Hello everybody. Previously on Road Nomad we drove from Miami, Florida to Savannah,
Georgia spending the night at Daytona Beach, and enjoying this beautiful sunrise. Then
we continued north, passing by historic Fort Matanzas on our way to Saint Augustine. We
had lunch at Jacksonville and as the night caught up with us we arrived at Savannah,
one of my favorite cities. Let�s explore beautiful Savannah, shall we?
We
have arrived at the Hyatt. Using the Hotel Tonight app we got this great deal at the
centrally located Hyatt Regency right on river street, it doesn�t really get any better
than this, it was less than a hundred bucks, and of course when you get this great deals
they nickel and dime you for everything else, but I believe it was worth it. We have a great
view of the river from our room. Later that night we take a stroll along River
Street, which has a bunch of shops, restaurants and bars. They have a Wet Willie�s, which
used to be one of my favorite bars in Miami Beach before it got too popular.
We really want to walk around but were exhausted from the long road trip, so we decide to finish
the night at the Bohemian Hotel next door, which has a roof top night club, Rocks on
the Roof with live music and great ambiance.
From Savannah, Georgia, good morning. We walk around this historic and beautiful
city we see City Hall from Bull Street, which is right next to our hotel, and then enjoy
the beautiful vegetation of Johnson Square. We walk up to Ellis Square and City Market,
which is a touristy pedestrian street with a bunch of Bars and restaurants. At the end
of City Market, across Franklin Square we see the First African Baptist Church, which
claims to be derived from the first black Baptist congregation in North America. The
do have a museum. As you�ve seen, the historic district is dotted with a grid of all this
charming squares, such as Chippewa Square, where they filmed the movie Forest Gump. The
actual bench in the movie was a fiberglass prop and doesn�t really exist. Bummer.
Passing by the First Girl Scouts Headquarters in the United States we arrive at Clary�s
for breakfast. We are having breakfast at Clary�s, the
place has been here forver. This has been a Savannah hangout place since
1903, and it was made even more famous after it was portrayed in the book Midnight in the
Garden of Good and Evil. By Lafayette Square, as we head back north
on Abercorn street, we see the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, it�s congregation
was founded in the late 1700�s by French immigrants.
A little further down the street we pass by Colonial Park Cemetery, the oldest one in
Savannah. It was established in 1750 and is a popular destination for Ghost tours. It
was vandalized by the federal troops during the Civil War, but it has been restored ever
since. We are back at Bay Street, which runs parallel
to River Street, where the Hotel is. There�s a bunch of quirky shops, right behind the
riverfront shops. This is the oldest continuously operating
English Freemasons� Lodge in the western hemisphere. Yeah, amazing the stuff you learn
on the internets.
OK, time to leave the comfort of our riverfront room, as we must continue on the road, but
not before seeing a little more of beautiful Savannah.
Grabbing a tip from travel writer Pico Ayer, we turn off the GPS and try to reach our next
destination on pure instinct and sense of orientation. In this case I�m trying to
find Forsyth Park, which is just south of the historic district. And here we are. Lets
go around the park, what the heck. Savannah, by the way, is the historical birthplace
of Georgia. It was settled in 1733. The city maintains its antebellum charm, antebellum
meaning ante: before, bellum, war. Basically it was spared the devastation of the civil
war. The mayor gave Sherman�s men run of the city in exchange for leaving it untouched,
pretty much like the French did with Paris during World War II, that�s why that cemetery
got all messed up, but everything else was left pretty much intact, so we can see it
today. Smart guy that mayor, not brave but smart. OK enough of that, we pass by Mansion,
which is a very luxurious hotel with a very nice nightclub where I played with my band
a few years back. Well, let�s see Forsyth Park. The iconic
overhanging trees, the Forsyth fountain which dates back to 1858. The Spanish moss draped
oak trees. There�s a bronze bust of Major General Lafayette
McLaws in front of the confederate monument back there.
We walk back to the fountain, which is similar to those in Place de la Concorde, in Paris.
And we make sure we are observing the sidewalk rules of course� and with that we almost
say goodbye to Savannah for now. Lastly we cruise along historic Jones Street,
it�s a very picturesque luxurious residential area. Of course the cobblestones don�t help
with the camera�s stability, but who cares. We pass by Clary�s once again, and the place
where I stayed when I came to Savannah with the band back in 2006 or 2007, it�s the
blue house. Time to hit the road as we continue, relentlessly
on our journey north towards New York City. We take the Talmadge Memorial Bridge across
the Savanna River and into the great state of South Carolina.
I hope you have enjoyed our short tour of this beautiful city. We really wish we could
have stayed longer, but we must continue. Our next stop: Charleston. Don�t forget
to send me you comments or suggestions. Check out our previous videos in which we visited
Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon and also our journey along the Pacific Coast highway, California.
Also check out part one of this trip so you can see how we drove from Miami to Savannah.
I am your host Robert Morales wishing you pleasant journeys and see you on the road.
Thank you for watching. Bye now.