Savannah: Part Eight: Disappointed in Pink

This is the final entry about Savannah, and it's about a dinner that we were really looking forward to, in the very expensive and historic "Olde Pink House."
Some background on why the Pink House is special: Savannah's Olde Pink House was so named for the beautiful shade of "pink" stucco, which covers its old brick. This Georgian mansion was built in 1789 for James Habersham Jr., one of Savannah's most important early cotton factors and founding-family members.
OUR EXPERIENCE: I've read on-line many good experiences at the Pink House. Unfortunately, ours wasn't one of them. We called the restaurant at 9am and learned the only reservations available were 5pm and 9:30pm- so we took the 5pm slot. It was exciting to me to eat in a haunted restaurant.
We arrived in plenty of time for our 5PM sitting. We informed the hostess of our presence, and after a few moments, we were taken upstairs, through several other dinner parlors into the upstairs dining room in the new addition to restaurant completed just last year.
Along the way, there were a lot of wait staff hanging out in the hallways and on the stairs for some reason. Our waiter came over, greeted us, and took our drink orders. Upon his return he asked if we were ready to order. We were never informed of the specials (so we thought there were none), but we heard him tell the adjacent table about them after we had already ordered. Maybe he forgot, although there were not many in the restaurant at the time.
Gary ordered a fish entree that he said was so poorly prepared and the accompanying sauce was so bland that he didn't eat more than 1/8th of it.
I ordered the 4 small burgers well-done, but they were served rare with a dark outside. I sent them back to the kitchen and they came back STILL RARE. I didn't eat more than 1 1/2, and later was sick that night and the next day.
The waiter didn't come back more than once - but only to get the dessert order which only Jeff had. Jeff and Tom said their dinners were good.
When the bill came for the four of us, (3 had a glass of wine each and only one had a dessert) it was $190. Pricey I would say - and not worth it for the money (or for Gary's fish entree, and my beef burgers that made me ill for the next 24 hours).
We were very, very disappointed and thought it was NOT worth the price we paid (and the anticipation of going there.
For potential travelers to Savannah, we would not recommend the Olde Pink House.

Savannah: Part Seven: RR Museum and Paula Dean's

Famous TV Chef Paula Deen has a restaurant (The Lady and Sons) and a gift shop in Savannah- so we opted for the gift shop. It was filled with cookbooks, nicknacks for the kitchen, jarred delights, and more. It seemed that it was all really fattening (although appealing). Perhaps that's just southern cooking! - Some of the items on her restaurant buffet are:Southern fried chicken, Baked chicken, Collard greens, Mashed potatoes, Yams, Lima beans, Black eye peas, Mac and cheese, Green Beans, Rice, banana puddin', Peach cobbler, and "Gooey butter cakes." Oh yeah, her sons are handsome guys.
Another place we went was the Roundhouse Railroad Museum, 601 W Harris St
Savannah, GA 31401 (http://www.chsgeorgia.org/roundhouse/home.htm). It's laid out as a circle and you can see the railroad yard, printing press (where the bills and tickets were issued); mechanical rooms; roundhouse and lots of railroad cars. Great signage gives a good idea of the industry and a nice way to spend a cloudy morning (it was 45F outside, too).

I thought the main smokestack looked a little like the leaning tower, so asked Jeff to LEAN while I took his picture!
Tom and Rob were just grinnin' and enjoying the morning!

With some of the railroad works in ruins, and only walls standing, I thought this photo with walls and windows behind walls looked very artsy!

Savannah: Part Five: Ghosts: Green-Meldrim House and Ye Olde Pink House

The last two houses that we went to in Savannah had one haunting each that I was able to detect. Of course, I didn't go through one of them entirely. This photo is of the GREEN-MELDRIM HOUSE.
The house was designed by New York architect John Norris and built in 1850 for cotton merchant Charles Green, this Gothic-revival mansion cost $90,000 to build. General Sherman lived here after taking the city in 1864, as he was welcomed by Mr. Green. The house was bought in 1892 by Judge Peter Meldrim, thus "Green-Meldrim." His heirs sold it to St. John's Episcopal Church to use as a parish house.
This house wasn't on the "haunted" list, but when we toured it for its history, I sensed a ghost. It wasn't until we got into the dining room at back of the house, that I got a headache and got nauseous, and sensed a female ghost. I sensed that she didn't want people in HER house. I believe this was the wife of Charles Green.
YE OLDE PINK HOUSE- MAN IN THE HOUSE! -
James Habersham Jr., one of the wealthiest Americans of his time, built this house in 1771. He became a hero during the Revolutionary War and rose to the rank of major in the colonial army. The house was made of red bricks which was plastered over with white plaster. The house appears pink because the red bricks bled through the plaster. The house has chandeliers, antiques, and even original Georgia pine floors in its tavern which is in the back left side of the house. That's where ghosts of young African-American children are known to romp. We didn't go back there, however. Of course, I didn't need to go there to sense a ghost. As soon as we came through the front door and walked up the stairway to the second floor, I sensed a man - whom I believe was Mr. Habersham. I later read that he's been seen on the 2nd floor many times. Once we walked through the long hallway and into a huge room where we dined, I didn't sense him anymore. Turns out, we walked into a new building that was built in the last couple of years and attached to the house to expand the dining area. (PHOTO: Jeff having fun at Ye Olde Pink House) UP NEXT: The Walking Ghost Tour and a creepy face on the outside of a building