Thursday on Telfair Square

The Telfair Academy in Savannah, Georgia (shown above in a vintage 1940s/50s image), is one of my favorite museums, even though it may not boast the largest or most prestigious collection. What I love about it is the building that houses these art treasures. Walking in, you feel like you are stepping back in time, and halfway expect a few of the masters to be popping out from one of the galleries. From the Telfair website:

Telfair Museums is the oldest public art museum in the South. The legacy of one visionary Savannahian, it was founded in 1883 through the bequest of prominent local philanthropist Mary Telfair, who left her home and its furnishings to the Georgia Historical Society to be opened as a museum. Designed by British architectural prodigy William Jay in the neoclassical Regency style, the Telfair Academy is a former mansion built from 1818-1819 for Alexander Telfair, son of Revolutionary War patriot and Georgia governor Edward Telfair. In 1875, Alexander’s sister Mary – heir to the family fortune and last to bear the Telfair name – bequeathed the house and its furnishings to the Georgia Historical Society to be opened as a museum. After significant renovation by German-born architect Detlef Lienau, whose adaptations included the addition of the Sculpture Gallery and the Rotunda, the building opened to the public in 1886 as the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The shot below is from February 24, 1955, when admission was free from 10am-5pm:



Flash forward to April 1979:



Any interest in seeing the Victorian Dress exhibit?



My first shot of the Academy is from March 2005:



…and my most recent, which just happened to hit the Golden Hour, circa November 2016:



Not sure why, but this is one of my favorite paintings at the Academy:



It is called “Calme Blanc,” by Raoul du Gardier, circa 1900-1909. Below is an interior shot of the Academy:



Nearby, also in Telfair Square, is the Trinity Methodist Church, built in 1848. This image is from April 1979:



How it looked during my June 2013 visit:



…and an interior shot from November 2016:



It’s been over five years since I last visited Savannah. I think I’m about due for a return trip.

See more Savannah, Georgia, photos at my main website.

The Pink House: Ladies Who Lunch

You’ve all heard of the term “The Ladies Who Lunch”; the stereotypical definition for this reads as follows:

Well-off, well-dressed women who meet for social luncheons, usually during the working week. Typically, the women involved are married and non-working.

No judgment here; if you can snag a situation like that, go for it! Here’s what one of those groups of ladies might have looked like back in 1952, outside The Old Pink House Restaurant on Reynolds Square in Savannah, Georgia. Purses, hats, and gloves. These ladies have it all covered.



The Olde (the “e” was added at some point) Pink House is a Daveland favorite.



My menu choices rarely deviate when I go (why mess with success?). The BLT salad to start, which includes a fried green tomato:



…and the Fried Pork Chop. Words cannot even begin to describe it.



Know any ladies who lunch?

See more Pink House restaurant photos at my main website.

Broughton Street: Main Street in Savannah

Broughton Street was and still is the heart of shopping in the historic downtown area of Savannah, Georgia. On a recent trip to my favorite southern city I snapped these photos. The first one was a fortunate shot that I captured just as the sun was beginning to set. The building on the left is the Savannah College of Art & Design (aka SCAD) Jen Library. In its former life, it was the Maas Brothers department store. I had never noticed this insect that hangs from the ceiling of the entry area before; not sure if it was new or if I had just been careless on my previous walks through this corner of town.



Moving a little further down the street we come to SCAD's Trustees Theater, which originally opened in 1946. Today it hosts Savannah Film Fest screenings and Savannah Music Festival concerts.



The Paris Market Cafe is a newer addition to the area.



Imagine an upscale Pier One Imports with a cafe and you pretty much have this very quaint shop. I actually did like the merchandise carried within.



Another Savannah retail favorite for me is the Savannah Bee Company.



Pretty cool honeycomb signage!



They have all kinds of products here, including health & beauty, apparel, wine, children's items…



and of course honey. Loved the way the light illuminated these beautiful bottles.



Last but not least is Levy Jewelers, a Savannah staple since 1900.



They expanded into this new Broughton Street location a few years back.



The signage for Savannah's best gym is practically invisible because it is also the location for Kayak Cafe:



so they put this creative A-Frame out on Brought to attract customers:



It really is a fantastic gym and I was glad to be able to work out during my last trip.



Ready to go shopping? See more Daveland Broughton Street in Savannah photos at my main website.

Haunted Savannah, Pt. 2

Known as "The Pink House," this Savannah restaurant favorite is also known for its haunted history. This vintage 1958 photo shows it when it was functioning as the Georgian Tea Room.



The house itself is not necessarily scary looking. Supposedly its pink hue comes from the red bricks whose color continually seeped through to the white stucco, much to the consternation of its original owner, James Habersham. Now they just paint the place pink and therefore don't have to wait for the bricks to do their magic.



The basement area is where most of the ghostly apparitions have been seen. According to the Haunted Houses website, patrons and employees have seen slave children ghosts running around the basement area who like to throw dice against the wall in the hallway by the bathrooms. These children used to take wine bottles out of their places behind the bar and hit the bartender with them. The wine bottles are now chilled in a glass-enclosed refrigerator.



