia, I really do. I love peaches (and Peaches, for that matter!) and the old-world propriety of the South. Good manner are appreciated, and a decided lack of decorum is celebrated. They serve waffles as a side-dish with nearly everything!! My kind of region.
So in order to prepare, I re-read sections of the classic "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" (which I picked up from the top of a toilet in a sorority house in 1998), and searched the "36 Hours in ..." section of the New York Times, which yielded some great results. However, I'm desperate for some inside juice on Savannah and its seedier sections. I'm going to try and shake the family shackles off for at least a little while and pretend I'm a closeted walker, just dropping off my wealthy lady friend at her home, and taking a short cut through a park ...
Any insider tips and referrals, dear readers???
Tips from an expat Southerner:
ReplyDeleteOur tea will always have sugar in it. Do not feel compelled to point this out every damn time, nor complain about it. What y'all drink up here is akin to brown water, so if you have a special yen for unsweetened tea, feel free to get some water and brown it.
Spend the better part of your time besotted, as we often do.
Book reservations at The Lady & Sons now, if at all possible. It is worth every penny, but you may have trouble getting in.
Try to see all of the squares of Savannah, even the ones that are no longer squares.
Yes, we have synagogues in the South. Please stop sounding so damn surprised.
Touristy as it is, take the guided trolley tour. Not even Savannahians know that much about their town, and the guides are funny.
Attempt, if you can, to see Lady Chablis.