I finally made it to Top Deck last week. That’s the bar atop the new Cotton Sail Hotel at 126 W. Bay St.
Top Deck offers commanding views of the Savannah River, especially looking toward the port.
The Cotton Sail is just a short distance west of the Bohemian Hotel, which also has spectacular vistas from its bar Rocks on the Roof, but Top Deck is even closer to the bridge and has a broader uninterrupted view.
The Cotton Sail sits at a slight bend in the river, which makes it seem at some moments that Top Deck is poised right over the water.
Friends and I settled in at the bar, but there are also some tables inside, as well as various seating options outside on the wraparound deck. After sunset, staff raised one of the see-through garage doors separating the bar from the deck, but the views are almost as expansive even when all the doors are lowered.
Top Deck is described simply as a “bar” on its website (http://topdeckbar.com) and Facebook business page, but the food menu is ambitious and interesting.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Duck Club Flat Bread ($16), which included duck confit, goat cheese, pickled onions, kale and tomatoes. The menu includes a couple of other flat breads, a cheese board, a charcuterie board, salads and various other small plates.
Most of the menu items are
priced between $12 and $16. I’d recommend that two hungry people think about sharing three dishes.
The Cotton Sail Hotel has 56 guest rooms, a fairly modest number. The lobby incorporates modern design elements without compromising the beauty of the historic old warehouse. A lovely deck greets visitors at the Bay Street entrance.
Walking into Top Deck, I had the same question as when I first walked into Rocks on the Roof a few years ago: Why aren’t more Savannah businesses taking advantage of their roofs?
In recent years, we’ve definitely been seeing a trend toward greater use of rooftops.
Consider Local 11 Ten’s Perch, Zunzi’s II, The Public Kitchen and Bar, Churchill’s Pub and The Florence. None of those rooftops offer views as dramatic as the hotels along the river do, but there is still something wonderful about seeing the city from above.
Let’s hope the trend continues.
What next for filmmaking in Savannah?
We’re in the midst of some big news about filmmaking in the Savannah area.
The financially troubled Meddin Studios announced its closure via Facebook last Thursday. The Savannah College of Art and Design is apparently acquiring the Louisville Road property, but details about the acquisition and about the college’s plans were not available at press time.
The ambitious plans for Medient Studios have also faced financial pressures. Last week, the company announced a name change to Moon River Studios and a 1 for 1,000 reverse stock split.
Will we see private productions continue at the former Meddin Studios or will the facility become another academic building for SCAD classes?
Will there ever be a movie made at Moon River Studios in Effingham County?
What are the prospects for other production companies that might want to settle here?
Despite those uncertainties, it seems a safe bet that we’ll continue to see high-profile productions come to Savannah.
There was considerable political turmoil in the Savannah Film Office in 2013, but William Hammargren took over as permanent director rather quietly earlier this summer. Hammargren had worked under previous director Jay Self and had also served as interim director.
Last week it was announced that the sequel to “Magic Mike” will shoot for five weeks in Savannah.
“The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water,” much of which was filmed at Tybee and on Broughton Street, will be released in February 2015.
There is at least one other major film on the immediate horizon, but things can change fast in the film industry.
Major film productions inject a huge amount of money into the regional economy, provide livelihoods for a core group of locally based freelancers and boost Savannah’s international profile.
Ditto for smaller productions — from TV commercials to magazine photo shoots.
It would be great news for the Savannah economy if we had more permanent infrastructure for film production, but the status quo isn’t so bad.
If we continue to host major film productions semi-regularly, Savannah will likely remain a small but important player in the industry.
City Talk appears every Tuesday and Sunday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net. Send mail to 10 East 32nd St., Savannah, Ga. 31401.
By Bill Dawers