I Told You Driving Was Bad For Your Health! *2/2* NEW TRIP REPORT LINK P102

[MEK]

Cool updates!

Thanks!

Glad you got a 'perky' shot in there for the men following your TR

Totally unintentional. But I have that same coverup and I know I would never wear it anywhere but to the pool (and I am not that well endowed), so I was surprised she showed up in that.

Dang, so those horseshoe crabs are just laying underneath the sand that you could very well walk on?! Crazy.

Yup, that about sums it up!

Aw poor baby shark.

I know. It really is sad to see a dead baby anything.

What a cool little town! Agh, poor Denny, not being able to have a beer. But smart on your part

Bluffton was so cute. I am so glad we decided to go over there. It wasn't a long drive and it was well worth it.

Woot woot to your Double Dip!

SOOOOOOOOOOOO excited about that. I am so NOT up on the Disney cruise lingo that I wasn't even sure what that meant at first.

 

[rentayenta]

Happy Saturday friend. And for your Double Dip cruise.

 

[MEK]

Happy Saturday friend. And for your Double Dip cruise.

Happy Saturday to you too! We are having great weather here. Hope you are too!

I am very excited for the double dip and so happy Ellen mentioned it. Two days on CC is definitely better than one.

 

[natebenma]

OMG - you should!!!!!! When is your birthday? Denny's is Halloween.

My birthday is the same as Denny's

 

[englishrose47]

Yay for the double dip!!!Had to catchup , I ave been sooo busy at work, both jobs , I find I am tooooo tire to Dis long , I do plan another ME day early next month!!!

 

[rentayenta]

Happy Saturday to you too! We are having great weather here. Hope you are too!

I am very excited for the double dip and so happy Ellen mentioned it. Two days on CC is definitely better than one.

Tell me about the double dip cruise. I'm very unfamiliar with the set up and logistics.

 

[MEK]

My birthday is the same as Denny's

No way! That is too funny. You are the only other person I have met with a Halloween birthday! We have a sort of low key evening planned for his birthday - Via Napoli and Illuminations. Then I was think we might do the Halloween party the next night, hoping it might be a tad less crowded. Then the NEXT night is the big birthday dinner at Jiko. I had planned all these events when I thought we were cruising and might need a break for all the food. But I think I am going to keep it.

You should definitely plan a b-day visit to the world.

Yay for the double dip!!!Had to catchup , I ave been sooo busy at work, both jobs , I find I am tooooo tire to Dis long , I do plan another ME day early next month!!!

I know how you feel Rosie. I have been falling asleep with my computer in my lap. It's very distressing to wake up with my legs burning. But the worst thing is I literally pass out and wake up thinking "what happened?" Glad you are getting time to catch up!

A "ME" day is definitely a good thing!

Tell me about the double dip cruise. I'm very unfamiliar with the set up and logistics.

All I know is there are two of them scheduled for fall 2014. They are basically the same price as the regular itinerary. We sail Thursday to Monday, which I like better than midweek. Day 1 is Nassau and Day 2 and 3 are at Castaway Cay. So basically no sea day. The boat actually does leave the island and then return.

That's basically all I know. I'm sure Ellen (podsnel) knows more and maybe she'll chime in.

 

[MEK]

I do have an update ready to go. I just don't think I have time to post it now because I have to get ready for church.

But it's coming today, so check back!

 

[natebenma]

No way! That is too funny. You are the only other person I have met with a Halloween birthday! We have a sort of low key evening planned for his birthday - Via Napoli and Illuminations. Then I was think we might do the Halloween party the next night, hoping it might be a tad less crowded. Then the NEXT night is the big birthday dinner at Jiko. I had planned all these events when I thought we were cruising and might need a break for all the food. But I think I am going to keep it.

You should definitely plan a b-day visit to the world.

Have I not told you my favorite Halloween birthday story?

A few years ago, my husband left for work on Halloween, no "Happy Birthday", no email or phone call later in the day. We had been married over 20 years at this point.

He knew it was Halloween, he was coming home early so we could take the kids out for Trick or Treat.

I told a friend of mine about not receiving acknowledgement from Mark, so she sent me a HB Boo-quet of flowers (she worked at a flower shop)

Mark comes home, sees that flowers and says "What're those?"
"Flowers. They're from Tara"
"What for?
"My birthday. It falls on Halloween this year"
"Oh."

 

[MEK]

Have I not told you my favorite Halloween birthday story?

A few years ago, my husband left for work on Halloween, no "Happy Birthday", no email or phone call later in the day. We had been married over 20 years at this point.

He knew it was Halloween, he was coming home early so we could take the kids out for Trick or Treat.

