Little Havana

By Claire

Today was full of nice surprises.  The sunrise was the first; I leaned out on the railing to take it in and enjoy the soft, warm air--it was already in the 70s.  I love it and I'm loving Florida.  This, I didn't expect.

 

We had quite a few things to accomplish today:  drive to Miami, lunch in Little Havana, shop at Costco, relax at our hotel.  I'm frankly amazed at how well we do with the driving.  In fact, we drove to the exact spot we wanted to be in Little Havana on Calle Ocho (8th St.), El Pub.  I had looked up places to eat on Yelp for authentic Cuban food and this one got great reviews.    We found a place to park right in front.  While I took some photos, Chuck went in search of the parking pay booth.  He kept trying to use his credit card when a guy came up to him speaking in rapid Spanish with lots of hand gestures, tried to tell him that it takes cash only.  I think the expression on Chuck's face alerted the guy to the fact that he didn't understand a word he was saying.  Fortunately, he kindly switched to English.  We cautiously walked into the restaurant.

 

 

And authentic it was.  The waitress barely spoke English.  In fact, everyone was speaking Spanish and we felt as if we were in a foreign country again!  We ordered café con leche and what a delight it was.  We were each served a cup of steamed milk with a small cup of espresso for us to add.  Delicioso!  And I thought the cappuccinos in Italy were so great.  Our motivation for coming to Miami was really all about one of our favorite shows, "Dexter."  We even listened to the soundtrack as we approached the city (thanks Pat!).  And then, of course, there is "Miami Vice."  I just really wanted to see Miami, and Little Havana is right in the middle of it all.  We had to try a pork sandwich--it's Dexter's favorite!

 

I'm not going to say it was great; but it wasn't bad.  It was sliced pork (not pulled pork with barbque sauce) with mustard and pickle.  The bread was buttered and grilled.  It was pretty enormous so guess what we're having for dinner?

The restaurant had lots of murals and Cuban memorabilia, a number of old Cuban guys sitting around, with a few tourists sprinkled here and there.  I'm sure we blended right in...

 

The outside area was where the cigar smokers sit.  We chose to sit inside instead.

 

We strolled through the neighborhood noticing the color and the music.  Cuban music was flowing out of a couple of shops and one guy was playing on the sidewalk.

 

 

We spotted this ice cream store and headed in. It was 90º and the humidity was cookin'!

We wondered what the Mantecado flavor was; the guy at the counter told us it was vanilla ice cream with nutmeg and cinnamon.  How could we pass it up?  I ordered the tiniest one I could and when he started to put a second scoop on I told him to add it to Chuck's, which he did.  Wow!  What a great flavor.  I'm going to try to make it at home.

Nicely refreshed, we strolled some more.  I loved this Domino Club.

 

Each table had domino games going and you can see they also had lots of spectators.

Next up was Costco.  We have a 3 day vacation on the beach coming up, so we stocked up on fruit and sandwich things.  The driving was a little hairy; but I kept telling myself it was no worse than San Francisco.  There are lots of cloverleafs and toll booths.  We saw signs that told us we could not exit unless we had a Sun Pass--no cash accepted.  It was all quite confusing. What are out-of-towners supposed to do?  The other problem that came up a few times was when the toll booths that did take cash were always way over on the right and Vicky was telling us to get to the left to merge onto another freeway.  Our favorite was the sign that said "Pay Toll by License Plate."  There was no choice in this, and I guess we'll be getting a bill for $.75 (50 cent toll plus 25 cent administrative fee). 

In spite of the twists and turns, we drove like pros and found all three destinations without a hitch (well almost--I didn't mention taking off a little too soon and driving a few more miles to correct ourselves.  Thank goodness for those cloverleafs--Vicky is quite good at correcting our mistakes).  Our Marriot Courtyard is really nice--and brand new.  Our room is huge, and the pool and hot tub were welcome.  We have one more day here, and I'm looking forward to more of Miami.

