Rock 'n Savannah, Pt. 7

Today marks the end of my Savannah posts (until my next visit there, of course). What better way to start off a morning than a beautiful plate of fluffy lemon blueberry ricotta pancakes? Breakfasts at the Hamilton-Turner Inn are always delicious and sure taste great after a morning run through the historic district.

The next few photos are from the City Market/Ellis Square area.



This vintage postcard shows you The Old Market House, which once stood on Ellis Square. Replaced by a parking lot, it is now gone to the ages.



Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed a few years ago and replaced the hideous parking garage with an underground structure, restoring it to the lovely park-like area that you see here.



This statue of lyricist/songwriter Johnny Mercer (also the cofounder of Capitol Records) is a nice salute to Savannah's native son.



Back on Bay Street, for the last dinner of this visit, Vic's on the River was the restaurant of choice.



Typically, Vic's rates at least one meal per visit, thanks to its understatedly elegant interior, delicious food, and attentive service..



Traditional Fried Green Tomatoes are given zest with a tangy tomato chutney.



The Swordfish melted in my mouth.



The view from Vic's balcony is pretty spectacular, too. The river sure looks purty at night.



The next morning, I awoke at the crack of dawn (5am) so that I could get some shots of River Street as the sun was coming up and before it got too crowded with tourists and delivery trucks.



What I didn't count on was the sudden drop in temperatures.



Of course I got my photos, but narrowly avoided freezing my fingers off! The things photographers do to capture what they see; it's a perilous job! Here, the Westin is beautifully lit by the rising sun in the distance.



River Street is typically an area that I avoid because it seems too touristy and commercial. In the early morning light though, I have a deep appreciation for it.



Next, it was time to pack up my bags and catch a plane to Philadelphia. I was able to snap an aerial view of the windy city, Chicago:



a detailed view of the Pier:



Today I bid adieu to Savannah, but if you'll return tomorrow, I promise to take you with me to Philly!

See more Daveland Savannah photos on my Savannah web pages.

Rock 'n Savannah, Pt. 2

The Expo for the Savannah Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon was fantastic. Extremely well organized, it didn't take long to pick up the bib, t-shirt, swag bag, and have a picture taken to capture my "I haven't been to bed in 48 hours" look, courtesy of my red-eye flight.



I had never heard of Newton running shoes before, but it was difficult to miss their bright colors! One of the guys at the booth told us about them; they attempt to mimic running barefoot as closely as possible. From their website:

Forget shoes for a moment. Shoes were not around when we ran for the first time. When you were a kid running on the beach or out in the streets, you didn’t need an instruction manual or a wedge of technology under your heel to help you run better. You just started running. It was instinct. It was joy. Enter Newton Running.

Unlike the funky glove-looking shoes I had seen, these looked normal. I tried them on and did a few laps while receiving some great running tips from the Newton team. I have to say these are the best running shoes I have ever owned (and I've owned a few pairs in my time).



The other product I tried was PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter. It may sound goofy, and most likely I would have passed by this booth, but the dietician at work told me about this stuff and surprise surprise...it actually tasted good. Compared to 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, you've got 190 vs. 45 calories (130 vs. 13 from fat), and 3 grams vs. 0 grams of saturated fat. I finally took the plunge and ordered two jars from when I got home. I could see this stuff being great in recipes, too. All you do is add water. Okay, enough of the product stuff.



Back outside again, I took some shots across the way to get a panoramic view of River Street. Be sure to click on this one; it's larger than normal so that you can see more detail.



After a short nap, it was time for an early dinner and carb-load at my favorite Italian restaurant in Savannah, Leoci's. The area it's in is not great, so my advice would be to get there quick and don't loiter outside for too long!



I started off with a delicious beet salad:



Dinner was tasty; for once I strayed from the gnocchi that I typically order here. The pasta, pancetta (fancy bacon!), and broccoli were delicious. They really hit the spot.



After that, it was a brisk walk (remember, no loitering!) back to the Mansion for some shut-eye before the big race.



As I rode the funeral-parlour-ish elevator up to the room, I was hoping that it wasn't an omen about how I would do in the race!



See more Daveland Savannah photos on my Savannah web pages.