Fruit2o

Fruit 2o is a great alternative to just water and it taste so great. This giveaway will let you try it. I hope I get it!

Postings On Hold

Sorry to all my readers but I am catching up on work and will resume posting on the blog starting next Saturday. Check back then and until then press on!

Old Town Trolley Tour of Savannah

With the ringing of the trolley bell I stepped aboard today’s journey. But before ringing marked the start o f the day I met a wonderful lady named Ms. Laura at the City Market Visitors Booth. She stood no more than five feet tall but she had a heart that could sense from a mile away. After she sold me my ticket she led me out of the shadowed city market and onto a side street where the trolley would soon be arriving. There she stood with me until that trolley came and told me about the tour that I was about to have. It was truly a wonderful way to start to my ride with Old Town Trolley Tours in Savannah.

At first I thought the pricing was kind of high for a trolley ride. I mean come on $25 for adults and $10 for children 4–12 years old. But as I got on the trolley and began my tour I started to change my mind on what it would be worth to someone who was visiting for a weekend or even a week. This tour allowed for me to get all around the historic district and was narrated by the driver with jokes being told and at one point he even broke out into song. It was not just a tour but rather a ride to all over town and entertainment along the way. So the price ended up being fitting for the experience.

Now when you are looking to go on a tour here there are a few choices you have. There is the tour which I took today, the Old Savannah Tour, the carriage ride tours, and even haunted tours (tomorrow evening I will be partaking in the Haunted Irish Pub Tour). From what I can tell this tour appeared to be maybe a step above the others but until I try them all I cannot say that for certain.

Ringing of a bell in the distance let me know that this ride was about to get going. I stepped on to the bus and a gust of warm air defrosted my chilled body. I took a seat in the middle of the bus and with a short welcome from the driver, Don, we were on our way.

First we headed down towards the river with a bumpy ride on the cobblestone. My backpack was jumping on the seat next to me and then it started. That feeling of nausea I get when traveling. This was not a thought that had crossed my mind when preparing for the day but here it came. My first thought was where are the barf bags that are so conveniently located in the seat pocket in front of you on airplanes? There were not there. But how often is there someone with such bad motion sickness as mine? Word to the wise here, if you get motion sickness, experiencing morning sickness, or hung over, do yourself a favor and get some Dramamine unless you are pregnant then maybe you should sit this one out. All I kept telling myself was, press on!!!

Don was truly amazing with how he could drive and keep telling all the history we were seeing from our seats. There were plenty of stops for those who wished to get off and look around. This was very nice about the on and off tour because once you got off the trolley, another one would be by in 20 minutes and you could continue on sightseeing. The ride went on and despite the wonderful narration I was delighted when we reached stop number one and we had fifteen minutes at the visitor’s center. This gave me time to grab some crackers and prepare my stomach for the next lag of the tour. Time flew by and I was pressing on to the birth place of Juliette Gordon Low’s birthplace. One stop later I was there and once again glad for solid ground.

Now my trolley driver told us the place was closed for renovations but I got off anyway to take some pictures. It is typical for business and museums to close for a January to do renovations and prepare for the upcoming tourist season. I noticed some men moving things out of the building from behind and was lucky enough to speak to an employee. I will be working on getting in next week to tour the place that girl scouts flock to so keep an eye open and you will see me blogging about it soon.



Shortly after leaving Juliette I was astonished at the ease of just hopping on the next trolley that pulled up. More history was pointed out and the humor was good for the next eight stops. When I reached back to my starting point I have to say I was running off the bus due to motion sickness. This was not the reaction of anyone else on the tour but if you have motion sickness it really is not a bad idea to take something.

If you are looking to get lots of history in one day this tour was great. The humor was good and the other passengers were lighthearted and having a good time. Just one thing before you run down here and hop on Old Town Trolley Tour, TURN YOUR PHONE OFF PLEASE!!!!!!!!!

http://www.trolleytours.com/Savannah/

A tourist enjoying the ability to take remember a historical landmark without even getting out of her seat!

