SAVANNAH; SPARED AND PRESERVED

This area is suffused with memories of the American Civil War, the British history here and the civil rights movement. Its history is deep and people flock here to take it all in. Savannah's founder, General Oglethorpe, was a far-seeing British planner who laid out the city as it currently survived. It is is a charming place to walk through, around every corner is a new surprise, and it's small enough to see in a few days on foot. Of cousre, there are tours galore, horse and carriage rides, etc. that you'd expect from a tourist centre. 

Also many restaurants, from hole in the wall to ritzy places like The Pink House, with its 3 foot walls used for defensive purposes originally. Saturday night wasn't the time to visit the downstairs jazz bar, an hour wait and then eating at a tiny table in a quasi-hallway. I am sure if we'd made a reservation we'd have had a nice experience there, because the eclectic menu showed they have some exciting chefs in these parts.

  Savannah is also the home to the second largest US St. Patrick's Day celebration (second to NY) and its cranking up this week. It's the only US city where you can walk around with your drink in plastic beakers on the street, so I am sure it will be a huge drunk by the end of the week, shades of Stampede?? Everyone goes green for the occasion, they expect 400,000 guests and the catholic and Irish societies are already laying wreaths, attending masses, and attending lalvish parties at their Savannah headquarters. 

  One interesting sight on the street Saturday - a Sprinter van for a beer maker, with spigots along the side where they can dispense beer right out of the van!