Arriving into the historic district late on Thursday, we checked into our perfectly situated hotel on Liberty Street. Even at night, we admired the wide median that boasted beautiful oak trees with hanging Spanish moss.
Tree-lined Liberty Street - location of Hilton Savannah DeSoto
Since we always try to travel on a budget, we decided to save ourselves about $6 by parking on the street instead of in the garage. The only caveat was having to get up to pay the meter at 8am.
It was difficult to see anything at night, but the first thing we both noticed was all the parks. So many of the streets we drove down had a block with a park in the middle of the road at just about every intersection.
One of the many streets interrupted by parks
Waking to partly cloudy skies, we got our running gear on, paid the meter, and set out to explore the area with a run. As Colin puts it, the experience was a "postive sum," I liken it to the term "win-win." We exercised, did some sightseeing, and were able to see more in less time. Our run took us up park-filled Bull Street to Forsyth Park, down park-filled Abercorn Street, and along the riverfront. While exploring the riverfront, we stopped to read about the history of Savannah, which was posted on signs at short intervals.
One of the many parks we ran through
The partly cloudy skies threatened rain at times, but none fell and the air remained hot and humid. It felt a little swamp-like. Because of the temperature and run, it felt wonderful to take a dip in the hotel swimming pool before checking out.
Hotel swimming pool from our room's balcony
Colin and I choose local, sustainable and/or organic foods whenever we can. It's funny that we get many of our foods at the grocery store when we travel, so that we can spend a little more to eat a sustainable lunch and/or dinner. Many of the restaurants I find come from the website search Eat Well Guide, which identifies local, sustainable and/or organic eateries and grocery stores. Savannah offers several options for sustainable meals, with only a few open for lunch. We opted for The Green Truck Pub, which sources meat and other ingredients from local farms.
My "Rustico" chicken burger with goat cheese, balsamic carmelized onions, roasted red peppers and basil was amazing. And the cabbage soup offered that day was also delicious.
Colin's "Mighty Veg" sandwich with bean chili, banana peppers and red onions with a side salad was also really good.
I love traveling with Colin because we enjoy so many of the same things. It's fun to order dishes we both like and split them, go running and use the time to explore, and just to make a road trip happen. I guess we are two peas in a pod!
Before leaving Savannah, we were able to win another Priceline bid on a hotel in Jacksonville, FL. We really wanted to stay at a hotel on Amelia Island, but couldn't get any hotels for our low bid. So, we opted for the next best choice, which was to stay downtown. We were able to get the Crowne Plaza on the waterfront for $65/night.
So after feeling very satisfied with our meal, it was off to Jacksonville for the next leg of the trip.
Have you ever been to Savannah, GA?
What are some ways you explore new areas?
