• Eating: falafel & a surprisingly fruity “small sweet tea.” It would seem the African-themed take-out joint Zunzi’s is anything but traditional.
• Wearing: A mini-dress turned crop top (actually turned romper that wasn’t quite working it for me, turned crop top), high-waisted black linen skirt, & wrap belt.
• Listening to: I’m thinking the high point of our musical selections that day had to be Gloria Estefan’s Conga.

Hello cheri!

It all started about a year ago when I realized that for a decent chunk of my lifespan I’d been telling everyone that Savannnah was my third favorite city in America (specific, I know) without ever having left the vicinity of my great aunt’s grandiose riverfront wrap-around porches. A trip to explore the actual city was thus deemed necessary & the planning began. But as life so often happens, no time ever presented itself available & the trip fell off my itinerary for a bit.  Fast-forward about six months when two girlfriends proposed a shopping trip to the city, & my bags were packed. We fired up Bonnie Blue & sped the two hours it took us to cross state lines.

Man, that city is beautiful.

Though at many points easily confusable with my own home town, the great city of Charleston, I was surprised to see how different it really was.

Buildings towered above my head. With historic-society imposed height restrictions on building at home, I might as well have been in New York City in comparison. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating, but I do always appreciate higher skylines, if only by a story or so.

Another anomaly for this lowcountry girl – the layers of earth, sidewalk, bridge, & city across town. We parked first on the riverfront, the most historic district of all, just teaming with beaucoup de tourists, like us, on the hunt for an early afternoon lunch. There, it’s hard not to feel you’ve been sucked back in time, a century or three. Historic homes & buildings, I’ve seen ’em. But this Savannah style of architecture – it was truly amazing! Walking along the sidewalk, we were suddenly amidst a tangle of walking bridges, made of what appeared to be the oldest of wood & carefully boxed in iron. Beside us were restaurants, inns, & shops, below, a whole other world! Only this world was made entirely of stone, tunnel-like, & with its own share of economy. It was really incredible – you can almost see the triangular hats & bustled fabric of the colonizing days. Too cool.

We grabbed some “dining-in” at a hole-in-the-wall several blocks down & ate it in their sole dining room, a patio outside. It seemed to be quite the it-spot for lunch-goers across town, businessmen & artfully dressed SCAD attendees alike crowded the awning where a Moe’s-esque South African team took your order. My falafel was fast on the table & a perfect delight – crunchy on the outside & soft within.

After lunch, we shop shop shopped. One treasure trove (if over-priced) second-hand store, a lovely boutique, & several favorite chains later we decided it was time to head home.

As we returned to the river, where Bonnie sat waiting, the sky opened up & wailed its goodbye. “We’re coming back soon, really, we want to!” We called, trying to calm it. But it wouldn’t be soothed, & we crawled in the car looking like, well, this:

All in all, it was a day worth while, spent with fabulous friends, in what I can honestly claim to be a favorite place. J’adore, cheri!