Savannah

Today was a day I needed to get some sleep. I finally rolled out of my hotel, spurred by hunger, at about 12:30. I strolled along Bay Street and came to Vic's on the River. A good restaurant in a beautiful historic building. I had a lunch of a great Sauvignon Blanc, a salad, some serious biscuits and a pulled pork sandwich. Seriously, I'm in the South - how could I NOT have pulled pork??? After all those calories it was time to walk a little, however I needed caffeine first. I ended up randomly at the Olympia Cafe on River Street. I asked the guy for a coffee and if I could smoke outside (a vice I am working on). He asked me if I was from NY, to which I responded "How could you tell."

Sidebar - for those who know me, I don't think I sound like a New Yorker, in NY I have been asked if I am Canadian and when on the phone with South Africans, I have been asked if I am South African. A little weird but whatever it's all good.

Anyway, so the Greek proceeds to tell me he never smoked because he played soccer but it never bothered him. What bothers him are all the chemicals in everything and nuclear testing - I have to agree, I think he has a point. Then the Greek tells me "Go. Sit. Relax. Have baklava on the house." Normally I am not a fan of baklava but if you are ever in Savannah you have to try the one here - food of the Gods.

I sat outside drinking my coffee, eating (again) my baklava, smoking my cigarette and watching everyone walk by. It is both Octoberfest and Pirate Week so there were some interesting sights. Eventually I move on and hear this guy playing African drums, turns out he's from NY, plays in Central Park and does a lot of work with kids. Very cool guy and it was a lot of fun to watch him and this 6 year old musical prodigy go to work. You can check out Lenny on his website www.lennyhoops.com.


So I walk along with full intention to keep walking and I run across this saxophone player. The saxophone makes me think of the guys that play on the corners or in the subway stations in NYC, in a way nothing evokes the beauty of NYC like the sound that resonates from a sax. Hakim is originally from Memphis and is now based in Nashville. A very cool guy and by his own description, an old cat. He asked me what he could play for me. I asked for some blues, something soulful. Hakim delivered, he played a song called "The World is in an Uproar". I was hooked, so I sat in the sun with Hakim for a while, being his sole audience, talking about life and art and listening to him play. It was like everything slowed down when he played, people strolled and smiled and boats just glided past on the river. I got to request one more song before leaving, being in Georgia, I had to go for "Georgia On My Mind".

So I did not do much of the tourist thing here, I did not see any museums, do any trolley rides, see the house from "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" but I had a great day, saw some beautiful things, listened to amazing music and met great people, that's all that really matters anyway, right?