Geography page 2

Our first major stop on our Southern trip was in Petersburg, Virginia, on day two. The city of Petersburg was the site of the longest siege of the Civil War, where the Union army occupied the area for nine months until the Confederate army and General Lee surrendered. The war ended immediately thereafter. The Petersburg National Battlefield is pretty neat, very user friendly and all of the grass was impeccably mowed. In fact, I will just say it now, I rarely saw a long blade of grass the whole trip. Southerners love John Deere like they love Jesus.

Then we were on to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and then to Athens, Georgia. Athens has incredible charm and comfort, with killer music venues like the 40 watt (285 W. Washington Street), and good vegetarian food at the Grit (199 Prince Avenue). One can even imagine that the fraternity row houses are just huge, gracious homes. Unfortunately, unless you are a student, a professor, or Michael Stipe, it is nearly impossible to live there and make any money. This sad truth ate at me as I drank a glass of wine on an oak rocker amid the Elizabethan inspired décor of popular lounge, The Globe (199 N. Lumpkin Street).

A 9-hour drive west from Athens lays Jackson, Mississippi. By the time we got to Jackson, we were running out of money, so I did something completely out of the ordinary for me -- I bartered for the price of our motel room. Granted, it was only $10 off per night and I think the clerk wanted to eat my dog Stella, but still, it was $20 saved.

Check out the Farish Street Historical District in downtown Jackson (bordered by Amite, Fortification, Mill, and Lamar Streets) where over 690 homes and buildings are listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. This district is one of the oldest African-American neighborhoods in the U.S. and is experiencing a new round of city and state funded renovations.

Another famous site in Jackson is the modest home of Medgar Evers (2332 Margaret Walker Alexander Drive), a field secretary for the NAACP, who was shot and killed at this house in 1963. The truth is, you cannot go very far in the South without running into the many milestones of the Civil Rights Era. On our drive back eastward, we decided to take State Highway 14 from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. This 54-mile stretch of highway was the setting of three marches, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and others, in 1965 to dramatize the need for voting rights in Alabama.

State Highway 14 is also a great route for roadside fruit stands, old antique shops, and true deep South curiosities. Also on Highway 14, is the aptly named Peach County where peach tree farms mingle with peanut fields and there are plenty of opportunities to stop and buy a bag of roasted nuts and famous Georgia peaches.

In Columbus, Georgia, on the border with Alabama, we spent the night at a La Quinta motel, and though it was more expensive (but still under $100 per night) we got a room in the inside courtyard facing the pool. It was a luxurious evening after our decidedly ghetto accommodations in Mississippi. La Quinta has motels throughout the South, and if you stay three nights at any location, you get one night free. Not too shabby!

It took about six hours to drive east from Columbus to Savannah, Georgia, a town where Spanish moss hangs from ancient trees lining immaculate streets and every bar serves mint juleps. In the downtown Historic District, the city's street grid is broken up by square parks every five blocks, with the largest being the very formal Forsyth Park. Savannah was saved burning by the Union Army during the Civil War when town leaders surrendered rather than face Atlanta's fate. Conservation groups in the 20th century saved scores of Savannah's historic buildings to the degree that the downtown core has very few modern buildings.

If you want to go to the beach, Tybee Island is 18 miles to the west of downtown Savannah. I wish I could tell you more about the gorgeous windswept beaches but the public beaches do not allow dogs and I sunburn easily.

Savannah is not all genteel ladies sipping iced teas, there is a strong liberal and artistic vibe that coexists with all the Southern décorum. Savannah College of Art students ride their bikes through town unafraid to show off their tattoos and groovy fashions.

Since the book (and subsequent movie), Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil showed the vibrant drag queen scene, the town has become a popular vacation destination for gay tourists, but don't go looking for Lady Chablis to come walking down the street. Savannah is still in the South and post-Stonewall visibility just doesn't apply. One night we sat outside having dinner and watched the comings and goings of a discreet gay bar. It was a throwback from an earlier era, when gay bars were situated in an alley and identified only by a black door and a rainbow flag.

I was sad to leave Savannah, it is the kind of town where one could spend hours contemplating magnolia trees (though I was glad to leave the multitudes of giant water bugs that populated the sidewalks and created a disturbing game of hopscotch for us).

A 12-hour drive up I-95 found us back in New York City happy to be home. Next time we are going to find a sitter for the dogs and bring twice as much money. And maybe fly.