thankful thursday # 13.

my husband spoils me.  a lot.  & i am very thankful for that.

& him, of course.

the first two nights in savannah, we stayed at the hyatt regency hotel.  it was right on the river & thus right around everything in historic downtown.  fancy!

{from the roof top patio.

+ fun with camera settings :)}

{the view of the river & a HUGE barge from our hotel bar}

{the bridge from savannah to south carolina 

from our hotel roof deck}

the second part of the trip was the original reason we went to savannah.  the mansion on forsyth.  one of, if not the, nicest hotels we have ever stayed in.  it is right on forsyth park & absolutely gorgeous.  

we found a great deal on luxury link.  have you heard of this website??  you should absolutely check it out.

{the photograph on the ceiling of the elevator.

the ducks from the forsyth fountain!}

{blake reading in the super swanky green velvet chair in our hotel room}

{i.love.this.headboard.

someday i hope we can get one.

& the cool view from the bathroom into the bedroom}

{crystal chandeliers in the hallway}

{checking out the back patio & water fountain into the pool}

{pop art lines the hallways.

we think i looked like this chick.}

{blakey arguing with the statue outside of our room}

700 draytaon, the mansion's restaurant which i told you about yesterday, is one of the top places to visit in savannah.  the restaurant was the original mansion & the hotel was actually built onto the restaurant using the same style.  it was amazing.  the food was fabulous & the decor was even more.

{one of the dining rooms,

where we ate dinner.

blake loved the kudu.}

{we both loved these orange side tables}

{fun with the ornate white chairs.

we should get one to go with our ornate white headboard someday.}

the hotel lobby & bar were equally fabulous.  in addition to the walls & walls filled with paintings, one hallway was adorned with old hats + a description, era, and event one would wear the hat to.  i loved the wedding hats.  of course :)

it was a trip of a lifetime.  to beautiful savannah.  i do hope you can go & see the sites & eat the food.

oh, did i mention they have a huge st patty's celebration each year?  friends, schedule it now for 2012.

& i hope you can think of something for which you are thankful today.

love love,

kjp.

savannah, by a foodie.

when blakey & i travel, we really look forward to eating great new food.  & savannah was a big win.  from the fancy dinners to the $3 slices of pizza, we were happy foodies.

our first night, we walked next door to the beautiful bohemian hotel & ate dinner at rocks on the river.  this super swanky hotel restaurant was fantastic.  blakey was in love with the garage doors out to the river & i loved the modern ambiance. 

{chicken & waffles.

quite possibly blake's favorite dish of the trip.}

{the fabulous river-inspired wooden chandelier}

the next morning, we decided to eat breakfast at a cajun spot called huey's on the river.  the beignets were fabulous!

when we came across the pirates' house, we knew we had to stop in.  this restaurant is said to be the oldest house in georgia.  there are stories that pirates would shanghai unwary seamen to complete their crews.  a tunnel was found from the old rum cellar to the river, which was believed to drag the men out to sea!

 

on our second night, we headed out to jazz'd - a tapas bar with live music.  we had a ton of fun listening to the tunes & eating some great dishes.  although blake & i disagreed on the best items, the sesame ahi tuna & cuban rubbed beef satays were winners to each of us.

per recommendation from my fabulous brother- & sister-in-law, we had a lovely picnic in the park one evening with the french carry-out from papillote.  this quaint shop serves simple but very tasty from scratch food out of brown paper boxes.  blakey's brisket bbq on brioche was melted goodness.  & my puff pastry with chicken & mushrooms was a tasty treat.

 {blakey got a chocolate mousse for us to share.

by far the best mousse i have ever had.}

{more fun in the park}

700 drayton is the super vibrant & eclectic restaurant at our second hotel {which i will tell you all about in another post}.  after a celebration of life with a glass {or two} of champagne, we had a marvelous dinner.  shrimp cocktail & calamari, peppercorn ny strip & the pork special, a molten chocolate cake to finish.  we were stuffed.

on friday, the weather finally warmed up {a very tiny bit} & stopped raining, so we headed to the beach at tybee island!  when we first arrived, it was so cold & windy!  {picture # 1}  but after we saw a the tanning spring breakers up next to the pavilion to block the wind, we decided we too could tough this one out.  {picture # 2}  it was a beautiful time relaxing with my husband while watching the ocean roll in. 

{hey, byrd!}

{our super classy yuengling light}

{blakey's homemade washers game!

i won once.  it was awesome.}

after a day at the beach with far more sun than we expected, we stopped at the crab shack to eat some seafood while oceanside.  blakey had the low country boil, which we oklahomans know as a "shrimp boil".  different name.  still seriously good.  i went with a shrimp salad.  so southern.  loved it.

