What they're saying about Savannah (Statesboro: cities, phone, ice cream)

[Newsboy]

Here is a fascinating comparison of Savannah and Charleston, written (I assume) by an African-American, though I can't be entirely certain. It confirms something that I've always *FELT* about Charleston but have been unable to exactly put my finger on, and that is this: Race relations and politics in Charleston remain rather paternal and far more class-centric than those in Savannah. Just consider the fact that Joseph P. Riley has been mayor of Charleston since 1975. During that time, Savannah has had FIVE mayors -- the legendary John Rousakis (a Greek American), Susan Weiner (a Jewish transplant from NYC), and since 1996 three black mayors all with local roots.

I'm not saying Savannah is some shining bastion of progressiveness, but it is something to think about. At the very least, I think the argument could be made that class division, blue-blood "aristocracy" and "the haves" vs "the have nots" remains a very real player in Charleston society, business and politics -- far more than it does in Savannah.

Read this blog and see what you think:

Charleston residents describe the local African-Americans as Gullahs, which represents a particular path from Africa to the Low Country via the Caribbean. They further note that the ancestors of the Charleston Gullahs arrived in the 1870s, thereby removing the possibility that “their” Gullahs had any heritage in American slavery. It’s a history that seemed both dubious and self-serving.

And I found it offensive that African-American women weave baskets at the entry to Charleston’s City Market, on the front steps of the Daughters of the Confederacy Museum.

And so, if I had to pick one city in which to live, it’d be Savannah. There is still much to recommend Charleston. If I was a Savannah resident, I’d look for opportunities to spend weekends in Charleston. But I would expect daily life in Savannah to feel like a real life, not a bit of make-believe.

^^^ Those last words completely sum up how I've always felt about Charleston. It feels manufactured, and antiseptic. What say you?


Where Do We Go from Here?: Savannah versus Charleston: Reaching a Conclusion

[gentlearts]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

A wonderful Labor Day weekend travel report on Savannah with some beautiful photos and a cute baby:

I can’t say enough good things about Savannah. It’s got sass like New Orleans, charm like Charleston, but it’s definitely more laid back than either one. Think slower and more residential – perfect for families. Next time we’d probably take a side trip to nearby Tybee Island or Hilton Head, SC, but for these four days we just wanted to sit and savor Savannah. Full of wonderful people, top notch service, beautiful scenery, and some serious southern charm.


Savoring and Sipping Savannah, GA! | Iowa Girl Eats

This blog is so good.

[Charlestondata]

When I visited Savannah, our tour bus guide was a black woman. I don't know whether Charleston has any or at least one black tour guide.

[Betsey Lane]

[quote=Newsboy;36357355]A wonderful Labor Day weekend travel report on Savannah with some beautiful photos and a cute baby:

I can’t say enough good things about Savannah. It’s got sass like New Orleans, charm like Charleston, but it’s definitely more laid back than either one. Think slower and more residential – perfect for families. Next time we’d probably take a side trip to nearby Tybee Island or Hilton Head, SC, but for these four days we just wanted to sit and savor Savannah. Full of wonderful people, top notch service, beautiful scenery, and some serious southern charm.


Savoring and Sipping Savannah, GA! | Iowa Girl Eats[/

Agreed! Awesome blog, thank you for posting it.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

Here is a fascinating comparison of Savannah and Charleston, written (I assume) by an African-American, though I can't be entirely certain. It confirms something that I've always *FELT* about Charleston but have been unable to exactly put my finger on, and that is this: Race relations and politics in Charleston remain rather paternal and far more class-centric than those in Savannah. Just consider the fact that Joseph P. Riley has been mayor of Charleston since 1975. During that time, Savannah has had FIVE mayors -- the legendary John Rousakis (a Greek American), Susan Weiner (a Jewish transplant from NYC), and since 1996 three black mayors all with local roots.

I'm not saying Savannah is some shining bastion of progressiveness, but it is something to think about. At the very least, I think the argument could be made that class division, blue-blood "aristocracy" and "the haves" vs "the have nots" remains a very real player in Charleston society, business and politics -- far more than it does in Savannah.

Read this blog and see what you think:

Charleston residents describe the local African-Americans as Gullahs, which represents a particular path from Africa to the Low Country via the Caribbean. They further note that the ancestors of the Charleston Gullahs arrived in the 1870s, thereby removing the possibility that “their” Gullahs had any heritage in American slavery. It’s a history that seemed both dubious and self-serving.