At 11:30am I headed off to the Jepson Center a Telfair Museum. This was a nice change walk with a tempature of 56 degrees today. Once I got there the door was opened for me by a guy whos job is to open the door. How nice is that? I would have never expected that in a museum. I paid the $15 admission for an adult (it is only $5 if you are a student) and headed up the beautiful stairway.

When I reached the first level I turned right and ended up in an area of Dutch impression paintings that were done by what I am assuming to be students of Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). At first I did not realize this and was thinking to myself the paintings were okay but I expected more. The I realized they were by students. So I ran away from the new art and went in search of something old.

On the third floor I found an area for children much like the one on the second floor I had avoided (due to the school that was visiting with 50+ 7 year olds). But this time I wandered in because I figured someone with a kid just might be reading this. So into the sea of 7 year olds I dove! There were activities that got kids involved in art which such as a wall with common household objects that were all magnetized. The kids could move things to make faces, people, houses, the sky is the limit with this. This is a fun place to visit if little ones in the group when visiting Savannah.

After surviving the room of ankle bitters I made it in to the main exhibit “Dutch Utopia.” In here I found myself leaning towards the pictures to see the brush strokes of masterpieces that were a hundred years old. It is one thing to take a photograph but a whole different thing to paint something and make it recognizable let alone captivating. These painters had it down to perfection.

The brush strokes and paint colors mixed in the canvas created wonder and amazement to anyone in its presents. The sight bit of crackling oil on canvas and the crinkled edges of the aged paper with watercolor placed in ways that no kindergartner could ever do made me feel like I was looking through the eyes of someone who was telling the story of how life was once simple, hard yet appreciated, and mainly it left me in awe. One of these paintings was going to be to me how I felt, how it was for me to pick up and leave everything I knew back in my hometown of Hampshire, IL, but which one was it?

I walked through many times looking at every painting in awe but not feeling towards the painting how I felt about my journey to Savannah. Yet one painting by James Jebusa Shannon I could not get enough of. Every time I was within eyesight of it I had to stop and stare. There was something about it that was beautiful and drew me in. Finally I stood in front of it to see if I could figure out what it was drawing me in. I got really close so I could see the light reflecting off the brush stokes left on the canvas. The cheeks of the tow girls were perfectly colored and how he knew to put the dark paint on the same brush as the light I do not know. But I was left in amazement and I knew that this was the painting that meant the most to me here.

There is a mother reading to her daughter in this painting and the pairing of colors with the sky in the background and the dresses they are wearing left me wanting more. To the left of this painting was aonthor that also caught my eye. To no surprise they were by the same painter. But these two girls with a dog at their feet reading on the hillside reached out to me. They were looking at at a book reading the pages with words of an author that they had not known. Me moving to Savannah, I am living the stories that are written by author that do know. But unlike a book I cannot just turn the page as I please, I have to wait and see what is written for me.

To anyone reading this, James Jebusa Shannon is an amazing artist and if his paintings are in Savannah or Chicago or Paris I would travel to see them. They will not disappoint but yet leave you with a place in your gut that wants more to life then what is seen from the outside. They will leave you wanting to find who are really meant to become.

The Pirates House

Ahoy, me Hearties! Today’s adventure lead me to a place known for its history of the “herb room” and the pirate visitors that came here nearly 300 years ago. The walls of the dining area were dark wood that I was told were hundreds of years old. History lovers and pirate seekers flock to this place for its history. And it is best that way.

The food I endured today is no reason to visit this place. As ordered to I had the Slick Chick for lunch and although the French fries were wonderful the chicken was not. Lets first explore the fries. They were probably the best tasting ones I have had in years! The outside was crunchy and inside soft with the perfect taste to them. And when I had my first bite I thought damn, these are wonderful. It was during the second bite that I realized that they were not hot! Granted they were not like ice but still they were not hot and barely warm at that. But it left me wondering, if they were that good luke warm, how good are they hot!

The Slick Chick sandwich on the other hand had no excuse for itself. The edges were burnt which left a taste of charcoal in my mouth and it was plain uneventful. No explosions on wonder felt here. With the onions sautéed I would think they would have at least helped but they really did not. This sandwich was lacking flavor. Barbeque, butter garlic, or anything would have helped it. I would have just loved ot run into the kitchen and figured out something to make it pop with flavor. When I go out to eat I like to have something to remember the food by and charcoal is not it. I would gladly return to this place and help the kitchen make this place memorable.

