So long Savannah
Am back in DC after four days of debauchery in Savannah. It really is such a pretty little city. Two thumbs up to anyone who’s thinking about heading down there.
On Friday, we hung out on River Street and met other tourists. While drinking spirits at Kevin Barry’s, these two guys approached my friend and I at the bar. The city was sold out for the weekend – not a hotel room to be found – so they started making offers for our second bed. Even though they were from North Carolina, they were no southern gentlemen. Craziness!
(needless to say, we never did find out where they ended up spending the night.)
Saturday afternoon, we explored the historic district, discovering the city with our own walking tours (Did you know Savannah is the 8th most walkable city in the United States?) and riding the trolley when it got too hot. We polled the natives every chance we got to find out where they all hung out after the sun went down…. and ended up at a string of Irish bars starting with O’Connell’s.
On Sunday we toured the Telfair Museum of Art and strolled through the galleries of City Market. We wrapped up the day stopping by the Waving Girl and then Moonriver.
It was the most relaxing time I’ve spent in a while. Everyone we met was outgoing and didn’t seem bothered by all of our questions. It was the perfect mixture of live music, history, ghost tales, art, and fun times.
I don’t recommend going there in August (when there’s significant heat and humidity), but do give the lovely city two thumbs up!

What is sexy?

I bought Interpreter of Maladies, a collection of short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri. One of the stories, Sexy, appeared in the New Yorker back in December 1998.

It got me thinking – what IS sexy? This word is overused – describing cars, restaurants, places and people.

What is “sexy” to you?

Only television allowed

John Ashcroft held a press conference at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia this week. It’s one of a dozen scheduled events across the country. Ashcroft spoke on his favorite subject: The Patriot Act.

Howard Altman was there, covering the event for the Philadelphia City Paper. But he wasn’t allowed into the news briefing because “he is not talking to print. Only talking to television.”

“I think it sucks, but if he wants to talk to TV, there’s not much we can do,” Nick Fox, a New York Times national editor, responds via e-mail. “The president does that; I can’t recall the AG doing it.”

And it’s not like this administration is known for giving press conferences. In fact, the Bush regime is notorious for not holding more press events.

He [George W. Bush] obviously hates news conferences, which is why he hadn’t held one since March [2003] before fielding questions in the Rose Garden on Wednesday [July30, 2003]. In fact, this was only Bush’s ninth full-scale presser since taking office, compared to at least 52 for LBJ, 16 for Nixon, 37 for Ford, 45 for Carter, 16 for Reagan, 58 for Bush Sr. and 30 for Clinton.

Any thoughts?

The dog ate my homework

Robert Michael Mathison had a better excuse for missing his appearance in Washington County District Court. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that the 50-year old man had died on July 12, 2003.

Apparently, he’s also faked heart attacks to get out of trouble in the past. And while the Mendota Heights police department find his antics entertaining, the Pioneer Press regrets not confirming his death with a funeral home.

Traveling for pleasure

I live for travel. But the best kind of trip does not include business…. like my upcoming weekend in Savannah.

I started thinking of all the places I’ve been and would like to someday go back to… and the select few I’ve considered relocating to. Here are my lists –

Nice to visit but I wouldn’t want to live there:

Asheville, NC

Atlanta

Baltimore

Boston

Denver

Knoxville

Las Vegas

Los Angeles

Miami

Monterey, CA

Montreal

Nantucket

Newport, RI

Norfolk, VA

Philadelphia

Providence

Salem, Mass.

Savannah

Seattle

Toronto

Williamsburg, VA

Foreign – Amsterdam, Glasgow, London, Paris

I’d consider relocating there:

Chicago

New York

and people tell me I’d love – Lisbon and San Francisco

A garden of words

“First sentences are doors to worlds.”

~ Ursula K. Le Guin

What books are you reading?

You are what you read

Just call me M+M……for Magazine Maven. I subscribe to a plethora of magazines.

read cover to cover:

Columbis Journalism Review

Editor & Publisher

The Atlantic Monthly

The Economist

The New Yorker

Washingtonian

I subscribe, flip through, and, more often than not, save:

American Photo

Black & White Magazine

Book

Health

Newsweek

Photo Insider

Photo Life

Photographer’s Forum

Reason

Science

Seed

Self

Shape

The Key

The Writer

Time

U.S. News & World Report

Vanity Fair

Vogue

Writer’s Digest

Zoetrope

I’m single-handedly responsible for destroying a forest! The fact that most of these publications are available online has not been lost to me. But I can’t imagine not having my mailbox stuffed with these goodies.

What do you subscribe to? Or do you now access everything online?

Fact and fiction

I’m a collection of contradictions.

Last night, I plopped on my couch and paused on an episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” while channel surfing.

A blond vampire named Spike was telling Buffy that he was terrified. The night before had been the best night of his life because he had held her in his arms and watched her sleep. And now he was terrified.

My first reaction was:

“Aaaaaaaaawwwww… how sweet!”

My second reaction was:

“In real life, that would so turn me off.” (shudder)

And then, with no better alternative on tv, I popped in Casablanca.