Dexter Morgan:  Tonight's the night. And it's going to happen, again and again. It has to happen. Nice night. Miami is a great town. I love the Cuban food. Pork sandwiches. My favorite. But I'm hungry for something different now.  

Lt. Maria Laguerta:  So then he must have already had the head with him in the front seat. Huh, that's weird. Why would he keep it there?

Dexter Morgan:  I don't know. So he could use a carpool lane?
  

St. Augustine, Florida

By Chuck

Ever since childhood, when I first heard about St. Augustine, I wanted to visit the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the United States.  Well, it was less than I expected, but I do get to check it off my bucket list.  The problem is that we have seen so much and are beginning to be jaded about our historical expectations and becoming less tolerant of the tourist atmosphere and offerings--even though we are traveling out of season.

We stopped for lunch at Columbia, a Spanish restaurant, said to be the oldest in town.  It's been in operation since 1905.

Claire's choice, Gazpacho Andaluz: puree of ripe tomatoes, green peppers, onions, cucumbers and garlic.  Topped tableside with finely diced vegetables and toasted Cuban croutons. Delicious!

 

Chuck's choice, Cuban Sandwich:  Originally called the "Mixto," it was created in the 1890's for the cigar workers as they walked to and from work.  The sandwich underwent changes as immigrants from different countries arrived.  The Spanish brought the fine ham, the Sicilians the Genoa salami, the Cubans the Mojo marinated Roast Pork, the Germans and Jews the Swiss Cheese, pickle and mustard.  It came with plantain chips.  What a combo!  We had the remainder of this as our dinner.

 

 St. Augustine

 

The Fort--Castillo de San Marcos

 

 Sea wall beyond the fort

 

 The fort and the wall

 

This is the oldest wooden schoolhouse in the United States; The exact date of construction is unknown, but it first appears on tax records in 1716.

Pretty street in St. Augustine

 

Our home for 2 nights:  Best Western Seaside across the street from the beach.  Only $55/night! Hot tub, pool, breakfast and a huge room.

We did get to test the water in Florida--a first for me.  It was slightly windy, and the water was a trifle cool at first, but we quickly acclimated and enjoyed a little body surfing and bobbing up and down on the ocean waves.  We read for a while before we decided to play it safe and escape the sun, retreating to our motel and the comfort of its warm tub--it really felt like a slightly overly-warmed swimming pool.  The pool looked inviting, but after the beach and the tub, it felt a little cold. 

St. Augustine Beach--it just keeps on going

 

Today, we walked to a little place for lunch that serves Caribbean food and each ordered the same thing:  Corn Cakes stuffed with Monterrey Jack cheese, garnished with pico de gallo, sour cream, salsa verde, fresh avocado, and drizzled with Santa Fe Sauce.  Yum!  I keep hoping to order a piece of Key Lime Pie, but I'm always stuffed.  Claire couldn't finish hers.

It is windy and cloudy, today, and we have not yet felt motivated to try the surf.  But, it is still early afternoon... Maybe when Claire finishes her book, we can venture across the road and down to the beach for another day in the sun...and we did!  It's been a nice break from our usual routine.

Ballots update:  We just received word from Susan at the County Clerk's Office.  She has sent two new ballots via Fed Ex to our hotel in Florida City.  We will get to vote after all.

Celebratory dinner--Key Lime Pie

My parents didn't want to move to Florida, but they turned sixty and that's the law. ~ Jerry Seinfeld

Another Day in Savannah

By Claire

Travel has its stress factors and we've had a few.  Last week, driving to my mother's in North Carolina, we stopped to get gas and I saw a car wash at the station.  You have no idea how hard it is to find a car wash when you want one.  So, we filled up and Chuck waited and waited for the receipt that would have the secret code.  He finally gave up and walked over to the office to get it.  Unfortunately, this little step threw him out of his routine and he forgot to put on the gas cap and shut the little door.  We drove through the car wash with it open; we only discovered this when we came out and grabbed some rags to dry the car off.  He panicked, especially since it was a pressure wash and "touchless," something neither of us has ever experienced.  Instead of brushes rolling over the top and sides, it hits the car with high pressure water from all sides.

