The Christophers: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

This Part 1 of 3 - Spring Break 2k9

I currently have the flu so rather than sit here and write out everything, I will do it in three parts. Check back in a day or so for Part 2- Charleston and Part 3- Moore/Lindstrom Wedding. Thanks!

Savannah

As many of you know, Drew and I spent spring break in Savannah and Charleston, taking advantage of my time off of school and making a vacation out of our good friend's wedding in Charleston. I often think to myself that I would not wish my current schedule on my worst enemy. Full-time school on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with homework in between and a 40+ hour work week, three days in Richmond and two in DC. If that doesn't make your head spin, I am impressed. Drew has also been swamped at work recently, tackling a very challenging project. So, when he asked me a couple months ago what I wanted for my birthday, I was quick to respond that I wanted us both to take off of work and get out of town for a week. Having just finished a class on Saturday, March 7, with a very heavy workload, I was only too happy to leave the state of Virginia the next day. After a quick trip to Alexandria, the evening of March 7 to drop off Gia and celebrate my dad's birthday, on Sunday morning Drew and I made a quick pit stop in Richmond to pack for our trip (since I had no time bc of school) and were on our way to Savannah. Here is a not so brief description of our Savannah leg of the trip...hope you enjoy!

Sunday, March 8

Drew and I left Richmond around noon to embark on a 8 hour drive to Savannah, Georgia. The ride was pretty uneventful. We listened to a lot of Frank Sinatra, Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack, hipster CD's Kristina has left in my Jeep and Billy Joel. The trip felt pretty quick and by early evening we had arrived at the home of our good friend's- Courtney and Andrew Wenk. Courtney is a friend of mine from Hollins, where we lived together my senior year. She is in her first year of residency as an OBGYN at a high-risk hospital in Savannah. The day we arrived she had delivered 5 babies! Andrew is a firefighter in Savannah, originally from Richmond VA. Courtney and Andrew were the first of my college friends to get married- about a year and a half after we graduated college. They have been in Savannah now almost a year so Drew and I were thrilled to finally see their beautiful house and meet their lovable english bulldog Tank.

Once we arrived and got the tour of their home, which really is lovely, we went over to a neighbor's to meet their friends, had some wine, pizza, caught up, and were in bed relatively early enough to feel good the next day. I have to give credit to the Wenks for having probably the most comfortable guest bed of any of my friends. I point this out only because I know the guest beds in my house are not the best. Courtney and Andrew get an A+ for comfort and have inspired me to put more thought into my guest bedrooms.

Monday, March 9

Woke up on my birthday morning to 80 degree weather, light breeze, no humidity, clear skies. It was gorgeous!!! First thing we all did was head to the nearby park with Tank. Courtney and I got in about 1.5 miles worth of jogging while Drew and Andrew played with Tank. Afterwards we went home to get ready and head downtown for the day. Downtown Savannah is beautiful! Courtney and Andrew treated us to lunch at Panera where they have a small fortune in gift certificates because Courtney's dad is afraid she is not eating with her crazy rotation schedule. After lunch we spent a few hours shopping. Savannah is one of the most stylish cities I have been to in the US. It is no wonder they have fabulous furniture and antique stores. We stopped in many of them but the one that stuck out the most for me was 24 E - a store Courtney and Andrew have been collecting pieces from since they moved to Savannah. Here is where I laid eyes on the most beautiful chandelier I would one day love to own. Although it was my birthday, I couldn't convince Drew to buy it for me due to the $3,200 price tag. Drew did purchase a very pretty dress for me from Urban Outfitters, at a much more affordable price, and for that I was very grateful.

After shopping, we headed down to the river where we grabbed some wine and sat outside chatting and enjoying the local flavor. Before heading home, we couldn't resist the urge to grab another "adult" slushie from Wet Willies- Courtney and I both got margaritas while Drew pondered ordering something called "Call a Cab" - thankfully he ultimately decided against it.

After a quick trip home for showers and rest, we finished the day with a birthday dinner at one of Savannah's best eateries and top Italian restaurant Il Pasticcio. After a wonderful dinner, bottle of wine and champagne, we were all ready to call it a night. It was a great great birthday.

Drew with a really cool fountain outside 24e

Courtney and I at a bar on the riverfront

My future chandelier

Andrew, Tank and I

Tuesday March 10

It was back to work for Courtney and Andrew so Drew and I set off exploring Savannah as tourists after Tank took me for a walk (literally). Our day started with one of the best, if not the best, meals of the trip and arguably the best lunch we've ever had. If you go to Savannah, you have to eat lunch at Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House. You'll have to wait a bit for a seat but it's worth it. Once we were inside, we were seated family style at a table with 8 other people. The special of the day was fried chicken, which we were served with 20 side dishes of southern favorites that were all out of this world. It was so much food I only had enough room to taste everything, although I wanted seconds. I am going to have to buy the recipe book. I will never go back to Savannah without eating here - it was amazing!

After lunch we took a wonderful 90 minute trolley tour around Savannah led by a very knowledgeable tour guide whose family has lived in Savannah for 7 generations. If you ever go to Savannah I highly recommend the Oglethorpe tours company. We visited almost every beautiful square in Savannah, marked by the Live Oaks that are so synonymous with the south. Some of our favorite sites included - Forrest Gump bench site in Chippewa Square, Andrew Low House & Girl Scouts’ First National Headquarters, Telfair Museum of Arts, Tomochichi Monument and of course all of the amazing homes with the breathtaking iron work. I could have stayed on the trolley all day listening to the history- especially since it was open air and the weather was so amazing.

I don't know how he had room but Drew was determined to try the famous icecream shop Leopold's before we left Savannah. After grabbing icecream, Drew and I stopped by the Savannah College of Art and Design Store to stop - I recommend checking this site out online, it's awesome. Before heading back to the Wenk's we stopped by the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, one of the most stylish catholic churches I have ever been to, and the Forsyth Park Fountain, considered the most beautiful fountain in the south. Still too stuffed to eat dinner, Drew, Courtney and I met our good friend Dana for appetizers and drinks at a lovely little restaurant Ciao Bella where we sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful Savannah night. The weather was so magnificent while we were in Savannah that I continuously tried to convince Drew we should move there. He kept reminding me that the summers are brutal and people constantly feel sticky. I am so grateful we were there during a week of such beautiful weather. I loved Savannah and I am pretty sure that was a big part of it.

Eat here!!