Today our activity was to drive about 30 miles back south to Savannah, GA, which both Peg and I wanted to see. Savannah has a great layout with little square parks all over the city and around these parks are a multitude of old Victorian, Queen Anne and Classical buildings with wonderful architecture. We took a trolley tour around the city that led us through a variety of neighborhoods and it was terrific with a couple of minor exceptions. One exception is that the seats on the trolley are quite stiff and are capable of doing nasty things to your blood circulation in your legs and almost medieval torture to one’s bottom. This is coupled with paving technology that seems to use artillery to smooth the road surfaces resulting in an informative but punishing ride.
There is scant parking anywhere in this city except in the parking lot at the visitor’s center or in parking structures that were installed at the expense of the former glorious architecture near some of the delightful square parks. Walking may be an option to truly see this city but the place ain’t small so you better bring your hiking gear if you select this option. Driving all twenty-some feet of Charlotte around the city would be tough because the streets are quite narrow and there is no place to really stop and look without drawing the wrath of other motorists. Nevertheless, the city is beautiful and I would recommend a visit by all. Peg and I can cross this off our bucket lists.
After having our butts rendered senseless on the tour, we re-boarded Charlotte and spun out to a restaurant on nearby Tybee Island called the Crab Shack. It is a waterfront restaurant sort of tucked away in a residential neighborhood with a big, dirt parking lot underneath a grove of oak trees. It is definitely informal with outside dining on a big deck, plastic tableware and styrofoam dishware but the food was terrific. They serve beer and cocktails but no porter so we had water with our lunch which was a seafood combo for two that was ample for three or four. They brought our meal on big platter about 2 feet across that had King crab legs, some other crabs, mussels, crayfish, a bunch of peel-n-eat shrimp, sausage slices, seasoned boiled red potatoes and corn for $40. It was great but took both Peg and me about 90 minutes to eat it all. Hearty recommendation for this place – definitely a five star lowbrow eatery.
Just outside the entrance to the restaurant they have a big stuffed alligator, an equally large stuffed sea turtle with hair and a mustache added and a pond with little alligators you can feed. Fortunately, they have poles with lines attached to the ends that you use to feed the gators since without these I am sure there would be many tourists sporting bloody bite wounds and missing important parts. This is a great place, in my opinion.
After waddling back to Charlotte, we returned home by dead reckoning and only took wrong turns about 3 or 4 times before making it back to the Invader. Our drive went in all four directions of the compass and we ultimately ended up where we started.