I told a friend of mine about not receiving acknowledgement from Mark, so she sent me a HB Boo-quet of flowers (she worked at a flower shop)

Mark comes home, sees that flowers and says "What're those?"
"Flowers. They're from Tara"
"What for?
"My birthday. It falls on Halloween this year"
"Oh."

That's a great story. OMG. I bet he never forget your birthday again after that. Too funny!

 

[MEK]

Quick Life Update:

If you didn't already figure this out, I moved our October 2014 cruise to the October 24th sailing which is a Double Dip. Same Price, but two stops at Castaway Cay. Best Part is Ellen (podsnel) is on that cruise. I want to thank her for recommending it. It's a Thursday through Sunday cruise. I am thrilled because I wanted to cruise over the weekend anyway. Now I can spend four nights proceeding the cruise at the VGF. We will probably have to do a standard view room, but that's OK. I will survive!

In other news, I did NOT get offered the magic creator position at AAA. I thought I interviewed well considering it was a very legit interview with some tough questions. I have no prior sales experience so I had to tailor all the answers to the costumer service I provide in health care. I did mention to the three interviewers that I had just started a new job and was training for that, so I think that was probably why I didn't get offered one of the positions. And I get that. I knew it was going to be difficult starting this and getting adjusted to my new job, which is really a lot more intense and exhausting than my old job. I think everything works out for a reason and if they had offered it to me I would never have turned it down. It probably would have been too much.

On with the update:

Savannah or Bust (aka Are Any of the Clocks in this Town Correct?)

With Denny home from the hospital, and an afternoon of rest under his belt, we decided to push forth and go with our original plans to see Savannah. He was feeling good, except for a little discomfort at his cath site, and I think he really wanted to get out and do something.

But first I had to go down to registration and check out and in. Disney procedures are no different at HHI then they are at WDW. I wished I could have taken care of all of this when I made the reservation extension, but that was not possible.

Then the CM tried to charge me the rack rate for the unit. Really? You are the same person I talked to yesterday and this resort is not THAT big. So she had to go in the back to speak with the manager and get the rate adjusted to the member rate.

With that taken care of, we set forth. I think I may have been the driver since I have absolutely NO pictures from the ride there.

First stop - Visitor's Center.

Savannah does have free parking at the Visitor's Center. It is very easy to find and it is the hub for all tourist transportation around Savannah. Most people travel by open air trolley and there are many different companies willing to take your cash.

I told the group that when I traveled her with my GF's in 2012 I didn't really think we got our money's worth from our trolley ride. We got off a lot and it simply became easier to walk then wait at a stop only to ride a few blocks.

So we all agreed that we would walk directly to the river front. Obviously we were showing no mercy for the man with a new stent in his coronary artery, but in a way he really wanted to get out there and make sure he wasn't having any more chest pain. Testing the waters (or the emergency 911 system), so to speak.

Bio break in the Visitor's Center where I took a few hasty pictures







We grabbed a map and set off on foot to explore the water front. Last time I visited Savannah we didn't hit the river front until afternoon. I didn't know how Denny would feel once he started walking, so I figured it was best to go there first - just in case.

This looks like my kind of place.



It wasn't 2:45 pm, I assure you. And I doubt it was 9:15 am. Hmmmm….



Love, love, love the houses here





Soho South? A New Yorker maybe?



Love all the pretty wrought iron in the south. It surely doesn't look like that here.





Wait, Am I in Epcot?



Nope, the Six Pence Pub (not open yet)

Love all the statues









A little tricky taking pictures while in full stride, but I did my best





The Juliet Gordon Low house was under construction, but was accepting visitors. No one seemed interested, except perhaps me.



We passed a private school where all the kids were outside playing. I guess this is a safe area, maybe, because all I could think was those kids seemed vulnerable to attack. I know that's just a horrible thought, but it went through my mind. It just couldn't get the Sandy Hook shooting out of my mind.



Quaint?





I have to warn you that I took 350 pictures on this day, making up for lost time!

Are any of the clocks in Savannah correct, because it definitely was NOT 11:22? I would guestimate that it was around 10:15 - 10:30 am.



For you history buffs





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[MEK]

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I remember passing this sign the last time I explored Savannah and I STILL don't know what the girl scout lunch specials are.





More history









Almost to the River front







City Hall





To the left is the top of the waterfront area



I found the public library



There must have been a gap between a couple of the buildings where I could aim my lens out towards the river



We perused the stores on the back side of the water front



I think these are totally cool, but practicality won out. Seriously - you put that stopper in a bottle you will most certainly not have enough shelf height for it to stand in up in a frig.





Another peak at the river (very muddy looking). That building is a convention center.





Back side of the river front





I did venture in one store. They had old costume jewelry, which can be a collectable. Only my mom has tons of it. I wasn't interested, despite the salespersons best attempts. My experience with old jewelry is the clasps NEVER work and the jewelry is quickly lost or broken.

