Fall in Love with Savannah

I have been missing in action for the past couple of weeks. Been traveling, sick with flu and there's just  much stuff going on at work. There is also the issue of my back. I have been suffering from chronic lower back pain. It turned out that I have bulging discs. Wearing my heels have been such a pain - literally. I am hoping the spine shot I received will help ease the pain and eventually ease the way back to my beloved heels. Oh how I miss them! It was also a knockout realization that I don't have a lot of cute flats other than a couple of my Tory's.  This is also the reason for my lack of outfit posts.

Anyway, we recently went to Savannah, GA. One of America's Best Cities for Hipsters (here) and voted America's most romantic city (here), Savannah lives up to its reputation. It is a favorite getaway spot for Mr. VJ and I with just a short 2 hour drive from Jacksonville.

With so much to see and so much to do, every visit is like the first time. The people are friendly, the food is divine and the city itself is full of history.

Enjoy a visual mini tour of Savannah, GA from our eyes. Enjoy!

Savannah International Trade and Convention Center

My family walking in front of the Hyatt at the river front

The quaint and unique shops and boutiques at Savannah

The Savannah International Convention Center on the left and the Westin on the right

Our family stayed at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa (here) which is across from the river and next to the international convention center. The resort's location is very convenient for 2 reasons: Since it is across the river, you do not have to drive through the city itself where traffic is heavy and parking is difficult. The hotel charges a resort fee which includes daily parking. There is also a complementary ferry that goes to the other side of the river every 15 minutes.

The hotel lobby...

Our kids relaxing at the lobby while waiting for us to see the city...

A gorgeous view of Savannah across the river from our hotel ...

Oma and Mik - I heart!

The ferry was a good ride to and from our hotel to the river shops and restaurants...

The River Street Market Place

The waving girl statue

Spanky's - another River Street go to

cute shop name

This is one of our favorite shops... who can resist their yummy fudge, pralines and salt water taffys? I know I can't!

fresh made chocolate fudge

Savannah's squares beckons you to sit on one of the benches and read a book...

While we were strolling around the City Market (here), I couldn't resist having a picture of this handsome labradoodle taken.

Louis Vuitton, Cole Haan boots, BCBG MaxAzria coat, 

James Jeans, Banana Republic sweater

Savannah is also home to one of the best Art and Design school in the country - SCAD. They had the Little Black Dress Exhibit that weekend and I was kicking myself for missing it.

 
And while you are there, you should definitely try the following places to eat:

Fiddler's Sea Food on River Street (here): The view is gorgeous and their seafood superb. be sure to come hungry because they have big servings.

Cafe at City Market (here). - Another favorite dining place for us is.  The service is great and the food is good. Try their Shrimp and Grits and cheesecake.

Vinnie Van Go Go's Pizza (here) - best pizza in downtown Savannah. The place is small and not fancy at all but their Neopolitan style pizzas are delicious!

Leopold's Ice Cream -  Who does not love Leopold's! Here's a trivia: The song Tutti Fruitti was inspired by this ice-cream parlor.

Just look at some of their delicious flavors!

Mr. VJ just being goofy, but behind him, notice the walls lined with movie posters.

There's always a line but it is worth the wait

Juicy Couture jacket

Mr. VJ, kids and Oma enjoying their treats

Skip:
Paula Deen's Lady & Sons (here) we were not impressed the first time we ate there (greasy food, bad service) and we were still not impressed the second time tried to go. The reservation desk attendant was rude and was on her phone texting the entire time. We were hoping the service would be better in the winter when it is not as busy but it was not.

St. Paddy's Day is coming up and Savannah is second to NYC when it comes to having the grandest, biggest celebration. If you haven't made plans yet, be sure to consider Savannah, GA. For more info click here or here.

Biltmore visit and Downton Abbey

Mr. VJ and I love Asheville, NC specifically the Biltmore Estates (see our last visit here). The Vanderbilt home is just amazing specially during the holidays. The home is lit and adorned with several Christmas trees. The driveways are lined with luminaries.  Mr. VJ and I have gone through all the specialty tours of the home and have enjoyed every single one of them.

Anyway,  my step son had written SNOW on his Christmas list which prompted Mr. VJ and I to take the kids up to the mountains. When we got to the Biltmore Estate, the kids were just in awe of the grandeur of the place.  It was so funny how they were joking around saying maybe we are long lost relatives since our last names both starts with Van. Cracked-up Mr. VJ and I!

Although the weather was gloomy when we were there, that didn't change how beautiful the place was even in the winter time.

 The home's beautiful architecture...

We toured the Vanderbilt home and then the kids chose to do the Butler's Tour. The Butler's tour is a specialty tour where the guide takes you behind the scene of how the home was run back in the days. This picture was taken from the balcony of Mrs. King's room - Biltmore's housekeeper. This tour actually prompted Mr. VJ and I to watch the PBS show - Downton Abbey (here).

"The fictional drama unfolding between Lord and Lady Grantham, their daughters and their staff overlaps the time when George and Edith Vanderbilt lived in the 250-room Biltmore House in Asheville, N.C., opened by Vanderbilt in 1895. Biltmore House bears a striking resemblance to the Crawley’s beloved home, and those similarities are particularly evident during two specialty tours of the House: the Biltmore House Butler’s Tour and the Vanderbilt Family & Friends Tour." (source: http://www.biltmore.com/media/news-release.asp?id=127)

My step son was very much interested and was very attentive to everything the tour guide says that he was right in front of the line the entire time. Funny thing was, the tour guide asked if anyone had a question. My step son raised his hand and asked: 
step son:    "Is it true that Mr. Vanderbilt owned all the land up to those mountains?"
guide:         "Good question! Yes it is true and he even owned past those mountains which is now the Pisgah National Forest."

Mr. VJ and I looked at each other laughing, we just got fact checked!

My family having fun despite the very cold low 30s weather - hey we're Floridians!

walking through one of the many gardens in the property

Yes, we are a family of posers. That's my stepdaughter with me, isn't she adorable? I love the faux fur jacket we got for her, so fab!

on me: 

North Face jacket (coat I brought did not hold up to the freezing weather),

BCBG sweater, 7 for All Mankind jeans, 

Via Spiga boots, Louis Vuitton purse

on her: 

  Gap kids faux fur jacket, H&M sweater, 

Hollister jeans, Claire boots, Juicy Couture purse

Mr. VJ being goofy...

 The drive around the property was so relaxing...

I love this candid picture of hubby and my stepson.

The Antler Hill Village (here) is also one of our favorite place to spend the day.

We had lunch at Cedric's Tavern (here).

 Of course, we still had ice cream and floats at the Creamery (here) despite the freezing temperature.

 

Kids maze and driving course...

We also toured the Winery (here)...

The Vanderbilt crest could very well fit as the VJ crest, no?   =))

While Mr. VJ and I did wine tasting, the kids were grape juice tasting. Surprisingly, the kids loved the regular grape juice vice the sparkling grape so we ended up buying a bottle for them.

We had dinner at the Deerpark Restaurant (here). They had a sumptous Candle Light buffet spread. My step daughter who said she was not hungry, ended up having four servings of the Prime Rib! Can't  blame her, everything was delicious!

Well, I hope you enjoyed a mini pictorial tour of the Biltmore Estate with us. And when you do watch Downton Abbey, remember how the Biltmore was the real life American version of that show.

I hope you are all having a great week!

xoxo,
Tey