Savannah

Savannah

Savannah, our last major stop before heading back to Baltimore, was a rather bitter-sweet visit. After this, our trip was almost over and we'd have to return to unemployment.  The only joyous part of waking up that morning was leaving behind the malodorous stench from the nearby paper factory.

River Street

Walking along River Street was a pretty area, but there weren't that many sites to see, other than a few souvenir shops. There were a lot of bars, which were sadly not opened before noon. Pfht. This country.

Wiley's Championship BBQ

Unfamiliar with Savannah's local cuisine, we went to Trip Advisor for some suggestions. The top ranked restaurant was Wiley's. Trust us when we say that they deserve that title.

Our server, Wiley's wife, recommended we started off with the onion rings, which are probably the best either of us has had. 

Between the two of us, we split a sample platter. It was so filling that it was the only meal we had for the day. The ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender, the pulled-pork was the best I've ever had. I could write a sonnet about how good that pork was. Juicy but not soggy, meaty but not tough; it was every meat-lover's paradise. They even had some smoky and tasty brisket, which almost rivals some Texas barbeque. It went perfectly with their house black pepper based hot sauce.  Even the sweet potato sides and the baked beans were phenomenal.

We finished the meal with a super creamy and yummy peanut butter pie. What a sweet send-off.

We came in at 11 AM. It was packed by the time we left.

Chippewa Square

Our favorite site in Savannah was Chippewa Square. This is where Forrest Gump was sitting on a bench narrating his own journey. How apropos for our last site to see.

Magnolias and Spanish moss

This is right where Forrest was sitting. We're not sure what happened to the bench.

This wasn't the bench, but we figured we'd try to recreate anyway. Now if only we could find a floating feather.

Key West: Nighttime

The Porch

For drinks we headed to The Porch, a laid-back bar that sells only craft beers and wine and manages to keep away the liquor-thirsty tourists.  The historic-home-turned-bar feels like a chill house party, only with the typical flavorless beers to be replaced with quality microbrews.  We liked it so much, we went back after dinner.

Note:  The camera's flash overpowered the mood lighting and the beer goggles effect.

This guy had it made.  He worked with the Park Service in Virginia.  He heard there was a position available in Key West.  Now he gets paid to work in a museum in Key West.  You can’t help but admire and hate someone that gets paid to do something they love in paradise.

This guy had it made, as far as homeless people were concerned.  Face it:  if you're going to be homeless, go where it's warm.  He and his buddy told dirty jokes -- some old, some new and some downright disgusting -- for only a buck.  Before we left, he asked Ayk what he does for a living.  We told him we were jobless.  "So am I," he retorted, "But how'd you get a hottie like that?"  I didn't have the heart to tell the wisecracking vagrant that even though Ayk's unemployed, he has a masters, and he does have money in the bank.

El Siboney

While we were at The Porch, we asked the locals where we should get dinner.  They all recommended El Siboney, a Cuban restaurant.  Trying to suppress our disgust for Cuban food, we asked what else they recommended.  They insisted that this restaurant would not disappoint.  It took them a while to convince us, but we figured if this restaurant managed to screw up Cuban food only 90 miles away from Cuba, then we’d give up on Cuban food forever.  For real this time, with the exception of an actual trip to Cuba.

A twenty-minute walk later (damn me and my inability to ride bikes) we finally got to the family-owned restaurant.  We weren’t too hungry, so we decided to split the basics of Cuban cuisine: ropa vieja, rice, beans, yucca fries and plantains.  Just two minutes later the server brought the food out to us.  And, wow, was that food amazing. Though we were glad to be proven wrong (Cuban food is good!), it was still sad that we knew we would probably never have Cuban food this great anywhere else.

The plantains were less sweet than I’m used to, but that just means it tasted more like a side dish than dessert.  Without a doubt, the yucca fries with the green sauce were the best part of the meal.  The yucca was paler than the typical golden-brown we expected, but looks aren’t everything.  Crunchy and fluffy, it was like eating deep-fried mashed potatoes.

The savory ropa vieja was melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  For once, my rice and beans were moist and well seasoned and not dry.

The desserts were good, but not as phenomenal as the entree and sides.  The creme caramel was delicious, and the guava cheesecake would have been unremarkable if it weren’t for the non-traditional flavor pairing.

New Orleans: Fish in the Tank and Fish on a Plate

Audubon Aquarium

Ayk’s sister-in-law recommended that we visit the aquarium.  Though it’s not as expansive as the Baltimore Aquarium, I’m still glad we went.

Sad-Turned-To-Heartwarming Fact (the Fun Fact's killjoy cousin): When Katrina hit New Orleans, a few aquarium staff braved the storm to protect the animals.  They were told to leave once the looters took over the city.  With no one monitoring the aquarium, the back-up generators that pumped oxygen into the tanks failed.  Sadly, most of the animals died.  The heartwarming part is that aquariums across the country donated animals and help raise funds for the New Orleans aquarium.  Hooray togetherness!

Lionfish are an invasive species and have no natural predators along the Atlantic Coast.  They are apparently good eatin', just be careful of their poisonous spines.

Diamondback Terrapin.  Hi, Testudo!

Penguin!

Blue Hyacinth Macaw - the most terrifying animal there.  This monstrous bird gave me the stink eye and squawked each time I tried to take a picture, thus making them blurry.  One girl started crying when she saw it.  I hear ya, kiddo.

Haaai!

"Sorry about killing all those cute sea critters with our oil spill.  Here - take some plaques and some money for your aquarium."

Jacques-Imo’s
Seeing all the fish swim around in the aquarium made us rather peckish for some seafood.  We headed to the Garden District for dinner at Jacques-Imo’s.  If you’re going to New Orleans, put this quirky Creole restaurant on the top of your list.  It’s a little pricey ($20-30/entrée), but it’s worth it if you’ve got the money and the time.  I said time, because there will definitely be a wait.  We got there around 5 PM and we had a 30-minute wait.  By the time we left, it was nearly a two-hour wait.

Told you it was quirky.

Cornbread drizzled with melted butter and herbs

A friend suggested getting a picture with Jacques, the restaurant’s owner.  He quipped, “You sure?  I’ll break the camera.”  Though he didn’t, his animation certainly blurred the picture.

Fried green tomatoes with blackened shrimp

Gator cheesecake.  Sounds disgusting, but it is so savory and rich.  It's more like a quiche than a custard.  As for the gator?  Jacques could’ve put chicken in there and I probably couldn’t tell the difference.

Abita, a local brew.  We tried each of their beers everywhere we went.

What looks like rabbit food is actually a tasty spinach salad tossed with a light dressing with a fried oyster on the side.  And they actually do serve rabbit there.  Catfish, too.

Ayk got the Carpetbagger Steak (filet mignon with an oyster-creme sauce) and I got the Blackened Red Grouper.  So amazing.  The sides were somewhat average when compared to the outstanding appetizers and entrees; we had maque choux, collard greens, and cole slaw.  We had no room left for dessert.