Some entity liked to lock women in the bathroom. The management finally took the lock off the door, which curtailed the problem somewhat, though a force does on occasion hold the door shut for a bit, keeping the annoyed patron stuck inside for a short time.



About the only thing that haunts me about this place is its Fried Pork Chop.



Need more Pink? Visit my main website.

Haunted Savannah, Pt. 1

Savannah, Georgia is often referred to as America's Most Haunted City. Literally built on its dead, many of its homes and buildings sit atop Native American burial grounds. The roads cover forgotten cemeteries of slaves and colonialists. The restless spirits that haunt Savannah are the result of bloody battles, fires, yellow-fever epidemics, and hurricanes. The Kehoe House is one of the more famous "haunted" hotels where visitors can sleep (or not sleep) at night. On my last visit, unbeknownst to me, I stayed in one of the two rooms that has become notorious for supposedly being haunted.



Room 203 is known as the Juliette Low room (named after the Girl Scout founder). I can't vouch for whether spirits haunt this room, but I can tell you that the owners seem to be confused about the spelling of Low's name.



Built in 1892 for William Kehoe, this Queen Anne style mansion has this story oft told about it: twins born into the family supposedly died while playing in a chimney in one of the rooms. The fireplaces have all been blocked up (I can vouch for that!) and decorated with angels. Many of the hauntings have been attributed to these children. Guests staying on this floor have complained to the front desk staff about the loud children, not realizing that children are actually discouraged from staying at the inn.



One reported occurrence of a haunted room 203 tells of a guest awakening with a feeling that someone was sitting next to her. When she opened her eyes, she saw that her sister was sound asleep on the other side of the room, but there was an impression of someone unseen sitting right next to her on the bed. Queue the spooky music!

I shot this photo at about 3 am without using a flash. I think it's appropriately spooky enough for this post. Again, I can't say if this place is haunted, but I didn't sleep very peacefully. The alarm clock going off two nights in a row at midnight didn't help. The problem was solved on night two but unplugging the durn thing.



Maybe this is what kept the spirits out of my room. Next time I should take it off the door; might make for a more exciting post.



Walking home from dinner one night, I was startled when I looked up at another nearby Inn to see this. It creeped me out, causing me to stand and stare to see why this little girl in Colonial garb was staring at me.



The next day, I got my answer.



This stuffed dummy sure made a dummy out of me.



For more Savannah photos, find your way to my main website.

50 Plates of Grey

When I travel, I try to do a morning run to stay in shape AND to get a quick overview of the city I am staying in. And yes, I run with my camera. On my most recent trip to Savannah, I was shocked to see that the old boarded up Greyhound Station had been restored and repurposed as a restaurant titled The Grey.



The original terrazzo tile entrance remains, welcoming diners as they enter.



The vitrolite panels, a staple in many art deco buildings, looked brand-spanking new. I later found out that they were, as the originals had been stucco-ed over and ruined beyond repair.



I came back to try it that night, despite what the concierge at my inn had told me when I asked him what kind of food they served. "Probably burgers." I found out when I entered that this was definitely not a burger joint. What an idiot.



While I waited for my table, I had an El Diablo, a vintage cocktail expertly crafted by the bearded bartender. It was a great start to a fantastic experience.



The interior was just as amazing as the outside. While it was obvious that the place had been cleaned up and restored, there were still enough original gritty details to let you know you were in a historic structure.



The place was packed with diners who were obviously enjoying their food.



I started off with probably the best beet salad I have ever eaten. The beets were roasted to perfection and served with their greens and a buttermilk yogurt dressing. I normally take photos of what I eat, but this time, I didn't bother, as much of what I ate would not have translated into a pretty picture. My grilled hanger steak was served with a potato cake and a fenugreek aioli, and it pretty much melted in my mouth. I also ordered the whole fired (not fried) sweet potato; I ate the whole thing…skin and all.

Besides a complimentary appetizer, the owner also served up this deliciously retro frozen lemonade on a stick to cleanse my palette. Concocted by Chef Mashama Bailey, they are a throwback to the popsicles she once ate back in the 1980's at a neighbor's house.



Dessert was a tasty apple cobbler, accompanied by a cheese biscuit and vanilla ice cream from Leopold's, a local ice cream shop (more on them in a future post).



All of the signage was expertly crafted, creatively reminding guests of the structure's origins.





I am still salivating over the vintage tile.



And yes, I took my camera to the restrooms.



A pop of color, courtesy of this photo of a drag queen's gams:



Original floor tiles; be still my heart.



The capper to the whole experience was the fantabulous wait staff. Scott and Kate were the absolute best. Great conversation, thoughtful recommendations, and a huge dose of hip. Best of all, Scott serves a mean Skinny Bitch Tea! Not sure it helped much with the waistline, but it was worth a try!



I had the pleasure of talking to the owner, John Morisano, who gave me the back story on his restaurant. Typically focusing on tech and media startups, New Yorker Morisano fell in love with the dilapidated building when he first saw it back in 2012. Kudos to Morisano for what he has created. I ended up returning a second time, and plan on doing so again when I next visit my favorite southern city.

Get more shades of Grey at my main website.