Charleston to Savannah

Thursday, November 21st
Charleston, SC
Mostly Cloudy - 69 Degrees

Charleston to Savannah

It was 153.7 miles from Charleston to Savannah, largely via US17 S and US21 S, with some twists and turns on SC and GA state highways, and we made some stops along the way.

Kiawah Island

Kiawah is a barrier island on the Atlantic ocean south of Charleston.  Three hundred acres of the island have been dedicated as a nature preserve.  The rest of the island is largely private, one gated community after another, but there is one facility open to the public, the exceptional Sanctuary Hotel:  255 rooms, acres of  dunes and miles of beach, swimming, tennis, and golf.  The resort was sad and lonely today, a pallor cast by the gray skies, and in a lull between the end of the summer season and the crush of the holidays.  Still, Kiawah is all class and easy living.

Angel Oak

On the road back up to the highway from Kiawah Island, is a roadside attraction something in between the World's Largest Ball of String and the Drive-Through Tree.  Angel Oak Park on Johns Island is dedicated entirely to one tree.  Angel Oak, an incredible specimen of live oak draped with Spanish Moss, is "65 feet in circumference, well over 1,000 years old, and commonly considered the oldest tree east of the Mississippi River."

One of the most enduring symbols of the South is the live oak thick with hanging moss, branching out to fill every void in the canopy, enveloping the ground below.  Live oaks make roads into tunnels, squares into rooms, light into shade, day into night.  It is a scene that is at once comforting and haunting, as if you are protected by their powerful embrace, and yet still feel them closing in on you inch by inch crushing the life from your body and soul until there is nothing left.  The live oak is the mysterious someone who can keep you safe from harm, but turn on you in an instant.  It is the Jekyll and Hyde of trees.

But this live oak in particular, this Angel Oak, beautiful in it's imperfection, is Frankentree, branches bandaged and splinted, propped up on posts and resting on the ground.  It is scarred and wizened and wrinkled.  It's the old man in the scary movie, pursuing slowly but relentlessly, limping and leaning on his cane.  He barely seems to move, but gives chase still, ever present.  You think you've lost him, reached safe haven, but you trip and fall, look up in abject terror to find him standing over you, pressing in, his gnarled fingers clawing at your face.  The stench of dirt and death is overwhelming, his stale breath choking out your own.  This tree will take a life, of that I am certain, but it won't be mine.  I have read the signs, I will heed the warnings, I am gone, and I ain't never going back.

The heart of the Lowcountry, or the Slowcountry as it is sometimes called, - both lovingly and derisively - is in the marshes between Charleston and Savannah.  It's capital is Beaufort, South Carolina.  We stopped in Beaufort for a "more authentic slice of life," an unremarkable lunch, and a lovely walk along the Beaufort River.  Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park is the front porch of the city, in a place where the front porch is the center of life.  It's very nicely landscaped with plenty of space for games and gatherings, a bandstand for community events, and a row of bench swings lining the riverfront promenade.  We strolled, had a seat and a swing, and took it all in.

Savannah, GA

Mostly Cloudy - 66 Degrees

We pulled into Savannah at dusk, and the Andaz, a relatively new hotel fronting Ellis square in the center of the city.  It's a great location, and a great story in urban renewal.  Ellis Square was an original part of the Oglethorp plan for Savannah.  When cars took hold in one of the world's great walking cities, the landscaping was ripped out, and replaced with a multi-story parking garage.  Fifty years later, the mistake was rectified, the parking garage put below ground, and the square restored.  It is a modern take on urban open space and has led to a renaissance of the neighborhood, including the Andaz.

Online, it looks like the Andaz is young and hip, but still comfortable and classy.  Turns out it's young and hip, uncomfortable and tacky.  We checked-in to Room 407 and went upstairs to wait for our luggage.  Fourth floor, no problem, 407, no problem, key in the door, no problem, opened the door, problem.  A very surprised young man was in mid-bend pulling up his pants in front of the hall mirror.  The room was occupied.  So, sorry.  New room, 415, no problem.

Savannah is not the food town Charleston is.  Not even close. The two grand dames are fading, their glory years in the past.  There are a few new contenders, but uneven and unproven.  So, this first night in town, after a shaky start, we want something local and dependable, close and cheap.  Vinnie Van Go-Go's is a long-standing, much loved, Savannah institution, a dive of a college town pizza joint at the end of City Market.  Pizza?  Southern Italian, maybe, but certainly not Lowcountry soul food.  Pretty good pie, though, and a sidewalk table fronting Franklin Square. 

"Welcome to Vinnie Van Go-Go's New York Style Pizzeria.  We make a thin hearty crust pizza called "Neapolitan".  We make our dough fresh every night while you sleep.  We use fresh grated Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses, and our rich sauce will make you happy and warm inside."

Vinnie Van Go-Go's Menu:

• 14" Medium Pie
  Peperoni, Spicy Italian Sausage, Fresh Mushrooms, Black Olives

We walked back to the hotel through City Market, two blocks of Bourbon Street, Savannah style, and stopped at Savannah's Candy Kitchen, "Candy and Memories Made from Scratch," for a sweet finish to the day.

Tomorrow:  Savannah Proper