savannah smiles.

This weekend I'm headed South for a little weekend road trip with some girlfriends. We've been looking forward to this trip for weeks, and to sweeten the deal, I scored a last-minute deal on a four-star hotel downtown. On the agenda? Lunch at Back in the Day, perfume shopping at Paris Market, a stop at shopSCAD, and drinks at Rocks on the Roof.

For me, it's sort of a last hurrah before life gets crazy stressful with this little thing called Spoleto. It will own my life through mid-June, so you may not want to expect much from the ol' blog during that time.

For now, however, happy weekend! I hope you're having fun wherever you are.

verdant.

curioser.

As expected, I very much enjoyed my time wandering solo around Savannah.* I ran around like an art school student with my camera and have some fun, colorful photos to share later. Until then, here are some of the strange/spooky things I ran across that I may not have even noticed had I been more sociable.

A mysterious wall of graves at Colonial Park Cemetery.

There is no doubt in my mind that this old hospital/"poor house" is haunted.

Speaking of ghosts...

 Ghost kitty.

* That is until I was involved in a minor car accident that has given me a (hopefully temporary) driving phobia.

south bound.

Oh Darling! Photography.

I'm headed to Savannah again this weekend. I sort of invited myself along on the boy's tournament weekend, so I'll be stuck entertaining myself for most of it. I'm quite looking forward to it. 

I don't get to spend much time alone, and I've been thinking all week about browsing antique shops, getting lost on side streets, discovering new bakeries, taking artsy photos, lounging by the pool, and reading — an actual book, not just the internets. Heck, I might not even take my computer. 

OK, that's a lie.

savannah.

Savannah is two hours from Charleston, perfect for a weekend getaway. The two cities are strikingly similar in a lot of ways — history, architecture, landscape, Southern sensibilities — and really different, too. The differences keep me coming back. Funky, affordable shopping, stylish restaurants and bakeries, and a youthful art scene really set the city apart.

Strawberry cupcake and sweet tea at Back in the Day Bakery.

Our uber-swank hotel, the Avia Savannah.

Produce at the farmers market at Forsyth Park.

More Savannah musts:
* ShopSCAD for art from future Picassos.
* Paris Market & Brocante for the most beautiful store you'll ever see in your life.
* Clary's Cafe for greasy brunch.
* Bonaventure Cemetery for ghosthunting.
* Twilight Visions: Surrealism, Photography and Paris exhibit at the Jepson Center.

Check out my full article in the Charleston City Paper.