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[MEK]

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I know I had some pictures from this store, but I guess they didn't upload correctly. Oh well.

Wait - found one



I mention this store, however, because the proprietor suggested we eat at Vics on the Riverfront. It was just a few shops down. She told us that the prices where the same as restaurants directly ON the riverfront, but ambiance and food were much better. Duly noted. But it wasn't quite lunch time. So we set forth to walk along the actual waterfront.

Savannah is very interesting. The whole waterfront area is refurbished from the buildings that were there during the height of the shipping industry. The roads are cobblestone, as are the stairs. To me, it's one big tripping hazard.

The stairs are also somewhat steep. When we got down to the river level I looked at Denny, pointed back at the stairs and said, "there's your stress test because there is no other way out of here". We all laughed but I was starting to wonder about the wisdom of stair climbing .

I ate here when I toured with my GF's. Yup - pretty average, but OK.



Storefronts galore







There was a farmer's market/flea market type area that we visited



You know the type - chocked full of stuff you can't possibly need or want





But despite that you keep looking for that one hidden treasure



$10 sunglasses probably worth $5



$10 Christmas ornaments probably worth $3



A Delaware shotglass in Savannah? See what I mean? Who needs that?



I really wasn't in the mood, so I stepped outside



There's something really wrong with the lighting in this picture, but I decided to keep it anyway and try a photobucket edit. Epic fail.



There, that's better



Back towards the bridge



I almost named this trip report…….



Yup, I kept saying "Y'all" it for the next week. I couldn't let it die.

Now THIS was cool. Not worth parting with $95, but cool all the same. Sorry for the glass glare. Can you see it? A dog made completely out of paper. I love that!



Our exploring almost complete, we decided we WERE now getting hungry and an early lunch (11:20am) didn't seem like such a bad idea.

We choose these steps



Or we might have taken these. I forget.



They both look fairly benign in the pictures, but I have to admit that I was just a tad nervous Denny would take those stairs and have chest pain again.

Thank goodness he didn't. Phew - sigh of relief was breathed!

Heading back to Vic's












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[MEK]

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Vic's was lovely. I instantly knew we made a great choice. The restaurant had nice high ceilings and bright hard wood floors and a view of the river.

We were seated near the bar area



This door leaks to a balcony perched high above the street looking straight out onto the river



View from the balcony



To the left



To the right. Notice the balcony to my right. It did NOT look safe!



This was NOT a good place to stand if you have a fear of heights, which I don't But if I did. sheesh!



A better view of the all important bar.



Since it was still on the early side the restaurant didn't start picking up until we were nearing the end of our meal.





The unsafe balcony had a window only, no outdoor access. Phew!



What did I order?



Nothing. I wanted to get a take out alcoholic beverage since Savannah is one of the few cities where you can walk outside with alcohol. I needed to feel that freedom, so I decided to wait until after lunch to order a drink even though it was definitely 5 o'clock somewhere!

More restaurant



Please don't think we were the ONLY costumers there. There were several rooms and even a downstairs. In fact, a whole big party of girls came in, possibly for a shower.

So what did I order?

Well, I went all out southern and started with the fried green tomatoes



They were OUT OF THIS WORLD! SOOOOOO Good! OMG! I would make a trip back there for those alone!

I really didn't think anything could top those tomatoes (which I did share BTW), until I had this - the shrimp and grits!



WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW!

That was heaven on a plate. Seriously delicious. It was a lot of food for barely noontime, but I managed to do it justice and I ate every last bite. Of course, I could hardly move, but sometimes sacrifices just need to be made.

Denny had the fish tacos, which he also enjoyed



I didn't photograph C&C's meals.

If you ever go to Savannah and you want to try some local favorite dishes, you must try Vics. The lunch prices were very reasonable - less expensive than a Disney table service restaurant and the food was fab.

After lunch we headed back down to the riverfront for a little more exploring.

It's possible the time on this clock IS correct? Why, I think so!







I was hoping to see some crazy sites on the riverfront (like the snake charmer I saw last time), but this was about as exciting as it got.



Unless, of course, she was pulling a snake out of her bag and I missed it.





I love this statue







I think this was the balcony at Vic's. Vertigo anyone?



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[MEK]

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We stopped to visit the WW2 memorial



This is a cool memorial













C,C, and Denny were a little bit more interested in the memorial then when I visited with my GF's, so I was able to take a few more pictures of the details. That was nice.

Back on the street









Right about now I was looking to check something off my bucket list. I wanted an adult beverage "to go". I wasn't particularly in the mood to drink alcohol, but for research purposes I had to find out what it felt like to walk outside freely with alcohol in hand.

So I went here



and ordered this



It was some lemon flavored vodka drink. Close enough to lemonade in my book! It was actually rather tasty. Certainly nowhere near grey goose vodka. But the purpose of this drink was to accomplish my mission.