We sat in the car for a while trying to figure out what to do.  We called everyone we knew who might be able to tell us and then realized the place we were in was an auto inspection/gas station and maybe someone there would know.  The guy in charge said it was no big deal but to add some gas additive, even telling Chuck that we could find it cheaper somewhere else.  No one we called was sitting at their phone ready for our call, so we decided that we would go.  Talk about stress!  We were waiting every moment for something terrible to happen.  Then the calls came in from Tai, Jim and Bob.  All reassured us and agreed on the gas additive.  We did stop for some at another gas station, and it was a fraction of the cost at the other place, but the instructions said to put it into an empty tank.  So, the end of the story is, we added the stuff to a very low tank and we have had zero problems before or after the additive.  One other thing: our gas tank does not have the little spring-loaded door in the filler tube that keeps water and dirt out. 

The next big stresser has to do with our Election Ballots.  Long before we left for this trip, I contacted the County Clerk's Office where I spoke with a friend of Diane's about getting our ballots mailed to one of our hotels along the way.  It's complicated because we had to work out when they would be mailed and wanted to choose a place where we would be for more than one night.  I contacted the Hilton hotel here in Savannah to make sure this was something they could handle, then I emailed Susan at the County Clerk's Office with the information, attaching a document with our signatures.  Should have been easy, right?  I even called the hotel again to let them know they were coming.

Then I called them 4 days ago to ask about them. After identifying myself and asking if some mail had arrived for me, the woman I spoke with said, "Would they be absentee ballots?"  I was thrilled and waited while she put me on hold to go find them.  That's when it all went bad.  She was certain she had seen them a few days before but didn't know where they were now.  I'm certain she saw them too.  She recognized Chuck's last name and how else did she know what they were?  I had expected them to be sent in a large brown envelope without anything identifying what they were.  Oh, and she said she'd call me back when she found them.  Nope.  So, we arrived yesterday and they have been searching for them ever since.  We leave tomorrow and it's not looking very likely that they will magically turn up.  I'm pretty upset about this turn of events.  We are now trying to figure out where to have another set of ballots sent to us, IF that is even possible.  Time marches on and we need time for them to get to wherever we are and time to get them back to Davis before November 6.  More on this later.

Today we were feeling like we had seen enough of Savannah and wished we could just get on the road and head to the beach.  However, with the ballot issue and the fact that we have reservations here and at the next place, we are stuck.  So, we made the best of it and headed into town for a river cruise.  But first, I wanted to see the Juliette Gordon Low house.  She founded the Girl Scouts 100 years ago this year and the day is the same day as my birthday.  I always enjoyed sharing that day, especially when it meant having a special party at our Girl Scout meeting.

 

City Hall with gold dome

 

Our cruise was to begin at noon so we stopped for coffee.  Naturally, Chuck had to have the Turtle Latté--coffee with chocolate, vanilla and caramel. 

 

The weather continues to be perfect and we were able to relax and enjoy the day floating down the river with South Carolina on one side and Savannah on the other.  One thing we learned was that Savannah is almost directly south of Cleveland, and is the westernmost port on the eastern seaboard.  It is the 4th largest in the U.S., and is now the largest container port.  The captain pointed out one of the newer tugboats:  It had a 6,000 horsepower engine and cost $19 million--no more your 'Little Toot.'

Chuck:  I remember reading Shogun years ago and was surprised by the importance of pilots in navigating ships.  Well, this continues:  Pilots are required to guide ships up the Savannah to the port.  The bottom clearance is 50 feet, here; this is necessary because many ships require 40 feet and the tide differential here is typically 8 feet.

Boating is popular, here, but no one has yachts; instead they have 'big ole boats.'  

 

This tugboat is a free ferry across the Savannah River to the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center.

 

 View of Talmadge Bridge, very similar to the Arthur Ravenel, Jr., Bridge in Charleston

 

After our cruise, we went in search of frozen yogurts--and a cupcake for Chuck--then drove to Forsyth Park in search of the Fragrant Garden, created for the blind.  We lucked out and found a parking place and some really wonderful homes.  The park is fantastic, too, and today was just right for kicking back on the grass.

