Little Social Notes

The Historic River Street in Savannah, Georgia

This spring, we visited River Street, Savannah for a few hours on one of our road trips to Atlanta. From the moment we arrived, I was captivated by the mile-long, rustic River Street made up of ballast stone and it’s European architecture dating back to it’s influences from the 18th century. Much of the still standing architecture along River Street has been transformed into retro antique shops, cool restaurants and galleries as they were once old cotton warehouses. 

Before deciding on our lunch option, I cruised Yelp reviews and asked for a few friend recommendations on Facebook. Since we were visiting the area on a Monday, many restaurants were closed, which seems to be the case in a lot of areas of Georgia (that definitely doesn’t happen in Miami!) Fortunately, one of the recommendations was to check out Rocks on The River restaurant at the Bohemian Hotel, which I can now highly recommend! 

Since the area is known for serving up local, fresh seafood, I made sure to try the signature dish, she-crab bisque and the appetizer portion of crab cakes. Everything was so fresh and exceeded expectations. The soup was exceptionally tasty and as we dined at a table with a view of the Savannah river, it truly felt like I was experiencing a local gem. We also had the opportunity to walk along the red brick sidewalk adjacent to the famous river and visit a few thrift stores, but we didn’t experience a fraction of what River Street has to offer. We plan on making another visit to the area very soon!    

River Street is located in Savannah, Georgia and makes up one of the largest National Historic Landmark districts in the United States. Travel + Leisure recently dubbed Rocks on the River restaurant as serving up Savannah’s best modern southern cuisine. This town is a must-see when visiting the area. 

The Porter Beer Bar in Atlanta, Georgia

Fixed in the heart of Little Fives Points, Atlanta is a unique establishment and craft beer lovers utopia known as the Porter Beer Bar. This comfy little brick and wood dive is adorned with old antiques, suitcases, vintage signage and, of course, dozens of beer bottles. Having done some research before visiting the bar, I knew that this husband and wife owned venue is consistently awarded ‘best beer bar in the world’ by ratebeer.com and has been awarded with many similar accolades - and rightfully so! 

We sat at a cozy wooden booth and read the beer menu, which was like a manual for a countless amount of handcrafted beers. The 36 beers offered on draft and the 700+ bottled beers only consist of microbrews and small imports which are typically hard to find at most local bars. I tasted my first vintage beer, which classifies as a hop-forward barley wine and is brewed by the Great Divide Brewing Company in Denver Colorado (they have such good beer in that state!) I do remember thinking that this vintage beer may have been the best beer I have ever tasted! We had a few other rounds of locally brewed IPAs and enjoyed the cheese plate and salt and vinegar popcorn, which paired nicely with our drinks!

The Porter Beer Bar is a must-do in Atlanta for anyone who enjoys a good microbrewery experience! Check out their website for details and a full list of their fancy beer menu: http://www.theporterbeerbar.com/

A Few of my Favorite Things: Venice, Italy

Once described by Napolean, as the most beautiful dining room in Europe, St. Marks Square in Venice, Italy was one of the most breathtaking parts of our visit to the elegant city. Located in the heart of Venice, you are surrounded by a picturesque setting and fascinating cultural architecture. I could not put my camera down!

While I could recommend visiting monuments and some of the interesting and historical tours we took, (Doge’s Palace was my favorite,) I found that some of my favorite experiences in Venice were the times when we did not follow our itinerary at all, but just stumbled upon and enjoyed the city moment to moment.

After you’ve seen all the historical monuments on your list and taken a ride in a Gondola, here are my top three recommendations when visiting the ultra romantic city:

Have a Bellini at Harry’s Bar. If you’re on a budget, ONLY have Bellinis at Harry’s Bar. It’s warm atmosphere, homemade Bellinis and excellent service made this one of our favorite experiences in Venice. It’s surreal to think that we were dining where Ernest Hemingway once came to have a few drinks and write classic American literature. Harry’s Bar was recommended to us by my mother-in-law and we enjoyed it so much, we went twice! On our first visit, we treated ourselves to a few rounds of Bellinis and a late afternoon lunch. Our lunch was light, pricey, but exquisite. We enjoyed Prosciutto crudo from parma served on a light bed of spinach lettuce and homemade lightly baked tagliolini with ham. Since we were on our honeymoon, our waiter recognized this by treating us to a slice of their triple layer chocolate cake. On our last night in the city, it was one of our final stops for a few rounds of drinks. 

Have a glass or bottle of wine after hours in the middle of St. Marks Square. You’ll read about having espresso or wine in St. Marks Square, and some guides may even tell you not to because it’s a little pricey. However, one of my favorite memories of Venice was when we purchased a bottle of vino and sat at a table from a closed restaurant in the middle of the square to just take in the night.

Disclaimer: This may or may not be legal. We honestly didn’t look into it so just be careful!

Purchase tickets to see a Venice Orchestra in Concert. We saw the Collegium Ducale Orchestra of Venice play in an intimate spot in the Palace of the Prisons, which was between the bridge of sighs and Doge’s Palace. While I am no musical expert on Baroque era composers, listening in to this orchestra play classics from the famous, Italian Baroque composer, Antonio Vivaldi in the intimate space that once served as a prison, was like a scene straight out of an old, romantic film.  

(Source: cipriani.com)

Seeing Vizcaya on your trip to Miami

A National Historic Landmark and Museum, Vizcaya is one of my favorite and romantic spots in Miami. Enriched with history and picturesque settings encompassing it’s property, visitors can take a tour of the 1916 home built by agricultural industrialist, James Deering, have a picnic out by the gardens or attend many different events hosted at the museum.

Before visiting, check their website to see if there are any events happening while you’re in town. They offer moonlight tours and sometimes host film nights in the gardens. My friend was proposed to on one of their film nights - I’m telling you, it’s that romantic! My husband took me to their Charlie Chaplin Cinematography night where they hosted some of his films over dinner and wine in the outside gardens. I absolutely love this place and recommend it to both locals and first time visitors in the Miami area.

(Source: vizcayamuseum.org)