Another glorious weekend in Savannah (Forsyth, Boston: 2015, violent crime, homes)

[Newsboy]

My mom, aunt and two sisters are here for Mothers Day so that makes it extra special, but still ...

Playing tour guide yesterday and today, I can't help but feel overwhelmed by what an amazing city this is in which we live. Since I've been down this road recently before, I'll dispense with all the details of WHY. But suffice it to say, tourism right now is absolutely through the roof. Every weekend, the throngs of visitors that flood into downtown from ALL OVER THE WORLD is simply astounding. You see (and hear and meet) people of every background, color, shape, size, accent -- truly a melting pot of THOUSANDS walking our streets, sitting in our squares, packing sidewalk cafes and bars ... all of them seemingly in awe and HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY beyond belief.

I challenge you to just saunter the sidewalks downtown one weekend and eavesdrop on conversations (if you know the language, which is increasingly foreign and none that I recognize). As a story on the news reported late this week, tourism downtown is already at record highs this year. And with projects like the Broughton Street Collection and Richard Kessler's Plant Riverside still to be completed, it's only gonna get BIGGER.

I've often seen people post on Trip Advisor (and elsewhere) that Savannah is a one or two day destination at best. After two days of showing my family around, and not even BEGINNING to see all there is to see, I'm convinced that even a week wouldn't be enough time for it all (especially when you consider sites outside the HD like Tybee, Bonaventure, Fort Pulaski, Wormsloe etc. Heck, I live here and have never seen it all!

Guess my point is (and this is coming from a fresh set of eyes i.e. my mom who hasn't been here in several years and my sisters who come rather often): Savannah is BOOMING! In fact, both my sisters expressed absolute dismay at how busy and crowded it felt -- "Like a big city!" It's no longer the sleepy little Southern town they've been coming to for years. And aside from the crazy traffic and parking, they love what they see.

So yeah ... everything they say about the awesomeness of Savannah is true. If we can only get this crime problem under control (which for what it's worth is the LAST thing on anybody's mind on a Saturday afternoon downtown like today IMO.)

[SavannahLife]

agree with all this. I like your writing style News.

We will get crime lower. it is doable. Things will begin to move in the right direction. DeLoach seems as well-meaning as Edna but with much more ability to get things done and cut through all the political theater. We just need to get rid of Hit&Run Shabbazz!! Remember to vote everyone!! With that, I'm off to enjoy the city just as you News, have a good Mother's Day to all.

[Newsboy]

On the front page of today's (Sunday) paper there's a story about the city's plan to install hundreds of security cams to combat crime. The lead tells about a family visiting from South Africa playing in Forsyth Park. This is a great example of the international draw that Savannah is experiencing now.

[Newsboy]

Also ... Fox News anchor Shepard Smith was at Club One with an entourage last night. He and some were friends were bored in NYC and flew down for the night. So yeah, Savannah's pretty hot right now. And yes, Shephard Smith is gay (in case y'all didn't know).

[Newsboy]

In the past 2 days I've engaged tourists from:

Los Angeles (several in fact ... did one of the airlines have a sale?)
San Francisco (ditto)
Boston (they didn't know about JetBlue but do now!)
Denver (two different Colorado families on either side of me who didn't know each other but quickly changed that)
Wisconsin (outgoing and outspoken TRUMP supporters ... Go figure!)
Cape Town, South Africa (such cool people)
Birmingham, England (oh those accents!)
Seattle ("it's hot here!")
Memphis ("Savannah's like a better New Orleans!")
Too many from Florida to count

... and those are just the ones I remember off the top of my head.

OH YEAH: A large group of Coast Guard officers here for a week of training and VERY VERY drunk!

[Iconographer]

I suspect that the unschooled on CD become annoyed at all the hype that Savannah receives on here. However, it's not unfounded. The city is like a seductive woman; its effortless charm draws you in, and once it does, you're in it for life. The list of cities that have this quality is a short one.

[gentlearts]

I think it is the age of everything...the buildings and the oak trees. Just like the saying, "It takes a long time to grow an old friend", it also is rare and beautiful to be near things that were built in the 1700s. We experience the same feelings in Savannah as we do in the some of the ancient cities in Europe.

[Newsboy]

One of the things that fascinates the tourists most, and which we take for granted, is the container ships. Go down to River Street and sit and wait for a ship to come in and watch as they all come running out of the bars and restaurants with their cameras held high! Nothing makes a grown man act like a little boy again than a big ol' boat (or a train)!

[gentlearts]

This has always been one of my favorite things to do in Savannah. There is something so exotic/mysterious about the ships, and it is amazing how huge they are.

[ChloeC]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

So yeah ... everything they say about the awesomeness of Savannah is true. If we can only get this crime problem under control (which for what it's worth is the LAST thing on anybody's mind on a Saturday afternoon downtown like today IMO.)

I spent a week in Savannah back in August 2007 and had a nice time. The downtown River St. area was beautiful. I've been thinking about making a return trip but after seeing a FB poster mention Savannah's violent crime I've been researching it and it's shocking. Never in a million years would I think a city the size of Savannah would have 3 times the homicides so far in 2016 than Seattle (8 so far in 2016) which has 4x Savannah's population. Savannah homicides are also much higher than the similarly populated Seattle suburbs... Seattle had 24 in 2015... Savannah doubled that?

Crazy to think about. If I do make a return trip I definitely won't be walking the downtown streets at night.

Originally Posted by Newsboy

In the past 2 days I've engaged tourists from:

Seattle ("it's hot here!")

It is... LOL

I remember stepping off the plane in Savannah... it was 98 with max humidity. Here the summers are 60s-80s without the humidity. Most of the homes here don't have A/C... mine doesn't. I bought a portable for the week or so of 80's we get each summer and for the 2 or 3 days it might hit 90.

I definitely don't mind daily fall/winter cloudiness because we get rewarded with gorgeous mild summers with plenty of sun.