I love this porch.  There are two on the house, but there are so many trees around it's difficult to actually get good pictures.

 

 

 Forsyth Park

 

Fragrant Garden structure

 

Inside the Fragrant Garden

 

Fountain in the park at the amphitheatre

Chuck:  I thought I recalled from grade school History classes that convicts were the original settlers in Georgia, and I was surprised that no one had mentioned that--until today:  The captain mentioned that Oglethorpe sailed with colonists released from debtor's prison to make room for other prisoners.

There are signs all over town for SCAD.  Our guide explained that the Savannah College of Art & Design has been a leader in restoring and adaptively reusing many of Savannah's architectural treasures, and has earned recognition from the Historic Savannah Foundation and many others for this work.  Apparently, students are actively involved in the restorations and get academic credit for their work.  They have been successful fundraisers and finance some of their own preservation operations.

Claire:  Some good news--gas has been as low as $3.45!  Bad news:  There are lots of smokers in the South.

We decided on an early dinner since we had skipped lunch.  Sweet Spice, a Jamaican place, sounded really good and it turned out to be a perfect decision.  The minute we walked into this tiny little hole in the wall, I felt comfortable.  Deacon, the owner, welcomed us and helped with our choices; he even brought me a sample of the steamed vegetables when I asked about them.  We both ordered the Jerk Chicken and I added some plantains to go with my steamed vegetables. The food was spicy and delicious.

 

 Red Velvet cake for Chuck, $3.00

 

Lemon cake for Claire

 

 Deacon on the right with his crew.  What a happy group.

Life is not about avoiding the storms; it's about learning to dance in the rain. ~ Vivian Greene

Savannah, Georgia

By Chuck

We arrived in Savannah after an easy 2 hour drive.  Stopping at the visitor center, we decided to try one of the open air trolleys with a two hour historical narrative as we toured the town.  The weather was perfect for it--warm with a slight breeze.  It was well worth it.  Once we arrived at the Market Center, our goal was lunch.  I saw a photo of a Lowcountry boil and decided I had to have it.  We checked out 3 restaurants before determining that Tubby's was the place to be.  Claire couldn't find anything that wasn't fried on the menu, so she went with the program and ordered one too.  To say it was delicious is an understatement.  It took us over an hour just to work our way through it all.  Included in the dish was snow crab, shrimp, sausage, corn on the cob, hush puppies and coleslaw.  We were given tools, extra napkins and wet ones for after.

Before

 

During

 

 The Aftermath

 

Back out on the street, River Street to be exact, we wandered along deciding to check out a few of the places we had seen on our tour.  We started with the Pirate House.  It was built in 1754 and is associated with Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island.  It is now a restaurant.  Back in the day, actual pirates frequented the place, buying drinks for visitors and shanghaiing them by knocking them out and carrying them through tunnels to waiting pirate ships.  With one exception, they were never heard from again.  Once, an off-duty policeman investigated the mysterious disappearances, fell victim to the pirates and managed to escape 2 years later.  This is how we came to know of this practice. 

 Pirate House

 

Our guide told us about a house that was ordered out of the Sears catalog and delivered in sections and constructed in stages.  Later, it was determined that the window frames were hung upside down; yet, they were assembled according to the instructions.  On the positive side, this anomaly increased the value of the house. 

Sears Roebuck House

 Window frame hung upside down

 

Savannah has a beautifully restored theatre dating from 1921.  They offer free self-guided tours.  There is a musical event tonight; so, we were restricted in our movements and could not go up to the balcony.  The theatre was not only gorgeous, it was practical--having early air conditioning that was (and is) extremely popular in the summer heat and humidity.  The owner, Mr. Lucas, was such an astute businessman that he sent letters to newborns congratulating them on their arrival in this world and expressing the hope that they would patronize his theatre when they were of age. 

