Ah, Mrs. Wilkes! The Savannah Boarding House Dining Establishment

                                             The Lunch Line at Mrs. Wilkes' Boarding House

This is the place to dine in Savannah.  The cabbies say so, the bus drivers agree, and people on the street tell you it will be the best meal in the U.S.  We waited an hour to get in and ate as though we hadn't had a bite in days.  It was fabulous--22 sides of various vegetables and specialties like Mac and Cheese, Pork Barbecue, Dirty Rice with Andouille Sausage, as well as mashed sweet potatoes, parsnips, green beans, carrot salad, cabbage, onions--all the veggies you can imagine--and the piece de resistance:  Southern Fried Chicken! and a second meat--Meatloaf.  Who knew that these delicious comfort foods from our childhoods could be so scrumptious while touring Savannah? 


While waiting for the hour long lunch line to shrink, I wandered around the neighborhood of Whitaker, Taylor and Bull Streets, admiring the lovely federal architecture.  I particularly admired the wrought iron on windows and straircases, especially the one framing this pretty little angel watching us from above.
                                                                                                    

                                                                                      

                                       
The city displays her many monuments, fountains and grand houses with great pride, especially with the perfect lighting of this fall day.  Here's Georgia's glittering City Hall.


                                            

Our CCYC flotilla crews enjoyed the serene gardens of Forsyth Park and we all took lots of photos, led by Kathy Pekabu, our artiste in residence.

                                               Pekabu Kathy leading the CCYC photo team


                   Glen and I posed for the team as well, with this lovely fountain as our backdrop.

         
We learned that Haitians volunteered to fight for the American colonies during the Revolution,


that the Marquis de Lafayette put up millions of his own fortune to bankroll the war, and that the first steamship to sail to Europe was the SS Savannah. President Monroe was there at the dedication in 1819.

We are grateful to the seven ladies who had the gumption and wherewithal to fight the demolition of many of the lovely historic homes that were falling apart in the city and raised the money and support to restore them.  The city sold the properties to buyers who promised to follow the restoration guidelines to keep them true to their history.  The result of the work of these citizen activists is a true gem of a city that exudes history in every block.  It was a wonderful tour.



On Thursday we depart down the Wilmington River for the big blue Atlantic once again--a 22 hour voyage to St. Augustine, Florida.  Goodbye, Georgia,  Goodbye Scarlett and Rhett.

Maureen and Glen