Fort Pulaski & Cindigenous-Local Short Films of Savannah

After the trolley tour, we headed over to Fort Pulaski National Monument. Fort Pulaski was constructed of about 25 million bricks all transported by golf carts like the one seen below!

Standing on top of the fort walls which survived the Battle of Fort Pulaski in 1862. The Fort even features spiral staircases!

The Tybee Island Lighthouse can be seen in the distance.

An enemy ship is spotted close by.

The POW quarters feature these bunk beds which accommodate a total of 8 POW's each...4 on top and 4 on bottom.

The purpose of this blindage was to create a bomb or splinter proof shield to enclose the rear of encasements.

This large area inside Fort Pulaski is widely believed to be the location of the invention of the game of baseball. The game was initially called rounders. Of course, the cannon would not be on the playing field...

Leaving Fort Pulaski, you cross the moat. The moat ranges from 30 to 48 feet wide and is generally 8 feet deep.

One of Fort Pulaski's hiking trails leads you to the water's edge.

Fort Pulaski is featured in our Savannah highlight video below.
After leaving the Fort, we headed to Telfair Square's Jepson Center for the Arts for a screening of short films, an event called Cindigenous.

Before the screening, Doug tried on some native dress.

The films screened were either filmed locally, produced locally, or somehow have ties to Savannah.

The films included "The Street Cleaner", which told the story of disappearing women of Savannah; the stop-motion animated short "The Madness of Being"; and a film entitled "And Then She Was Gone" featuring Savannah resident Diana Scarwid.

After the short films, it was time for Marlon to take a short rest on a long bench.

The squares of Savannah provide many opportunities for breathtaking nighttime pictures.

A view up the steps down to River Street.

For more pictures of these parts of our Savannah tour, go to http://public.fotki.com/Marlonfleenor/1/2008/may/savannah-ga-day-2/ pictures 100-174.

To be continued...

Oglethorpe Trolley Tour of Savannah Pt. 2

Next, our trolley tour came upon this photo shoot.

Memorize this house...you may recognize it if you ever see the photoshoot or whatever it is they were doing there today.

Memorize this statue...you may come across it someday while visiting Savannah.

Built in 1873 by Samuel Pugh Hamilton, later the President of the Brush Electric Light & Power Company, The Hamilton Mansion was the first residence in Savannah to have electricity. Dr. Francis Turner then purchased the house in 1915, alternately living in it and offering the house for boarding.

Sold to a local church in 1965, the house was saved by the Historic Savannah Association in the late 1960's, as it was to be destroyed in favor of a playground. The Hamilton-Turner House was converted to a bed and breakfast in 1997.

This is the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist located in Lafayette Square. The congregation's original church was located in Liberty Square...of which now only a small portion remains. As the congregation grew, there were no additional lots available in Liberty Square, so the church built elsewhere.

Classic police cars sit outside the Savannah Chatham Police Deparment. The building is still in use...the cars are not.

Another historic mansion you might see while wandering the streets of Savannah.

Fountains are abundant in the squares of Savannah. We believe this one was located in Oglethorpe Square.

It was now time to conquer the steep cobble-stoned hill which led down to River Street.

On the River Front in Morrell Park, you will find the Waving Girl Statue. The statue depicts Florence Margaret Martus, famous for waving at all vessels entering and leaving Savannah harbor for forty-four years.

A view of Savannah's City Market area...City Market is famous for its art, dining, history, shopping and entertainment.

For more pictures of our trolley tour, go to http://public.fotki.com/Marlonfleenor/1/2008/may/savannah-ga-day-2/ pictures 68-99.

For our video highlighting Savannah, click below.
To be continued...

Oglethorpe Trolley Tour of Savannah Pt. 1

After filling up at Paula Deen's The Lady & Sons Restaurant, we headed out on a trolley run by Oglethorpe Tours.

Savannah City Hall was built in 1906. Its dome was originally copper clad, but was painted a controversial green color in the 1960's due to environmental wear and tear.

In 1987, a major renovation of the dome was completed when the dome was gold leafed at a cost of $235,000.

