Visiting Savannah in December (Decatur, Forsyth: crime, hotel, lawyers)

[Radetzky March]

Greetings all,

My wife and I will be visiting Savannah in the second weekend of December. We will be staying at the Hyatt Regency on the riverfront. I just had some questions if you all could help me out with them, it would be much appreciated.

1. We are planning on just having our car valeted for the weekend and walking everywhere. Is this feasible while staying at the Hyatt? We don't plan to travel south of, say, the Oglethorpe Avenue (if we make it that far). Besides the normal cautions associated with visiting a new city (be aware of your surroundings, etc.) is there any extra care we should take in walking around, day and night?

2. We are planning on making reservations at The Olde Pink House either that Friday or Saturday night around 6 PM. As noted above, we will be walking there and, given that we are dining out, I will likely be wearing a suit or (at the very least) a dinner jacket. I know this screams "mug me", but the walk appears no longer than 5 minutes and we will likely walk down E Bay Street to Abercorn Street (as opposed to E Bay Street to Drayon Street). Does anyone recommend against this? It seems silly to take a cab for a 5 minute walk. I assume the walk back to the hotel would be around 8 or 9 PM the latest.

3. How well is the Historic District policed at night?

4. We plan on walking all around the Historic District on Saturday, are there any "must sees" or "must eats" while doing so?

5. In preparation for our visit I have been reading, of course, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Despite being published twenty years ago, how relevant is Berendt's depiction of Savannah today?

Thank you all for any and all responses.

[gentlearts]

I think your plan is good, and I wouldn't hesitate to do it. You will be in an area with a lot of pedestrian activity at that time. Muggings can happen anywhere, but probably won't. Just be aware of your surroundings. Most of the crime that happens, happens in the wee hours.

If you want to immerse yourselves in the things mentioned in "the book", it is fun to go on the tour of the Mercer Williams House, where Jim Williams lived. His sister still lives there. Not sure if it is open on weekends.

Clary's, the breakfast place in the book, is within walking distance too. Another old historic inn and restaurant mentioned in the book is 17Hundred20. I believe Sonny Seiler goes there towards the end of the book. He was one of the lawyers for Jim Williams, and played the judge in the movie. If you don't know, his family still raises all the GA bulldog mascots.

The Lady Chablis still performs, from time to time, at Club One. It's on my bucket list to see her, but I haven't yet.
I'm not a native, but my feeling is NOTHING changes in the upper echelon of Savannah (or the lower either).

[Radetzky March]

Thank you for the response and I will be sure to check out those venues from "the book".

My biggest concern was walking from the Hyatt to the Pink House in a suit around 5 and back sometime between 8 and 9.

[pink caddy]

Originally Posted by Radetzky March

My biggest concern was walking from the Hyatt to the Pink House in a suit around 5 and back sometime between 8 and 9.

Yep, I agree. That's the usual time that the ghost of Danny Hansford generally appears in that area.


WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

[WanderingImport]

Originally Posted by Radetzky March

Thank you for the response and I will be sure to check out those venues from "the book".

My biggest concern was walking from the Hyatt to the Pink House in a suit around 5 and back sometime between 8 and 9.

Generally crime in the historic district isn't an issue. You'll be alright with whatever you've got on.

Also, keep in mind, the area is VERY compact. Even if you decide to venture south of Oglethorpe Avenue, say, to Forsyth Park, it won't be more than a 15 minute walk from the Hyatt/riverfront.

I used to live near the vicinity of Abercorn and Anderson (about 2 blocks southeast of Forsyth Park in the Thomas Square neighborhood) and I could bike to the riverfront in about 10 minutes. Walking from that far south was still only about 35-40 minutes.

[pink caddy]

^^^^^ I walk Habersham to the river in 30 slow minutes Absolutely correct. (Henry and Habersham)

[SavannahLife]

Generally. Very generally.

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by Radetzky March

Thank you for the response and I will be sure to check out those venues from "the book".

My biggest concern was walking from the Hyatt to the Pink House in a suit around 5 and back sometime between 8 and 9.

WHY?! With all due respect sir, that's one of the dumbest reasons for "concern" that I've ever heard.

Since you've obviously done some research on Savannah, will you please tell us what it is about the city that makes you fear wearing a suit on a downtown street at 5 PM in the afternoon? Or is that just an unfortunate reality of life in the city where you live?

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

I think your plan is good, and I wouldn't hesitate to do it. You will be in an area with a lot of pedestrian activity at that time. Muggings can happen anywhere, but probably won't. Just be aware of your surroundings. Most of the crime that happens, happens in the wee hours.

If you want to immerse yourselves in the things mentioned in "the book", it is fun to go on the tour of the Mercer Williams House, where Jim Williams lived. His sister still lives there. Not sure if it is open on weekends.

Clary's, the breakfast place in the book, is within walking distance too. Another old historic inn and restaurant mentioned in the book is 17Hundred20. I believe Sonny Seiler goes there towards the end of the book. He was one of the lawyers for Jim Williams, and played the judge in the movie. If you don't know, his family still raises all the GA bulldog mascots.

The Lady Chablis still performs, from time to time, at Club One. It's on my bucket list to see her, but I haven't yet.
I'm not a native, but my feeling is NOTHING changes in the upper echelon of Savannah (or the lower either).

Sorry to veer off track, but your mention of the Mercer House made me recall a recent conversation with a hotelier friend in Savannah. He said that Mercer House and two adjacent properties are to be sold and redeveloped as a boutique hotel. Anyone else heard this?

[gentlearts]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Sorry to veer off track, but your mention of the Mercer House made me recall a recent conversation with a hotelier friend in Savannah. He said that Mercer House and two adjacent properties are to be sold and redeveloped as a boutique hotel. Anyone else heard this?

It wouldn't surprise me. I assume the house belongs to Jim Williams sister now, who lives there. I don't think she would be opening her home up for tours unless the house is too expensive to maintain privately. If someone came along and offered big bucks for the house, she might take advantage of it.
As I remember, there is a least one building next to the house where the antiques gallery was. Can you imagine how tourists would flock to a hotel like this?