After I finished eating I wandered around in search of this history which is displayed on the placemat in front of me. I found ceilings that made me feel sorry for anyone over 6 feet tall and the stench of tourism all around me. While some places can pull it off rather well this is not included in that group. While waiting for my food I noticed multiple trolleys stop in front of the place and I can see that is most likely where they get their business. But to be honest most Chili’s and other chain restaurants have better food which after all is why I went there.

Overall if I were visiting Savannah I would skip this stop on the trolley and find other dining. That is unless one of two things happens.

1. You or your kid is infatuated with pirates.
2. They get someone in there who can give their menu something to scream about.

There are so many good places to eat here and this is just not on my list of them. But in all fairness I would call and order their French fries to go because they were pretty damn good!

Lulu's Chocolate Bar... YUMMY!

This adventure was blessed with the company of a new friend from Savannah, Patty. And am I glad she joined me. Now I know I was predestined to get the chocolate covered strawberries and raspberry espresso martini but Patty wanted more. The flour less chocolate torte was the dream of every girl suffering with PMS. Guys do yourself a favor and buy this stuff in bulk to keep for those days. I just had to get that out of the way right off the bat because it was truly spectacular.

Now to the Belgian Chocolate Covered Strawberries. First off you have three choices. White chocolate, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate. What ever chocolate you decide to endulge yourself with, I had the sampler so one of each, the strawberry inside tasted like the one I have picked fresh from garden. You take a bite and juices overflow into your mouth. After just moments the chocolate melts and mixes with the juices into an explosion of wonder and bliss. All that in your mouth! Talk about good! Men, are you getting the hint here?

Happy hour is my friend! With those two words a $10 martini drops to $7. I had the raspberry espresso martini and honestly I can say it is not my cup of martini. It was adorable with its four espresso beans floating on top and slight foam surrounding the rim. But when I think martini I think stiff drink made with gin or vodka. Maybe with a splash sour to them. To me this was more of a mixed drink which I feel sadly what the word martini has become. Martini to me means no mixers allowed. If you do want mixer it should be no more then a splash with equals to no more then 1/4 ounce.

Would I go back here? Every month when I have my period works for me. Despite my dislike in the drink, the chocolate deserts were just too good never go back for not to mention the atmosphere that was just my style. The live band was a bit loud but you still could hear from across the table. The crowd was a bit older 40's+ but there was some younger eye candy that came in as I was walking out the door. Yummy eye candy and the chocolate = WINNER ;)

Thank you Patty for the chocolate, drink, and most of all your company!!!

If you could put heaven on earth, it would be found in here!

Patty's view for the evening, ME!!!

Birthday's do not go forgotten here. A chocolate dipped strawberry with a single candle and in chocolate syrup it is simply put "Happy Birthday!"

Best Second Hand Store???

Goodwill on Broughton Street


Civvies New and Recycled Clothing


Blessingdale Thrift Store

So today I spent the day walking around looking for the best second hand store. Thanks to none other then my mom! After walking for 2.5 hours I was done. I never thought that I would see ice anywhere besides in a cup here. But to my surprise it was on the street and on the edges on fountains that were running. BS if you ask me!

So there were three main places that I found today. #1 if you are looking to buy some amazing clothing, Civves New & Recycled Clothing. This place has an amazing mix of new and old with amazing fine vintage. If you are looking for something great that no one else has, I would look no further then here. The price tags are all labeled so you can tell exactly if you are buying something new, recycled, vintage, or fine vintage. Now let us talk cash! This place is amazing with how clean everything is, organized, and chic, but with that comes a price tag. You will not find a dress here for $5.00 like other second hand shops. Clothing here ranges from $15 - $40 on average yet it is worth every penny.

Second on my list is Blessingdale Thrift Store. The smell of old hits you as you pass through the threshold of the store. This place has fantastic prices for the inventory with includes books, clothing, furniture, and everything you could think of. This was the only store on my list where you can find anything! You can get a dresser for $100 and wedding dress for even less. Currently they have all of their wedding dresses for 50% off. Sure they are a bit out of date but be creative and cut the sleeves off and you could have a great dress for $50. What an amazing deal!!

