Travel writers from around the world end up in Savannah regularly, and sometimes they actually produce pieces worth reading.
The recent New York Times coverage of the loosely defined Starland neighborhood just north of Victory Drive was one of those articles that even locals could appreciate.
It was also pretty interesting to read a sidebar about Savannah a few days ago in an article about Charleston in London’s The Sunday Times.
Titled “Welcome to Nice Town, USA,” the piece emphasizes Charleston’s winning streak in Condé Nast Traveler magazine’s voting for America’s best city.
“Nice guys don’t always finish last,” Martin Hemming writes. “Charleston, South Carolina, is nice. Really nice. The houses are old and pretty, the sun is shining, it’s by the seaside, the locals are friendly and lunch is good. See, nice.”
Savannah enters the picture via a sidebar: “Savannah: Charleston’s younger, drunker sister.”
The piece establishes Savannah as plenty nice, too, despite having “more ‘purdy’ real estate you can’t afford,” but then turns an appreciative eye to the ordinance allowing drinking outdoors in most of downtown.
“It’s a revelation: a bar crawl without the finishing up,” Hemming writes.
The author advises visitors to avoid the “waterside tourist trap” of River Street and to start an informal pub crawl at the Crystal Beer Parlor. Next up, Pinkie Master’s Lounge, and then down to West Congress Street for stops at a trio of diverse local favorites — The Rail Pub, The Jinx and Hang Fire.
Sometimes I read travel articles and am left wondering if the writer even came to Savannah, but this pithy sidebar sure feels authentic.
Some folks around town don’t want Savannah to be known for its to-go cups, but they are undoubtedly part of the city’s being.
Loutish behavior on River Street recently made big news, and there are definitely other incidents downtown too. But we see alcohol-related fights and other crimes throughout the county and throughout the nation, and each day thousands of locals and visitors follow Savannah’s ordinance without incident.
On a recent trip to Louisville, I ended up sitting near the exit at a music hall and was appalled that patrons had to leave their drinks inside if they wanted to go outside for a smoke. It just seemed so, well, uncivilized.
By the way, the full article from The Sunday Times is only available with subscription, and, as I write this, the sidebar about Savannah does not appear to be online anywhere.
Maybe that’s a good thing?
City Talk appears every Sunday and Tuesday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net. Send mail to 10 E. 32nd St. Savannah, GA 31401.
