~ maneki neko ~ (lorelei@noel.pd.org)
Mon, 1 Mar 1999 13:27:18 -0500 (EST)
Good luck on getting feedback; I asked for hints for London (going March
27th-April 4th) and got bupkis. :) But I do know a little about
Savannah, so here y'are:
Savannah: Velvet Elvis (Tender Idols, Atlanta-area, mod-influenced,
played there), Congress Street (tacky, but in the heart of the
nightlife area; look also at The Market). Sadly, not much for a vibrant
night life, Savannah is best during the day (beach, Ft. Pulaski, Oatland
Island Animal preserve, River Street). They have a "Creative Loafing"
newspaper, however, and this will help you narrow down your choices.
It's also small enough to do a number of things in one night, as there's
not much space for clubs to spread out. :) Clubs near the School of Art
(SCAD) will be better. Abercorn is the main "drag", if you can find
Abercorn, you can navigate easily. Abercorn connects Bay (street right
above River Street, which you must see...sneak into the big hotel and go
up to the 7th floor where there'd a balcony to get a decent panoramic
shot of the river and the buildings) with the newer parts of Savannah
going though the Historic and Victorian neighborhoods to industria. To
your right, behind a yucky Krystal (avoid all Krystals on principle), is
the world's tackiest but most amusing water tower, painted like a big
blue globe. Photo op! Victory Drive is the "longest contiguous
palm-tree-lined drive in the world" (well, that's what they say, I'm not
sure about that!) and goes from west to beach. Thunderbolt is worth a
look-see, and you can see your dinner being caught. Wander (carefully,
so as not to get nicked) and you can find a place to sit with a drink
and watch shrimpers cruise by. You'll probably be among the youngest
folk there, but the view is worth it. Beware the scary piano bar music.
Get your booze or colas, find a seat away from the madding crowd.
Eat at Johnny Harris (old mafia hang out, I kid you not...old booths
still have push buttons and curtains in some cases, and really excellent
BBQ. The sauce is available.), Mrs. Wilke's (if you can! It is boarding
house style, with authentic Southern vittles and it is IMPOSSIBLE to get
in without at least a brief wait; also NO dinners, just lunch and
brunch), Williams' (best seafood, is located almost half-way to Tybee),
Carey Hilliards (for good cheap seafood with old-fashioned car-hops),
Sugar Shack (if you're on Tybee and want to patronize an institution,
has nothing much else going for it except nostalgia and great ice
cream). Splurge at Elizabeth on 37th or the Pink House. Touristy
(especially the upstairs bar with thunderstorm effect--tiki tiki tiki
madness) but fun: Pirate's House. Save room for dessert. You can get
horrifically kitschy souvenirs for cheap. There's quite decent pizza at
Spanky's (go to the one on River Street, sit near windows in front,
watch boats, drink self silly). If it's not cold enough for you, there's
a place (Wet Willie's, I think) that makes lethal frozen drinks. I
recommend the White Russian. It will kick your butt. Mulberry Inn does a
high tea that isn't bad. Only sure-fire 24hour place is the Dunk and
Dine on Abercorn (I think that's the name) almost all the way to the
Oglethorpe Mall (Mall Blv'd). Read "Midnight in the Garden of Good and
Evil" to get a grip on all the fuss made over it. (It's accurate, by the
way--my family knows, knew, or knew of many if not all of the characters
in the book. The film sucked--and my mom & many friends were extras in
it, so for me to diss it means it really wasn't that great.) Clary's
isn't anything like it used to be, but is decent food for a decent
price. Breakfast-style stuff is available whenever. Sandwiches are huge.
Sadly, Savannah almost totally ignored the 60's. You won't find much
(except around the aforementioned SCAD) that might appeal. There are
thrift places where you may easily score kewl duds, though. At least
there used to be, five years ago. Look in the yellow pages under
Consignment or Thrift or Second-hand. Also beware any store that
mentions "Antiques", as that is snob code for "Expensive", not genuine
antiques. "Vintage" is iffy, buyer beware, it may be an excuse to price
ugly 70's togs really high while not having much prior to that. 70's
isn't vintage in my mind, anyway, as I wore that crap (reluctantly) the
first go round and resent paying big bucks for someone else's cast-offs.
(Now 60's and earlier? Okay! Didn't say it was a logical aversion.)
State of radio in Savannah is abysmal, or used to be. I now bring CDs
when I come down. I'd call SCAD and see if the students have a station
and work that angle.
Best, Milla
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b3 on Mon Mar 01 1999 - 19:33:09 MET