And here's where I stopped taking pictures, temporarily of course, so I could balance a drink, my camera, and my vera through the cobblestone streets and alleys of Savannah.

I must have managed one more picture as we left the riverfront



We used our trusty map to negotiate the streets of Savannah in hopes of finding a historical landmark.

On our way we passed this restaurant



The Pink Lady. That was on our list of possible lunch spots.


Moving on



OUr next stop was here







The name of this little treasure



In keeping with my current theme, I picked some sort of yummy lemon flavored ice cream with marshmallows and cookie pieces. It went perfectly with my last sip of lemon vodka.



This ice cream was GOOD! I was now 3 for 3 on the food choices.

Leopold's had some interesting decor








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[MEK]

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Still had this old phone booth in the corner



I wonder if the Leopold family has been shamed into taking down THIS picture. Just curious.



There were lots of celeb pictures on the wall, but I only took a couple celeb pictures.

Of course someone must have driven Leopold's all the way to Miley when she was out filming on Tybee Island.



Even a much younger J Lo made a visit here







I feel like my pictures are a tad out of order, but at some point we passed





I toured this house with my GF's. It was lovely, but a very strange experience. Tour guides in Savannah are very up tight and you can't touch ANYTHING. And when I say anything, I mean you better not even lean against a wall. They will scold you for that. I'm serious.




I was willing to tour the house again. It was very cool and has some unique architectural touches that were very advance for that time period (like an indoor toilet with plumbing). Unfortunately, no one was really interested.

Oh well.

But we did go in the gift shop and no one yelled at me for taking this picture of a famous lady



Multiple sizes were available for purchase



This statue is called the Bird Girl. From wiki: The famous Bird Girl statue, originally designed both as art and as a birdseed holder, was originally located at Bonaventure. A Savannah photographer, Jack Leigh, was commissioned to take a photograph for the cover of the book, and in so doing he created his now famous photograph of the statue. The Bird Girl was relocated in 1997 for display in the Telfair Museum of Art in Savannah.

The gardens







Tabby was a common building material in Savannah



These were NOT on the Owens-Thomas House property! I just thought it was hilarious that these were in someone's yard.




Up Next - More Savannah & Tybee Island

 

[dizneeat]

AWESOME photos! I just spent quite a bit of time "exploring" Savannah! Wow! How beautiful it is. Thanks for sharing.

Your food looked so yummy too! And the name of that ice-cream place made me laugh - Leopold is such an old Austrian name! Well done trying something like tha and your choice sounds great.

And your cruise! I did read that you were doing a double dip, but I didn't catch that it was actually a 4 nighter and that Ellen is on the same cruise. You are in for a treat! First - Ellen and then two days in paradise. Make sure you head to Serenity Bay - it is beautiful out there (and the barbeque station never gets as crowded as Cookies!)

And ...... sorry for being MIA for quite a while, but once my vacation started I needed to get my plans for our summer trip all settled, on paper and then organized. I do a little binder with all our plans, hotel addresses and confirmation numbers and given that we are travelling for 33 days my binder got quite thick. AND, the other thing that kept me occupied was getting my homepage updated. I was still lightyears behind on posting our summer 2012 trip there and I wanted that done before we left.
Now to update here on the DIS again.

 

[Pinkocto]

Gorgeous pictures. I'm just taking it all in. How was the weather? I get cranky when it's hot and I'm out walking. Wondering if this is something I need to plan for. As of right now I'm booked at AKL for my birthday next March, but I've been seriously considering HHI.

Homemade fresh ice cream is the best!

So glad Denny had no problems with the stairs and the morning in general.

Lunch looks absolutely delicious.

 

[glennbo123]

Nice pictures around Savannah. The food looked great!

I'm glad that Denny was able to join you, and didn't have any issues.

 

[Millie12591]

Mary Ellen, when you play catch up you don't waste any time, girl!!

Sorry I haven't been by sooner, last I looked you hadn't posted your second update so I wanted to wait it out a bit until you had some time to post some.

Wow! I've learned so much from your posts about Denny's heart issues, I worry about hubby's heart health and always wonder what signs to watch out for. He runs a few times a week, but he's not watching his weight or what he eats. I know even with the healthiest of people that heart issues can still exist if genes play a factor. Scary stuff. Sooo glad he's okay now, I pray he'll continue to stay in good health. He's so blessed to have a wife who knows her stuff and knows what to watch out for.

Happy to hear you were able to get some points for the GF!!! You are the second person I know who was able to buy them!!
I'm looking forward to trying to plan a F&W trip for next year, not sure if it will work out, but I'm thinking about it. It's good to dream.

Can't wait to see how your extended trip works out for y'all.