Now if you are looking for just plain simple used clothing check out the Goodwill on Broughton Street. Beyond the clinking of hangers you will find dresses that are from the 70's and clothing that will match the punk fashion of today. Or maybe that is puke fashion. If you are looking for something besides clothing I would suggest you look elsewhere. Due to their lack of space, they really only carry clothing and maybe a few other small items on the six small shelves at the rear of the store.

Over all the stamp of best second hand store North of Forsyth goes to Blessingdale Thrift Store. It has the price tag that makes you happy and such a variety of things that you are sure to find what you are looking for.

Paula Deens Rustic Orange Egg Benedict and Mimosa Rooftop

So my first mission which was set out by my dear friend Suzie: to drink mimosa rooftop with eggs benedict. When I read that I thought "What are eggs benedict?" So I did what anyone would do, I googled it. Turns out it did not sound so good. What the hell is hollandaise sauce? Raw egg yolks, butter, salt, pepper, and water. Hell no I was not going to eat that!

So I got to thinking maybe because I am in the south there would be a recipe that did not include raw eggs. I was wrong but Paula Deen did have something that sounded at least a little better. Rustic Orange Eggs Benedict. Now this is more along my taste. So off to the store I went in my PJ's at 11pm last night in search of ingredients.

As my alarm was going off at 8 I was thinking about the raw egg which I was going to be consuming. Into the kitchen I went and started cooking I did. The orange hollandaise sauce didn't turn out quite like I think it was supposed to but damn, raw egg yolk has never tasted to good. THANK YOU PAULA DEEN!!! After breakfast was cook I did what I hate doing, opening a bottle of sparkling wine. Every time I do open one, a swear always comes out, just like when I round the corner and see Mr. 5ft Lego man in the hallway.

All in all it was a wonderful mission to be on. Paula Deen saved me today and the mimosa got me ready for church, or ready for a nap. You all have a wonderful day. Pressing on!

If you would like to give Paula a try (I would greatly recommend) here is the recipe.

www.smithfield.com/recipes/recipe/rustic=-orange-eggs-benidict

So it is the end of the day and I finished what I set out to do! 22 squares, 1 former square, and a BBQ lunch later I am now posting to the world! It was rather cold walking through town with the wind but I kept pressing on.

Lunch today was served at Barnes BBQ (www.BarnesBBQExpress.com) and was rather interesting. The BBQ sauce was tangy but the mac-n-cheese was yummy! I also gave Brunswick Stew a try for the first time in my life and was pleasantly surprised, that it was not bad! Well the food here was good, I am not sure it is the best Savannah has to offer!

Here are photographs of the day out. The construction picture was where Ellis Square was located but it is no longer there as you can tell. I think it is turning into a visitor center but do not quote me on that please!

Don't forget people if you do not give me challenges then I will have nothing to blog about. Just remember whatever you tell me to do has to done on the north side of Forsyth park, it has to be safe, and legal! Besides that it can be whatever you think up of!

22 Squares In This Town

So this morning started at 5:23 when I woke up after only four hours of sleep. UGHHH!!! And after two eggs over medium, two pieces of wheat toast, and a handful of grapes, I thought it would be a great idea to go for a walk.

One amazing white chocolate cappuccino with soy milk ($5.08) from Gallery Espresso (www.galleryespresso.com) sent me off for a walk. Next thing I knew I was in Forsyth park thinking about the coffee shop on the south end and wondering if their coffee was just as good. So off I went and I did find yet more amazing coffee. This time a 16oz. mocha cafe and a blueberry raspberry scone ($5.20) from The Sentient Bean (www.sentientbean.com). On my way back through Forsyth I stopped and gave my scone to one of the homeless men in the park. Better he have the calories then me!

Somewhere along the way I got to thinking about all the squares. So today I shall walk to all 22 of them. Start thinking ideas of what to do tomorrow. Where should I go next in Historic Savannah? I will post pictures of parks by morning tomorrow.

Pressing on!!!