A restaurant in Savannah reminds us of Starkist Tuna's spokesman, Charlie the Tuna. He would never be caught by the Starkist Company because they didn't want tuna with good taste (Charlie was hip and cultured), but tuna that tasted good. Apparently, Charlie didn't taste good!

As America's first pre-planned city, Savannah contains over 20 "squares". Squares are carpeted in lush, green grass and often feature fountains, monuments and flower beds.

This square, Franklin Square, was established in 1790. Featuring this monument to General Nathaniel Greene, Franklin Square was nearly lost and redeveloped in the 1970's. But was saved and restored to its original state in the 1980's.

The steeple of the Independent Presbyterian Church in Chippewa Square will look familiar to those who remember the opening scene of "Forrest Gump". Think...feather...

Forrest's bench sat right here in Chippewa Square.

One example of the residential buildings of Savannah.

This restaurant was the setting for a scene in Julia Roberts' "Something to Talk About".

One of Savannah's brick-lined streets.

Another random residence.

The Mercer-Williams House, now a museum, was the setting for the book and movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil", as well as being the former home of singer/songwriter Johnny Mercer.

For more pictures, go to http://public.fotki.com/Marlonfleenor/1/2008/may/savannah-ga-day-2/ pictures 37-67.

For our video highlighting Savannah, click below.
Coming up...Part 2.

To be continued...

The Lady & Sons Restaurant, Savannah

Today we decided to go stuff ourselves. So we went and located Paula Deen's The Lady & Sons Restaurant in downtown Savannah, Georgia.

We figured we might be able to stuff ourselves there.

We would be doing it along with all these other patrons waiting on the opposite side of the street for their names to be called for dinner (or lunch...whatever it is you eat at 11:00 am).

The Old Savannah Tours trolley passes right by The Lady & Sons and recommends arriving at about 9:00 am to get peak time seating.

We are among the first patrons seated today. As you can see, diners are already loading up.

The Lady & Sons opened in its current location in 2003. This 200 year-old renovated building features three floors of seating, with a signature buffet on each floor.

Good luck getting out alive after eating this meal! Remember, Paula's your cook, not your doctor!
Doug figures...you come this far, you might as well have seconds.

Two survivors of the all-you-can-eat buffet take a deep breath for a picture.

For more pictures, go to http://public.fotki.com/Marlonfleenor/1/2008/may/savannah-ga-day-2/ pictures 1-35.

To be continued...

Some of Savannah's Strange Landmarks

After leaving the Savannah Humane Society, we went looking for some of the Savannah Area's Strange Landmarks. We found a few.

At 14 E. 73rd St. in Savannah we found this mailbox painted like the moon. It was standing in front of...

this gas storage tank painted like the world globe.

Built in 1955 by the Chicago Bridge and Iron Company this structure, known as a Hortonsphere, has a volume capacity of 113,100 cubic feet.

The globe and the property adjacent are currently owned by the Savannah Mortgage Company but appear to be for sale as of this date. What a cool landmark to own!

This Great Dane Statue symbolizes the strength, endurance and dependability of the trailers of Great Dane Trailers at 602 E. Lathrop in Savannah.

After measuring the Dane, Marlon determines there would be no room for him as a new pet in the motorhome.

This bridge is located near Great Dane Trailers.

Sergeant William Jasper, along with Sergeant John Newton rescued a group of American soldiers from the British military at this site in 1779.

For this heroic act Jasper Springs, pictured below, was named for him...just don't drink the water!

Next we located this young lady at Keller's Flea Market at 5901 Ogeechee Road in Savannah.

Luckily for her, she loves fleas.

Marlon was craving milk, so he thought he'd give it a try.

Doug prepares to fight a fire.

If you're hunting for this trunk-toting couple, go to Papa Joe's Fireworks on US17, just off I-95 at exit 5 in Hardeeville, South Carolina.

For more pictures, go to http://public.fotki.com/Marlonfleenor/1/2008/may/savannah-ga-day-1/ pictures 118-161.

To be continued...