And I found it offensive that African-American women weave baskets at the entry to Charleston’s City Market, on the front steps of the Daughters of the Confederacy Museum.

And so, if I had to pick one city in which to live, it’d be Savannah. There is still much to recommend Charleston. If I was a Savannah resident, I’d look for opportunities to spend weekends in Charleston. But I would expect daily life in Savannah to feel like a real life, not a bit of make-believe.

^^^ Those last words completely sum up how I've always felt about Charleston. It feels manufactured, and antiseptic. What say you?


Where Do We Go from Here?: Savannah versus Charleston: Reaching a Conclusion

I remember reading that a while back, and as a Black man with roots in the SC Lowcountry with a bit of Gullah blood running through my veins, I call BS. This person obviously doesn't know that those basket weavers make a KILLING selling their wares to tourists; as a matter of fact, the running joke among South Carolinians is that they dress very homely while weaving the baskets but at the end of the day, they're driving home in their BMW's. They are set up at a very strategic location in the historic district and they know it; they aren't dummies, and the nerve of this writer to basically imply such is what I find offensive. And I'm sure if you check the stats, the Black community in Charleston is more well-off than that in Savannah because it has more economic opportunity overall.

As far as Riley's tenure is concerned, this is because Charleston, like Columbia and Greenville, don't have term limits for their mayors. Before the current mayor, Bob Coble in Columbia served as mayor for 20 years and Greenville mayor Knox White has been mayor for 19 years; long-serving mayors aren't an anomaly in SC whatsoever so that "paternalism" argument is about as baseless as it gets.

As far as that last line goes, I'm aware that most tourists only come for the historic district and maybe some of the plantations and gardens. But the fact of the matter is that Charleston is a fully-functional authentic city/metro that extends well beyond the historic district, and there's nothing "make-believe" about the lives of the people who live there. These days, most locals actually avoid downtown because they don't want to deal with all the tourists.

And I find it very funny that Charleston STAYS on Savannah's radar and is constantly looking to Charleston when it comes to things like establishing retail downtown, or developing a tech sector, or getting more high-end restaurants, or checking out the cruise port, etc. For a city that's so "make-believe" and "Disney-like," it surely seems to be on the minds of certain Savannahians all the time and certainly supplies Savannah with pages from its playbook, whereas the reverse is hardly ever the case.

Let Savannah be great without the constant (negative) comaprisons to Charleston. It comes across as extremely insecure, and isn't this thread about what people are saying about SAVANNAH? Let's keep the focus there.

[Newsboy]

Here's a really nice photo spread with some clever funny captions ...

Savannah: We Will Fly Kites, Eat Candy and Watch Boats - SkyscraperPage Forum

[Newsboy]

In Savannah, honoring the founder of the Girl Scouts - Philly.com

[Albania67]

Gosh mutiny77 why feathers so ruffled? In my opinion: Savannah seem more ORGANIC than charleston!

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by Albania67

Gosh mutiny77 why feathers so ruffled? In my opinion: Savannah seem more ORGANIC than charleston!

I'm guessing you just cherry-picked the parts of the post you wanted to read, huh? A "more organic" feel is completely subjective; I don't have an issue with your's or anyone else's opinion in that regard (and to me, Charleston feels more organic in some respects because it wasn't a planned city; thus its layout and urban fabric is more organic), but that wasn't the major point of contention. As a Black man with Lowcountry roots, I took personal offense to the claims of White paternalism with respect to Blacks in the city and how and where the basket-weavers make their living as if they don't know the history of their city or those buildings. Those claims are based partially on ignorance and are implicitly racist; I found them pretty offensive from my point of view. But I guess you missed all that, huh? And it's all a bit ironic in light of the not-so-long-ago Paula Deen fiasco in Savannah, which was a national embarrassment for the city with respect to race.

But I truly find it amusing that for a city so "manufactured," "sterile," and "Disney-like," Savannah is pulling multiple pages out of Charleston's playbook while Charleston is pulling virtually none out of Savannah's.

[ellie]

Originally Posted by Albania67

Gosh mutiny77 why feathers so ruffled? In my opinion: Savannah seem more ORGANIC than charleston!

I don't understand why people are constantly comparing the two cities. It's not a contest. Seems childish to continually return to the same "argument" despite the fact that it doesn't affect either city in the least. It simply makes the whiners appear to have an inferiority complex.

What are we trying to achieve? Are we trying to attract more tourists? More industry? More residents? Or are we simply blowing smoke to aggrandize ourselves?