Savannah with my Silver Fox - Day 3

Savannah with my Silver Fox -- Day 3 was highlighted by walking, interacting with people and still more good food. We had a very light breakfast in anticipation of what we knew awaited us at lunch time. We took a brisk 20-minute walk (only taking a wrong turn once) and got in line for Mrs. Wilkes' Boarding House Dining Room at 10:30 a.m. This is what the line looked like when we joined it -- a half a block long 30 minutes before the doors even opened!!!!Our hour-long + wait was made very enjoyable by the lovely black couple who got in line directly behind us. They were from Atlanta and in town visiting their daughter who works in Savannah. They had eaten at Mrs. Wilkes' before, so they told us all about what to expect plus numerous insights into their lives and philosophy of living. We laughed and visited as if we'd known each other for years.
In this Boarding House Dining Room, patrons are seated in tables of 10 and bowls of food are passed and replenished as necessary. There is room for about 80 people to eat at each "seating," and each seating usually lasts about 40-45 minutes. Everyone pays the same price, and the only variable is whether you want sweet tea, unsweet tea or water.
The lady in the red dress on the far right of the above picture was the wife we visited with so happily during our wait. We lucked out and got to sit together for lunch, too. Look at that Southern table. I counted 22 different dishes that were passed. There were vegetables of every kind you could name, plus fried chicken and beef stew. The sweet potato souffle was VERY good, and Steve tried his cornbread plain, then with gravy, then with molasses. He was a happy camper.

The only logical thing to do after a meal such as that was more walking. Right? We walked a lot, took a power nap, and then walked some more. The beautiful twin steeples below are from St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. Within sight of this church, we stopped to sit on a park bench and watch a wedding rehearsal taking place. While we sat, a black man named Benjamin came by hoping to sell the Palm Sunday creations he had woven from Palmetto fronds (this reminded us so much of Palm Sunday practices from Ecuador). Benjamin DID end up with some money from us for his craft, but he also received a gospel witness. We talked to him about his spiritual beliefs. He claimed to know who Jesus was and what He had done for him on the cross, but he had never repented and asked him to be his Savior and Lord. He wasn't ready to make that commitment today, so as you look at the picture of these church steeples I hope they will prompt you to pray for a man named Benjamin who needs Jesus.
We went in a lot of beautiful shops this afternoon and saw some amazing works of art -- one was a bronze piece about 4 feet high of a girl holding a seashell to her ear. Price tag? $13,000. Definitely a "look but don't touch" situation.

In case you're wondering, we DID stop by Paula Deen's place -- Lady and Sons -- as we were walking to the City Market. We had heard very mixed reviews about her restaurant. The residents of Savannah are quick to give her credit for all of the good things she's done for Savannah, but they claim her food is nothing special because, after all, she's not in there doing the cooking. The Paula Deen store had some interesting items, but I was able to resist temptation (Silver Fox has a way of helping me with that). :)

My Clipboard of Fun had Vic's on the River for dinner tonight, but none of the available reservation times struck our fancy, so we ended up in a great place called 17Hundred90. It is said to be inhabited by 3 ghosts, but luckily none of them showed up during our dinner time.

You know it's going to be a great meal when beautiful biscuits dripping with honey show up as a starter.
For entrees, Steve had Salmon Oscar with risotto and mixed vegetables. My plate was similar, except I had crab cakes and several huge scallops drizzled with hollandaise sauce.
During dinner, we watched a wonderful young family seated nearby -- a husband, wife, and two children who appeared to be about 6 and 4. They were beautifully-behaved ESPECIALLY considering the atmosphere and the menu. They were like watching a video of "How to take children into a nice restaurant in such a way that EVERYONE has a nice time." I couldn't resist stopping by the table on our way out to compliment these parents. Their hard work is definitely paying off.

Tomorrow morning we'll enjoy our last breakfast at this wonderful B & B and then begin to slowly make our way back home.

Several general observations about Savannah during these days:

1) It is a family-friendly and pet-friendly city.

2) The food is at least as good as that in New Orleans -- maybe better -- without all of the raunchiness of New Orleans.

3) We parked our car when we arrived and won't get in it again until tomorrow morning. It hasn't been necessary to drive anywhere. This is a great city for walking. Now, if you have ankle or knee issues, you might have difficulty because the streets have lots of bricks and uneven places. But, if you're reasonably healthy and agile, you can get plenty of exercise WHILE seeing a lot of beautiful architecture and nature.

4) This is a place to which we'd like to return. Next time we'll probably tour a few mansions and maybe take a couple of hours to drive over to Tybee Island. Plus, there are still so many good restaurants who need our reviews. We would DEFINITELY want to stay here at Presidents' Quarters Inn on our next visit.

5) It has been somewhat warm and humid during midday and early afternoons. I can only imagine how sweltering it might be in August.

6) The Savannah city planners and historical preservationists have done a phenomenal job and deserve to be extremely proud of the results.