{& they have live alligators!}

our last savannah meal was by far the best.  it ranks up there in the best meals of all time.  the olde pink house.

we started out in the cozy & super cool bar with a signature pink lady drink {& something a little more manly for blakey}.  when we headed in to our reservation, we were seated in one of the sweet small rooms, laid out as it must have been when it was a house.  the old paintings on the wall & the fantastic lady who walked around mingling with the guests & singing tunes made it all the better.  

this food was the definition of southern cooking.  we started with mac & cheese jalapeno poppers.  & from there, it was too good to even remember to take pictures.  we each had a crispy cornbread oyster.  {by the way, blakey's favorite dish of the trip just changed.}  i had the signature BLT salad with buttermilk dressing.  & a side of buttermilk whipped potatoes.  blakey, of course, had to have the kobe beef burger.  it sounds very plain but it was truly amazing.

believe it or not, one more post to come about our week in savannah!

love love,

kjp.

savannah, the beautiful.

one of the most amazing things about savannah, georgia is the gorgeousness all around:  blakey's new favorite spanish moss, the well kept old southern architecture, & the history behind so much of the historic downtown.

on our first day in savannah, we took a bus tour around the city to see as much as we could & learn as much as we could in a short afternoon.  not only was it a great way to get a lay out of the land, our driver was quite the story teller!

{old live oaks with spanish moss are everywhere!}

there is tons of {actually interesting} history in savannah, starting with general ogelthorpe landing in 1733 & establishing the 13th & final American colony.  savannah is laid out in grids with many beautiful public squares, originally for town meetings & business.  

then fast forward to the civil war...  the river at the north end of savannah suffered from sea blockades.  luckily, since savannah was so gorgeous, the union didn't completely destroy it upon capture.  & now there are fabulous buildings that were saved and restored.

{more than you wanted to know.  but i bet my dad loved it.  &, dad, you can read more here :)}

 {blakey & washington's guns}

{john wesley & me.  

big john wesley influence here, which i loved.}

{trinity methodist church}

one of our favorite parts of savannah is forsyth park.  it is the biggest of the squares {huge, really} & is absolutely lovely.  when it finally warmed up, the park became a fun meeting place for soccer games & picnics & dog walks & family strolls.  marvelous!

{the beautiful fountain in the center of the park}

 {more gorgeous, old live oaks + spanish moss}

 {a big amphitheater for concerts in the park}

across from forsyth is georgia's oldest hospital: warren a. candler hospital, founded in 1803.  it is no longer a hospital...& thus is a little creepy in a beautiful way.

& in front of the old hospital is a GIGANTIC live oak, called the candler oak.  it is estimated to be 270 years old!  the circumfrence is 16 feet & it is 50 feet tall!

the savannah college of arts & design {lovingly referred to as "SCAD"} has a big presence in historic downtown savannah.  the college has grown so big that it has been able to buy a ton of older buildings & beautifully renovated them.  what a fun spin on the city.

one morning after a lovely breakfast, blakey & i walked around just looking at houses.  we love southern houses!  & hopefully will get to build a beautiful southern home some day with a wrap around porch.  ahhh...  some of our favorites:

& this is the mercer house.  remember "midnight in the garden of good & evil"?  yep, this is the house.  super creepy!

st john the baptist church is beautiful.  i had no idea there were cathedrals that looked like this in america!

{the breathtaking scene when you first walk in the sanctuary}

{a HUGE stained glass window}

did you know forest gump was filmed in savannah?  well, not the whole thing, but the bench that forest sits on for the most of the movie was in savannah.  at chippewa square.  the bench is now in a museum somewhere {apparently people kept trying to steal it}.  but after looking at tons of pictures, we discovered that this is the exact spot.  neat stuff.

more about savannah upcoming!  {crazy there is more, right?}

love love,

kjp.

a beautiful vacation.

{before heading to our couples massages at the amazing poseidon spa}

blakey & i had the most wonderful week in beautiful savannah.  even through the rain & unseasonably coldness, we had the opportunity to experience the gorgeousness of this town.  & i got to hang out with my husband for the first time in what seemed like 6 months.

i am going to tell you & show you all about it.  {we took approx 250 pictures.}  but for now, i head off to my first day as the pastry chef in training at urban!  i'll tell you all about that too :)

hope your week was as beautiful.

love love,

kjp.