A Very Pink History

Faithful readers of this blog know what a nut I am for The Pink House, one of my favorite restaurants in Savannah, Georgia. The recent acquisition of a vintage slide has spawned today's post, which shows this Savannah staple through the years. First up is a previously posted shot from 1958 when it was known as the Georgian Tea Room. This June 1966 shot shows the Tea Room framed perfectly by the trees in Reynold Square.



Yup...still serving Tea.



This Spring 2005 image is from my very first trip to Savannah and the Pink House.



Yes, back when my hair still had color.



Two more contemporary views of the exterior:





And of course the main reason I go here every time I visit Savannah: the infamous Fried Pork Chop.



Get more Pink at my main website.

Eating My Way Through Savannah

Whenever I travel, finding good eats is always top of the list. This is why Savannah is one of my favorite cities to visit. Let's dig right into my most recent visit there when I ate my way through the city. It can be a curse to like both salty and sweet; my waistline will attest to that. The Florence is on Victory Drive just on the border of the historic district. I've tried it twice and had decent meals, but this is not a place that I put on my "must" list whenever I venture into town. Still, we had a great time (it's all about the company you keep!) and enjoyed our beverages and food. Especially the beverages. Another Pimm's Cup, please!



Leopold's Ice Cream is not only on my "must" list, but it's a an every day occurrence. I just cannot get enough of their ice cream. Somebody start an intervention.



Grant and I had to explain to 20-something Shawn what a phone booth was.



When your trainer eats ice cream, you take photos. They come in handy later.



The Gryphon Tea Room is on my once every 3 or 5 years or so list. It's more about experiencing the historic interior than anything else.



Full of rich details, it still has many traces of its former glory as a pharmacy.



The face Grant is making is not because of the food; it's because we were seated near the bathroom. Yes, we got a discount on our bill.



The Grey never disappoints.



Although it is probably the most hip and trendy place in town, the food is not pretentious. Just creative and tasty. I want more of these red pea pancakes.





My mouth is watering. I can't wait to go back.



We were all happy campers that night. Love this place.



What? Ice cream at Leopold's after having dessert at The Grey? Who cares...you only live once. I wanted my Tutti Frutti ice cream, and I'm sure all the walking I did made everything kosher.



Dinner at The Pink House is also part of my ritual.



No complaints from my travel companions on this one, either. It was a great southern meal.



And yes, I get the same thing every time. I don't care if that's boring; why should you? The Fried Pork Chop is just crazy good.



Grant was digging the basement tour, where the Pink House is supposedly haunted.



After dinner it was back to the Grey for a beverage and to visit Scotty, the best bartender/manager.



And then...yup, you guessed it. Leopold's.



Our last meal together in Savannah was at Huey's on the River for brunch. This one made my once every 100 years or so list.



Still hungry? There's more Savannah goodness 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.

Savannah Rock 'N Roll Excursion, Pt. 2

It was the perfect day for a race; cooler temperatures and the sun was just beginning to come out as everyone started to line up in their corrals. This picture was obviously shot VERY early in the race, as I am not even sweating yet.



Flash forward to me coming across the finish line, and it's definitely a different story. My goal was 1:45; I was pretty much on target, but by mile 9, I knew I was losing ground. Still, by the time I saw the finish line, I knew I could still earn a personal best score if I picked up the pace a bit, which is exactly what I did.



I finished at 1:48:37, shaving 2 minutes off my previous record. It was a good day!



Now that the race/training was over, it was time to stuff my face. I was sick of dieting!



Clary's Cafe is a local favorite, located on the corner of Jones Street and Abercorn Street, and just a few blocks from The Hamilton-Turner Inn (my feet were very grateful). The decor includes a stained glass window of The Bird Girl, originally located in Bonaventure Cemetery and made famous by the photo of her on the cover of John Berendt's book, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."



Nothing but delicious comfort food here, including this tasty tomato bisque soup.



Chicken salad on a croissant with a side of fries...what a delicious victory meal!



Surprisingly enough, there was a fair amount of walking after lunch. I felt like I needed to work my meal off, so I stopped by to visit The Old Sorrel-Weed House in Madison Square.



It is a beautiful historic old home that is in a sad state of disrepair.



"Restored" by a misguided owner who ran short of money, it is an odd mix of poorly chosen modern light fixtures, cracked walls, and other questionable choices that have put this home in danger. No Southern Home would be complete without a painting of Robert E. Lee above the mantle.



This wretched light fixture hurts so bad.





This gorgeous sideboard also needs some TLC, apparent when one takes a closer look.



Moving on to dinner, it was time to head to Reynolds Square, passing the historic Lucas Theater along the way.



A statue of John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, holds court over the square.



Wesley was the minister of a newly formed Savannah parish, but jeopardized his position when he let his feelings get in the way. Wesley became involved with Sophia Hopkey, but ended the relationship on the advice of a Moravian minister. Hopkey felt scorned, saying that Wesley had promised to marry her. So, she found another hubby. Wesley subsequently refused Hopkey and her hubby communion, causing them to file suit against Wesley. Wesley stood trial and faced the accusations made by Hopkey. The proceedings ended in a mistrial, but Wesley's rep was still ruined. He returned to England a beaten man. Just one of the many fascinating people that Savannah claims as its own.



The Pink House, one of my very favorite Savannah Restaurants.



It derived its name because the red color of the bricks bled through the light colored stucco coating, giving it a pink tint.



It also has a reputation of being haunted. The bar in the basement is supposedly one of the hot spots at this place.



Whatever the story is, I can assure you that the food is delicious, starting off with this BLT salad: bacon, lettuce, and fried green tomato.



And finally, the entree I'd been craving since my last trip to Savannah two years ago: The Infamous Fried Pork Chop, served with more fried green tomatoes (at my request, as I'm not a fan of collard greens) and mac and cheese.



After dinner, it was time to schlep it on over to Club One, where the awning looks as if someone took a magic marker to it.



If you've seen the movie version of "Midnight In The Garden of Good Evil," I am so sorry. It doesn't begin to do justice to Berendt's story. However, it does have one glimmer of fun with the appearance of The Lady Chablis, the southern drag queen that plays herself.



Fortunately, she happened to be in town, and I was able to catch her entertaining show at Club One.



I can assure you that she is just about one of the only reasons to go to Club One. The rest of the show was pretty nasty.



A few shots of the Hamilton-Turner before I crashed for the night. My pillow was calling to me!



Love the real gas lamps; just like being on Main Street U.S.A.!



See more Savannah photos on my Savannah web pages.