The pub is divided, bar as you enter, eats and music on the left and eats upstairs. Its typical Irish fare; shepard’s pie, corned beef and cabbage, poached salmon. In addition they offer popular local dishes shrimp, flounder and low country boil. "Low country" is a mix of corn, shrimp, sausage and potatoes that has become a mainstay of informal party life in the area. Originally called Frogmore Stew, after a small town in lowcountry South Carolina thirty-two miles up the coast, the former name was adopted to avert Yankees' croaker culinary questions.
Down the street, through the Hyatt Hotel and its tunnel that joins the upper and lower sections of River Street is The Cotton Exchange Tavern and Restaurant. For those who love chowder, their blend of thick, chunky crab meat and creamy seasonings should be listed at the top of their “to do” list. A bowl of crab chowder, a glass of sweet tea and thou. Oh, add an order of bread and cheese from the starter menu and it will make the rare, cool Savannah evening mellow and enjoyable – warm days too. As you dine you can observe the interior of one of the oldest buildings in Savannah. The ballast-stone and mortar wall section in the bar area dates back to the eighteenth century while the upper brick addition dates to the mid-nineteenth.
Before 1810 no building along the street was higher than the bluff. The street now called Factor’s Walk originally held the moniker, River Street. On the river side of the warehouses were wharves – some connected, others not. After years of expansion and improvements the route along the river was eventually filled and paved with cobbles. The narrow banks and ramps that made up the old street were renamed and became the “back door” entrance to second storey levels. In a few locations eyed-spikes can be found, driven into the wall’s mortar to tie mule teams and ox pulled “cracker” carts. Now they are rusted and worn from years of weather and elements.
Today the cracker carts have been replaced by automobiles, busses and now, a new fifty-four-passenger biodiesel Melbourne street car, partially fueled by grease collected from the local restaurants. The 1930’s streetcar was refurbished and shipped from Melbourne, Australia and now runs between the Montgomery Street ramp and the East Broad Street ramp.
The River Street Streetcar runs from 12 noon until 7 P.M. Monday through Saturday and links to other lines in the DOT series of transport means, the Express Shuttle, and the Savannah Belles Ferry. The cost for transport is free.
Not a bad day out.
Now the night life... that's another story.
-- WTM --
A Savannah “Cracker” cart, is shown at left around 1900. Kate McCormick of Duluth, Georgia rides “Dotty” the streetcar trolley along River Street, below. Stops along the line, bottom photo, include Montgomery Street, Bull Street and several more.
