Sunday in Savanna Entry: January 23, 1998 Just to let you in on all the fun that I had while I was away from work for two weeks on vacation, I thought that I would tell you about the major events, starting from the end, Savanna. I was planning on swinging by Virginia Beach on my way back, but I only had time to stop in Savanna, Georgia, before heading home up I-77. Savanna was a must see after I started reading, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which is all about the city. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. The book describes the urban mansions of the Savanna Historical District, and the people who renovated it. I got the book on a side trip we took to Natchez, Mississippi to see the reconstructed Anti-Bellum country mansions, and I needed something to read on the bus ride back to New Orleans. Actually seeing the city lends to the experience of the book, much the same way as visiting Gettysburg assists in understanding the battle. Even though I had read about the thirty-two squares, I remember my surprise when I opened a map I got at a gas station upon my late night arrival. The historic district is the main section in the downtown area. Streets cross at right angles in a regular fashion, but block size squares are imposed upon perhaps 15% of the intersections. In other words, every second or third street in either direction is punctuated by squares every second or third intersection. Driving south on Bull St., which cuts through the center, requires one to negotiate a sharp jog right, then back to the left. This is not somewhere you wish to be late for work if you have a humorless boss. The anathema of Danny Hansford, pummeling the pavement with his Camaro, wheels lifting as he negotiates turns among the century old buildings, enrichers the story far more, once you see the place they are talking about. Entry: January 25, 1998 The rich history, dating back to 1733, and the modern renovation of the Historical District, is the basis for the dichotomy on which Midnight is based. It reads more like a novel than like a documentary narrative. The awe one feels for the talent of the writer is tempered with the realization that he did not need to make these people up, only describe them with his extraordinary command of the English language. This is one of those stories that is too fantastic to be fiction. I am nine tenths of the way through the book. I get the feeling that as the story progresses and gets closer to me in time, that I am coming to read about something racing toward my current reality. After all, I was there just eight days ago. I fell in love with the city just as the author did, everyone does. I noticed the dichotomy in Natchez, too. They want to maintain the mansions without the giants that created them. It is all about what to preserve and what to let go. Larry Fairbanks
An Elegant and Romantic Luxury Bed and Breakfast Inn and Hotel in Natchez, Mississippi.