charleston and savannah

my mom and i recently returned from a week-long trip to
charleston and savannah. i think our timing was great--azaleas and camelias were blooming everywhere (floral glory at right) and the temperatures were in the 60s and 70s with none of summer's humidity or sand gnats.

both cities have gorgeous old homes in abundance (see the picturesque front porch below with clinging wisteria, adjacent to savannah's forsyth park) and my mom commented that we'd have a hard time labeling the photos she took because 95% of them are of houses--private residences and restored/preserved open-to-the-public house museums alike. we enjoyed at all of the architectural details that you could take in on a stroll down any street--gardens with lovely fountains, intricate stained glass windows, and wrought and cast iron features like the sunflower gate below.

of course, a highlight of our family vacations is always food. we couldn't have left savannah without having a meal at the lady and sons, paula deen's restaurant. with paula's skyrocketing food network fame, they had to move into a larger space two years ago. now, there are 3 floors of dining rooms and an elaborate seating system--buzzing pagers, an elevator and staff with headsets. still, for a buffet brunch, the food was great--tasty fried chicken, baked beans, mac and cheese, butter beans, greens and all manner of southern comfort food. we also enjoyed a smaller-scale, family-style experience of the same cuisine at mrs. wilkes' dining room and other low country treats (fried green tomatoes, coca cola cake, shrimp creole) at jestine's in charleston. still, the best meal we had was at a tucked-away converted bait locker on shem creek in mt. pleasant, SC called the wreck of the richard and charlene (click the link for the full story)--amazingly fresh and tender fried shrimp and scallops, delicious red rice, spicy fried hominy squares, and boiled peanuts on the table. it's fun to eat at a restaurant with no sign outside that's a little hard to find; you feel like you're in on a local secret. one of the best things about dining in the south, i think, is the omnipresence of sweet tea. it's pretty much impossible to properly sweeten un-sweet iced tea and i've yet to come across an IC restaurant that serves it pre-sweetened. i'm looking forward to the day when it's warm enough here to make some sun tea with luzianne and lots of sugar.

i should also mention that we stayed at some pretty cool bed and breakfasts on our trip, notably the king george IV inn in charleston and the azalea inn in savannah. at left is the azalea inn dining room where guests eat breakfast. the murals, which depict the history of the city, were painted by two savannah college of art and design (SCAD) students and feature some visual tricks and surprises (ted kennedy and obi wan kenobi's likenesses are found among the city's first european settlers, and you can find waldo in the panel featuring the old city market). every morning we made sure to say hi to the three yorkies who patrol the grounds--joey and kacy are on the chaise with my mom below and ben is the biggest and also the youngest.

my mom sure knows how to plan a trip, i'll tell you what. i had a great time--thanks, mom!