Savannah Road Trip: Saturday, May 27, 2011

The Hyatt Regency Hotel has one thing that makes it worth staying there – the location. Little else is included. There is a concierge, and she can help get things going, but it’s nothing you can’t do for yourself. The rooms are about the same as any other hotel we’ve stayed at (some for half the price have been much better), the bathroom is smaller than most, parking is extra, Internet access is extra, and no refrigerator in the room. But being right downtown on River Walk has been really nice.

We headed down for breakfast Saturday morning, and decided against the 18.95 breakfast buffet at the hotel, so we headed out to the walk, finding Huey’s, a small restaurant not far from the hotel. Linen tablecloths, quiet atmosphere, good coffee and a delicious breakfast.

Darlington had thunderstorms the night before, and there were some problems with the systems at work, so I had to connect to the Internet after all. We worked out the issues in about an hour, and headed down to the concierge to ask about the carriage rides that stopped out front. She arranged everything and called to reserve our seats on the 11 o’clock tour. We could have stepped out front and spoke to the girl that she had called, but I guess everybody needs a job, right?w

The weather on Saturday was much better than Friday, and it was sunny and warm for our carriage ride. Our tour guide gave us a history lesson as we rode.

Our Carriage

We had another couple take our picture, and we took theirs.

Our Guide.

Savannah is an interesting town, with a mix of architectures from the 1830’s on up. Several huge fires over the last 150 years have destroyed parts of the city, and the rebuilds after each changed the look of the city. Now there are groups trying to restore some of the grandeur that Georgia’s oldest city once had. In order to build or rebuild here you have to have your plans approved, and they won’t be unless you are going to have your designs complement the area. It’s working, as we saw a building that was put up in the 1990’s that looked the same as the one next door from the 1830’s!

The first of many houses that were saved from demolition and restored.

There are 22 squares in the town out of the original 24 that General Oglethorpe laid out. Apparently, his plan for defending against an attack by the Spanish back then was to bring the outlying farmers and their livestock inside the city walls. The livestock could be kept in the squares during the siege. Afterwards, the farmers could return their livestock to their farms and rebuild. Savannah was never actually attacked, but it seems like a good plan. The squares now contain monuments and plaques to the various famous people in the area, including Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts.

One of the squares around town.

The tour was slow moving, and fun. It lasted almost an hour, and we arrived back at the hotel for lunch. Across the street, we discovered the Moon River Brewing Company, a microbrewery using the old City Hotel. We stopped in and had a couple of their own beers and appetizers (we have reservations for the dinner cruise, and didn’t need to fill up) before heading back to the room for naps.

By the time we got up and dressed we had about an hour to spare before boarding, so we sat on the patio overlooking the River Walk and enjoyed the breezes coming off the river. The river traffic was heavy, and several large container ships came through on their way to the harbor. These giants dwarfed the two tour boats as they lumbered slowly by.

Showdown on the river.

We were the first ones to board the River Queen, and were shown to our table by the windows. The couples on either side of us were friendly, and we passed the time while we waited for dinner with drinks and conversation, while listening to a “lounge singer” type croon out old tunes, styling them in ways you may never have heard (and in some cases, never wanted to, either!).



The food was served buffet style, and they came to each table to let you get in line. It kept the line shorter, and you didn’t have to stand there as long. There were large shrimp, pork and beef roasts, and potatoes and vegetables. The desserts were varied and sweet, and we enjoyed everything. John, our waiter, reminded me of Larry from the “Larry, Darryl and my other brother Darryl” fame from the old Newhart show. He was attentive and friendly, and apologized profusely when he knocked over a beer on his tray, splashing Linda. She kept her good graces though, and used the dryer in the ladies room to dry her blouse.

After dinner, our entertainer pulled people from the audience to participate, and I was chosen to come up and don a sombrero and shake a maraca (along with 5 other guys) to the tune “Under The Boardwalk” with a bit of Jimmy Buffet style. Once you’re up there, you might as well go with the flow, so I danced and shook my maracas with the best of ‘em, and tried to encourage the others to let go and have some fun. Later, I had several ladies come up to me and tell me I was a “good sport.”

Shaking our maracas!

Next, Linda got up and did the twist, and the girl next to us declared that she should go up alone and joined her. That started more of the ladies to go up and dance, until there were ten or more.

We danced a slow dance together (something we don’t do too often), and enjoyed being with each other. After our entertainer did the basic line dance numbers we headed to the bow of the ship to watch the lights of Savannah as we returned to the dock, around 9 o’clock. One quick drink at the hotel, and it was back up to the room for bed.

Sunday we’ll be heading back to Florence, and I’m looking forward to the ride, as it’s supposed to hit about 90 degrees and mostly sunny. Should be a great ride to top off a great weekend.