Like, restaurant? Or locale? Or city?

I don’t know, and it seems unfair to only list one, so I’ll do three.

Place to eat: Aubrey’s. Good food, drinks, and atmosphere. I always have a good time, no matter what time of day or who I’m with. I used to frequent the one off Papermill nearly every Tuesday afternoon, meeting a friend for $2 pints. Eventually, I transitioned to the one at Strawberry Plains due to traffic and I was kind of outgrowing the bar scene. Now I have one in my worktown! Lunch spot!! The food is excellent, with emphasis on local meats and produce. The ambiance is warm and it the restaurant is clean. The waiters are attentive and friendly, the TVs are always set on something of interest (as if I actually watch them), and the bartenders have never let me go dry. They will even mix you up something special if you don’t see anything to your fancy on the menu or you’re feeling adventurous.

Locale: I really like the Apple Barn. Especially now that they have a brewery. I always feel right at home. It’s so homey & cozy, and I’ve bought several decorative items in the barn. The best thing about the restaurant, besides the creaking, gleaming, burnished yellow pine floors, is the apple fritters. Gah. I can taste them now and my mouth is watering. There aren’t many places that can make a decent stack cake, but they sure can. I love all the little warrens in the stores and the rooms off rooms, it’s like being in someone’s home. Everything is decorated, mostly with apples, but it all has just this appealing quality that makes me want to stay forever, curled up in a rocking chair with a quilt over my legs. Or maybe in a hammock on the river in the summer. Anytime tourists ask me for a place that’s not to be missed, I will refer them to the Apple Barn without fail. It’s just an experience, with plenty of photo ops along the river or against the split rail fence lining parts of their orchards. I love it there. It would be one of the main things I would miss if I ever moved away.

City: Savannah. I would move there in a jiffy if I didn’t like my job so well. I’ve never had anything but wonderful experiences there. I love staying on the river and watching the cargo ships being smoothly pulled into their docks. No matter where you are, be it a rooftop bar or in the hotel lobby for breakfast, someone will simply say, “Boat” and everyone instinctively turns to watch progress. Savannah is slightly different than Charleston, which is a close runner up. I once heard that if Charleston & New Orleans had a baby, it would be Savannah. This is 100% accurate. It has the best of both cities: the historical significance and beautiful architecture, without the pretension or crime. You can get your drink to go, and everyone is accepted from cotillion debutantes to drag queens. There are ghosts and magic and music and voodoo and gorgeous fountains and fattening food all around. It’s one of those great places where pearls and blue jeans are worn on a Friday night to any bar on Congress Street where you’ll hear some folksy southern rock or moody jazz. No high heels, the streets are paved with old ballast stones and those 200 year old steps coming up from River Street are mighty tricky. The Spanish moss tickles your shoulders on Bull, and you would swear there was a shadow of a pirate right off your line of vision. People are all over, just enjoying being outside, lounging around in their dozens of squares, reading, writing, painting. All the arts! It’s so beautiful, and stirs up all sorts of emotions for me. And….the beach is only 30 minutes away! The locals are friendly, encouraging you to visit some lesser-known spots and sharing their hauntings. Everything is old, old, old, and you can just feel the history oozing and slinking around. And I’m totally ready to go back Right NOW.