Tonight, unfortunately, we will miss the event--we're too tired to move.  The Savannah Philharmonic, performs "An American in Paris" and "Porgy and Bess" by George Gershwin, "On The Town" and "West Side Story" by Leonard Bernstein, and the theme from "The Magnificent Seven" by Elmer Bernstein--some of my favorites. 

 Ceiling of Lucas Theatre

 

 Balconies

 

 Oval cutout looking through to second floor

 

 Lobby

 

 Detail

 

This house has a classic stairway style of the time.  Women walked up one side and the men on the other so that the men would not view the women's ankles.  

  

Boot Scraper built into the stair railing

 

 Beautiful home

Savannah has many beautiful homes and many of them can be toured--for a price.  One of these is the setting for the murder and much of the action in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.  When Claire was here 18 years ago, she was asked, "Have you read the book?"  She was dumbfounded:  What book?   Well, our literate heroine was guilty of not only not liking this book; she did not begin to realize its importance, here.  It was on the best seller list longer than any other book--according to our guide--and was responsible for an almost immediate boost in tourism of 46%! 

The Owens-Thomas House is considered by architectural historians to be one of the finest examples of English Regency architecture in America. Inspired by classical antiquity, this style of architecture takes its name from England’s King George IV, who ruled as Prince Regent from 1811 to 1820.

The house was designed by the young English architect William Jay (1792-1837), one of the first professionally-trained architects practicing in the United States.  Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette was a guest of the city in 1825 and stayed at the home.  On March 19, he is believed to have addressed a throng of enthusiastic Savannahians from the unusual cast-iron veranda on the south facade.   However, he spoke in French, which almost no one understood; but, as he was the only notable in town, the people gathered to listen. 

In addition to using Greek decoration, another feature of Regency architecture was symmetry; in other words, a house or room had to balance or look the same on both sides.  Sometimes this meant adding a fake door or window to a room so that it would look “right.”  Like the false door in the family dining room, some other parts of the Owens-Thomas House are not what they seem to be. The columns in the front hallway are actually wood that has been painted look like marble.  Our guide told us that one of the architectural tricks he used was to design the ceiling in a front room to appear round so that the room itself appears round.   Jay also used the latest plumbing technology – the house was one of the earliest in the United States to have flushing toilets and a shower! 

Owens-Thomas House

 

Chippewa Square, orignal home of Forrest Gump's park bench.  The original was from Home Depot and is now in the city museum. This might be where it was in the movie.

 

 Chipawa Park

 

One of my favorite stories was about the local Indian (Native American, I know), Tomochichi, chief of the Yamacraw Indians, who befriended James Oglethorpe, Georgia's founder, and eventually traveled with him to England at the age of 84.  He was apparently comfortable in his role of Chief of his tribe--and his 7 foot stature surely helped--and he was received by, and impressed, the King of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury.  He  lived to the very respectable age of 96.  He asked to be buried near his English friends.  It is heartening to hear that there were some felicitous interactions between Whites and Native Americans.

A major Confederate supply port during the American Civil War, Savannah was the objective of Union Gen. William T. Sherman's march to the sea in 1864. Noted for its beautiful historic buildings built around a system of small parks, it is a leading tourist centre.  The city surrendered to him after getting his agreement not to burn it; however, it seems he never intended to destroy it.  He offered the city to President Abraham Lincoln as a gift on Christmas Day that year. 

One surprising story from our guide concerns religious tolerance.  Georgia, our 13th and final Colony, was supposed to be strictly Anglican, per Charter agreement.  But, colonists were dying in droves of malaria, yellow fever and cholera.  A ship arrived in harbor with Dr. Nunis, a Jewish doctor who was able to stem the tide of disease.  He and his cohorts were rewarded with grants of land and acceptance.  Savannah now hosts the second oldest Jewish congregation in the U.S.  They have an annual celebration, Shalom Y'all Jewish Food Festival, which was announced on a poster in town.  Loved it. 

'If there's a single trait common to all Savannahians,' he was saying, 'it's their love of money and their unwillingness to spend it.'  ~  Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt