First Day in Savannah

After an abbreviated nights sleep at the Hilton Garden Inn, I was dismayed at myself for asking for a 6:30 AM wakeup call. I had made a reservation before leaving home with the Gray Line airport shuttle to take me to my hotel in the historic district at 9 AM. I had breakfast and had the Hilton shuttle take me back to the airport to get the Gray Line shuttle. The shuttle had only one other passenger. The shuttle took me to the Mulberry Inn.

The Mulberry Inn was built in 1868 and originally used as a cotton warehouse. The wealth in Savannah was a result of the invention of the cotton gin. Cotton became king. My room was not ready, and I was told that it would not ready until 2 PM. I was prepared for a delay but had hoped that it would not be that long. I retrieved my camera from my carryon bag, and then stored my luggage at reception. The Mulberry Inn is located at the northeast corner of Savannah’s historic district.

Savannah was originally built on a high bluff above the Savannah River. I started walking along Bay Street where the Mulberry Inn is located. I could see the river and the street below but at first could not find a way to reach the lower level of River Street. I studied my Frommer’s Portable Savannah guide and found where ramps were located that went down to the river level. The ramp was made out of old cobblestones and was very uneven. It was wide enough for cars and the tourist trolleys to use. I had to watch every step. If I stubbed my toe, I would have had a bad fall.

Finally I was safely on River Street. The street is lined with shops, restaurants and other assorted tourist traps. There are sightseeing boats in addition to publicly operated boats that cross the river to the convention center and big Westin resort hotel. I saw two Savannah policemen riding bicycles along River Street. I walked clear to the end of River Street. There is a Hyatt hotel at the western end of River Street. I carefully climbed the ramp. I later learned that the smart way to reach River Street is to go to the Hyatt hotel and ride their elevator. I did that on another walk and found that River Street is three floors down from the lobby level on Bay Street.

I then found my way to the Chatham County Courthouse on Montgomery St. I was interested in the courthouse because I had found it listed on a website as a free WiFi hotspot. I noticed that the flags in front of the courthouse were at half staff but at first did not understand why. I went inside. There was a roped off lane that led to an x-ray machine and three security guards standing there. One of them yelled at me said “You come over here with that camera. I want to see that camera.” I didn’t know what to think. He was just kidding me but was interested in photography. He asked me if my Nikon camera was a certain model. I explained that it was a digital slr. Then I asked him about the WiFi hotspot. I had to explain to him what WiFi meant. I pulled out my Sony Clie and he watched as I scanned for a wireless network. The Clie did not find a network. The security guard asked where I was from and wanted to know if all the people in Beaumont, Texas, were as high-tech as me. I assured him I am an oddball. After I left the courthouse, I realized the half-staff flags and high security were probably the result of the courthouse shootings in Atlanta.

I then found the City Market. This is another area with many shops and restaurants. There were places where horse-drawn carriages offered tours of the historic area. By then I was getting very tired and the temperature was in the low 80’s. I had on my walking shoes but was getting concerned that I might be developing blisters like I had in Honolulu. I spotted a sign for the CAT shuttle. The CAT shuttle is a free shuttle that loops through the historic district and is run by Chatham County and the city of Savannah. I could not understand the schedule on the sign. There was a phone number listed for information. I pulled out my SprintPCS phone. It showed just one bar. I was able to make the call and was told the shuttle should arrive in approximately 3 minutes and that they ran every 20 minutes. The shuttle took me back to the Mulberry. It was a little after twelve when I got there. I inquired again to see if a room was available.

The clerk asked me if I would be willing to take a standard room. They had me down for an executive room. She said there would be a reduction in my room rate. I said I was willing. At this point I was ready to stay in a broom closet. I thought I was going to get a room right then. It didn’t happen. She told me I was first on the list, and the room would be ready within an hour. She asked for my cell phone number and said she would call me when the room was ready. I went to the hotel’s restaurant and ate lunch. At least I was off of my feet. After I finished my meal, I went back to reception and finally was assigned a room. It was a standard room. The clerk explained that I had been upgraded to an executive room even though I had originally booked a standard room so there wasn’t much of a rate adjustment. Anyway I got my room which was very nice and was able to put on my sandals. My toes looked very red, but there were no blisters.

I decided the smart thing to do would be to ride the CAT Shuttle through its complete loop in order to get an overview of the historic district and stay off my feet. The bus driver told me the complete loop took about 40 minutes. I rode to the southeastern corner of the district. The shuttle stopped at the Savannah Visitors Center. My Frommer’s guidebook said that everyone should see the movie on Savannah’s history to get oriented at the start of their visit. I got off the shuttle. The Savannah Visitors Center is located in the old Savannah train station. There are restaurants and a Savannah Museum. I bought a ticket, saw the movie and toured the museum. I waited more than 40 minutes for a CAT shuttle. When I got back to my room, I was so tired I could hardly move. I feel asleep around eight o’clock and slept through the night.

I will continue with the trip report tomorrow. I finished uploading my pictures to Smugmug last night.