The Global Gorlaches: Charleston & Savannah

Charleston & Savannah

Charleston and Savannah are often mentioned in the same breath as the main historical sites of the Mid-Atlantic part of the country. There is some history involved, but we came for the atmosphere. A wrong turn off the highway brought us smack into the Charleston hood. On a corner, where -- I'm sure -- one of the founding fathers drank his iced tea on Saturday mornings, a young gentleman in a wife-beater shirt was getting on a child-size bike to deliver crack across the neighborhood, no doubt. And while the view changed after a few blocks to Louis Vuitton shopping, we parked the car right next to a police Crown Vic.

The 'battery' of Charleston (aka waterwalk, shorewalk, etc.) features some of the oldest houses in the US. Considering the people used to be shorter, these houses must have seemed enormous at the time: three stories of tall windows surrounded by a wide covered porch all around. Through these windows and balconies we saw chandeliers, full-size stairs, wall paintings, and one-piece wood dining tables. Abby declared that she will move into one of these in her lifetime.

Savannah is all about squares. The old town is checkered with block-long squares erected in the memory of local celebrities, such as John Calhoun and James Madison. Each square has at the very least a statue, two benches, and a tourist (gawking up, mouth open, camera hanging). The fanciest of them have beautiful churches attached, historical houses, and a couple of homeless folks. Between changing the oil in the car in the most historical Firestone in Charleston we sampled the following:

Shova: Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, beer (20% consumed), green beans, stuffed mushrooms, pecan pie, salad.

Bruisef: Fried oyster sandwich (15% consumed), salad, beer (80% consumed), George Washington's Pie (two slices of bread pudding with vanilla sauce and guilt (optional)), bread pudding from Express Bakery, pecan pie.