Moon Charleston & Savannah Author: Jim Morekis | Language: English | ISBN:
1612383440 | Format: EPUB
Moon Charleston & Savannah Description
About the Author
Jim Morekis grew up in Savannah, and he's used to Charlestonians regarding his hometown as a wayward little sibling. As for the ongoing debate over which city is better, Jim calls it a tie: Charleston has better long-term planning, but Savannah has to-go cups (allowing anyone to explore the Historic District with a beer or cocktail in hand).
As the longtime editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper Connect Savannah, the University of Georgia graduate has written about and experienced pretty much every cultural happening in Savannah. Jim's favorite Carolina pastimes include relaxing on Edisto Island, climbing lighthouses on the Outer Banks, eating shrimp and grits in Charleston, playing miniature golf at Myrtle Beach, and walking through old cemeteries.
When not busy writing, Jim enjoys spending time with his wife and daughters.
- Series: Moon Handbooks
- Paperback: 408 pages
- Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing; Fifth Edition edition (August 28, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1612383440
- ISBN-13: 978-1612383446
- Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
- Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
This is a good guide to this part of the country. The author writes well and makes the entire book a joy to read. It's no ordinary directory of places to sleep and eat. The compilation of sights is excellent, as are the suggested itineraries for travelers of varying interests. There are plenty of cultural and historical contexts to make for enjoyable and informative reading as well.
Jim brings a real working knowledge of these cities to his writing and it shows. Though presented together in this guide, Charleston and Savannah are two different species. Charleston is the older town, with roots in the English Caribbean, and is the more dense and quaint of the two. Savannah is of a bolder, more self-consciously Anglo-Irish presentation. Charleston is thoroughly gentrified, and is blindingly expensive. Savannah still has areas that are on the up, and are accessible to mere mortals.
The coverage is most complete in Savannah, and the author is really in his element here. It's the best chapter in the book. The section on Charleston is a bit thin, but Charleston is so rich with sights and sounds that it's difficult to distill that material into something small enough for a guide like this. As it is, I like the author's choices of sites.
For a travel guide to really earn its place, it needs to bring the best, most authentic and most valuable lodging, dining, shopping, culturing and outdooring options to its readers. This one does that well, but I did get the feeling that the listings for Charleston were a bit incomplete, particularly for lodgings. The "Fodor In Focus" guide is slightly better in this area.
The listings that ARE included are right up to date.
My wife and I just returned from five days vacationing in Savannah and found the guide quite helpful. The background/historical section is great. There also are inaccuracies which create complications.
We wished to go on the tour at the First African Baptist Church, the oldest black church in the US. The guide says tours are Sun-Fri at 11 & 2. We went on Sunday afternoon, and were told by a church member that there are no tours on Sunday, as the congregation is worshiping, that tours are Tues-Sat. We returned on Tuesday at 2PM, to be told that the tours are at 11AM and 1PM on Tues and Thurs, and 11AM and 2PM on Wed, Fri and Sat. These hours are posted on the church office. We returned a third time on Wednesday at 2PM, and enjoyed the tour thoroughly.
We spent a day on Tybee Island, kayaking. (Rented from Sea Kayaking of Georgia - they were great.) The dining section of the guide makes one recommendation on Tybee, Hunter House. The author goes on for a couple of paragraphs enthusiastically praising the owner, the chef, and the food. We went to the listed address, but the restaurant was not there. We asked a couple of locals, and found that it had closed several years ago. We ate at the Tybee Island Social Club, a low key and moderately priced restaurant with a nice wine selection and found the food satisfactory.
We were interested in a specialty tour focusing on the African American experience in Savannah. The handbook has a listing for Negro Heritage Trail Tours and a phone number (912-234-8000). This is the King-Tisdell Foundation number, where a recorded voice comes on the line, and offers instructions and several prompts describing their activities.
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