Les Jones: Friday Photoblogging: Savannah, Georgia

July 02, 2004

Travel > Friday Photoblogging: Savannah, Georgia

On our trip to Florida we took a little detour: "Took a sidetrip to Savannah, Georgia since it was so close to the interstate. Right across the bridge there was a tour company. Stopped in, found out that a tour was leaving in five minutes. Got on the tour. 90 minutes later we were heading back across the bridge. Fare thee well, Savannah."

These are the best pics from that ~~3 hour~~ 90 minute tour. All pictures were taken from the trolley. Even better shots are available from foot. Savannah is one photogenic town. Click on any picture for a larger version.

Savannah, of course, is the setting for the events described in "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." It was on TV last week, which is what prompted me to go through these pictures. The diner scene in the movie takes place at Clary's cafe, shown here. I was disappointed with the movie when I saw it in the theater, but it was better the second time. It's a movie that moves slowly, as if the production crew is trying not to exert themselves in the stultifying heat, but the performances are good. Clint Eastwood gets the best out of the actors in his films. In the bonus DVD for "Unforgiven" he notes that he learned a trick from one of his Italian directors - instead of shouting "action" he casually says "whenever you're ready" and lets the actor begin at his own pace. Kevin Spacey's role is one of the high points of his career and illustrates his remarkable range. LATER: Here's a good Savannah Web site for Midnight fans.

Savannah has twenty-odd public squares: small, tree- and statue-filled parks. Most of them feature live oaks with Spanish moss, like the trees shown here. Chippewa Square was featured in the beginning of "Forest Gump," in the long scene where he was sitting on a bench. We saw that spot, and the tour guide noted that there's no bench there. I'm surprised the city didn't install one. Also, for some reason the movie producers have the one-way traffic around the square going in the wrong direction.

Telfair Musem of Art. The squares have two public buildings: typically museums, churches, or government buildings. The town is built on a grid, which is an excellent way to lay out a town when you've got nice flat land like they have.

My older sister used to live in Jonesboro when I was a kid, and she took me and my mom on a tour of Savannah. The main thing I remember is the Savannah riverfront, the entrance to which is shown here, and its cobblestone streets with lots of cool bars and restaurants. The stone walls and stone streets were built with ballast rocks unloaded from the ships visiting port.

Girl Scout troop. Savannah is the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, founder of Girl Scouts, and is the location of their national headquarters.

Posted by lesjones

Comments

Regarding the bench missing from the north side of Chippewa Square, on which Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) told much of his story, it's my understanding that the bench is now on display in the Savannah Visitor Center on MLKJ Blvd.

Also, the uppermost photograph on your photoblog is a view of the entrance to the Kehoe House, a swank B&B.

Posted by: Recent Savannah visitor at November 11, 2004