savannah – Ann Street Studio

Guide to Savannah, Georgia

December 31, 2017December 31, 2017Posted in TravelTagged georgia, guide, savannah, travel

Another year has come and gone, and with the changing of the date comes my yearly pilgrimage to Savannah, Georgia where I rest, reset, and reflect on the resolutions of past and present. A few things have changed around town and though I have done many stories on Savannah in the past I wanted to share a quick update on where she stands now and my fav spots not to be missed.

Eat:

The Grey, farm to table in a renovated bus station is my favorite spot for dinner.

Elizabeth’s on 37th, classic southern in a beautiful old mansion.

The Wyld, just outside of downtown this spot is casual dock side dining overlooking Savannah’s lowland marsh.

Zunzi’s, casual for lunch

Back in the Day Bakery, charming 1950s style bakery with fresh homemade pastries, sandwiches and breads.

Atlantic, eclectic modern menu located in a renovated gas station

Green Truck Pub, best burgers in Savannah and a good beer menu

*Coming soon Husk Savannah!!!

Also see: Collins Quarter, The Vault, Sandfly BBQ, Cotton & Rye, Sugo Rossa, Gryphon Tea Room, Public, Local 11 Ten, Garibaldi, Vinnie Van Go Go‘s

Drink:

Artillery, chic little cocktail bar in a historic building with a great drink menu. My favorite spot now!

Pink House, take the outside stairs to the basement for the live piano music in the old exposed brick footprint of this haunted historic building. Great spot on colder evenings in Savannah with the double fireplaces going.

Coffee:

Gallery Espresso, there are a lot of great coffee spots in Savannah but this is my favorite. I’ve worked from this spot for years.

Also see: Sentient Bean, Foxy Loxy, Purrvana Cafe & Cat Lounge (yes, a cat cafe!)

Shop:

shopSCAD, handmade art and crafts created by SCAD students and alumni is not to be missed.

The Paris Market, from candles to coffee and french bed linens

One Fish Two Fish, traditional southern homeware and decor and a great collection of nightgowns

Alex Raskin Antiques, amazing antique collection for the home in an incredible historic Savannah building which is worth a visit in and of itself to see.

Savannah Underground Market, more like a flea market than antique store but serious treasures and great prices on everything from furniture to vintage clothing and books

*just take a stroll up and down Broughton Street*

Sleep:

I had the fortune of staying at SCAD’s Magnolia Hall which is a private guest house but I’ve stayed many other places in Savannah:

The Gastonian, a quiet old southern home with large porches close to Forsyth Park. I always request the Carriage House for privacy and a clawfoot tub.

Kehoe House, another beautiful historic inn

The Brice, is OK. The lobby is great but I find the rooms to be a little too generic for my taste. Good to have in your back pocket if everything else is booked.

West Elm is opening a new hotel in Savannah soon which I am looking forward to experiencing.

Palmetto Bluff, outside Savannah in the country on the water is this very beautiful luxury resort

Snapshots from Savannah

January 12, 2017January 24, 2017Posted in TravelTagged georgia, savannah, Savannah Georgia, savannahgeorgia, south, the south, thesouth, travel29 Comments

If you know anything about me you probably know my affinity for Savannah. I fell in love with this city years ago and have not stopped going back since. My Guide to Savannah is updated each time I discover something new.

It’s pretty incredible to see the changes that have come to this very small historical town just inland from the coast of Georgia. Of course, the stately mansions and proud city parks stand as beautiful reminder unchanged of visions to a formality of life it seems all but lost. I like to think when James Oglethorpe designed Savannah in 1733 he set out to make a city so charming it would never fall to ruin. And aside from a few unfortunate parking lots, it has managed to do just that. Not only in the preservation of her patinated beauty but in her ability to continue to reinvent herself. Now it’s home to the Savannah College of Art and Design which brings in the most talented young artists from around the world bringing a new breath of life to sweep youthful magic in. You will find incredible restaurants with a focus on locally sourced seasonal organic food (This & This are my favorite) and a bustling shopping scene from antiques stacked floor to ceiling high in old southern mansions to places that celebrate a lifestyle I feel right at home in.

I’m proud of this city. I love her in a way that feels like home. I love the smell of her sweet sticky air, how people say good mornin’ to you on a stroll through town, and that I know she will always be there waiting for me with a good drink and nice porch view.

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Southern Hospitality

March 23, 2016March 25, 2016Posted in LifestyleTagged bourbon, cocktail, georgia, lifestyle, pineapple, pineapple co., pineappleco, recipe, savannah, southern hospitality, southernhospitality, the pineapple co., thepineappleco10 Comments

For the past week I have been down spending time in a digital detox in one of my greatest loves, Savannah, Georgia. I love how sweet and floral the air is here, her quiet shores, the romance of the spanish moss that filters the golden light all framing hauntingly beautiful southern architecture. It’s sticky and sweet like the memory of a perfect kiss.

If there is one thing Savannahians do well it is southern hospitality and what is more welcoming to a guest arriving than a cocktail exploding in local flavor?! Traditionally, the pineapple is a symbol of warmth, welcome, friendship and hospitality. You’ll find these all over Savannah on door knockers to lanterns, restaurant menus, to stationary. Inspired by the beauty of traditional symbolism I thought these tumblers by The Pineapple Co would be the perfect vessel for a Savannah themed welcome drink.

Going off of local ingredients native to Georgia and some good ol’ fashioned Savannah made bourbon I put together a light and fruity cocktail I’m calling Southern Hospitality... because nothing is more charming than a nice boozy welcome in a pretty glass.

Southern Hospitality

Per cocktail:

10 blueberries
A quarter of a peach (diced)
1 teaspoon turbinado sugar
Fresh lemon juice from a whole lemon

Muddle together and strain.

Add:

1 oz pineapple juice
2 oz bourbon
5 dashes lemon bitters

Pour over rocks and garnish with a slice of peach, a blueberry on a pineapple frond and a sprig of mint.

“SAVANNAH IS A PECULIAR PLACE… RULE #1: ALWAYS STICK AROUND FOR ONE MORE DRINK. THAT’S WHEN THINGS HAPPEN. THAT’S WHEN YOU FIND OUT EVERYTHING YOU WANT KNOW.”

–Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

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Snapshots from Savannah

January 8, 2015January 10, 2015Posted in TravelTagged forsyth park, magnolia hall, magnoliahall, savannah, Savannah Georgia, savannahga, savannahgeorgia, the south, theamericansouth, travel, vacation16 Comments

Looking back on a few days off where I looked forward to what is in store for 2015. We are already planning shoots in Palm Springs, Paris, and Argentina so this year, though just born a week ago, is already full of dreamy promises. Doing what you love most for a living means you’re willing to commit more time to it than a typical job so it’s not often I take a day off or have a moment to reflect on all we’ve done and the amazing people we’ve met.

After spending Christmas in Texas with my family, I found myself in Savannah, a place I call home – my adopted home. Like New York and Paris, I am at my best self here, but unlike the two metropolitan cities, in Savannah I come to relax. To walk her beautiful parks at dusk, to feel the damp southern air kiss my skin under an umbrella of enchanting moss hanging from live oak trees. We eat, we drink, we spend afternoons whittling away the hours on big southern porches while we outline our dreams for another year but always leaving much open to new directions we could never anticipate.

*PS- An update on my Savannah recommendations – I love walking Whitaker street from Gaston to Broughton and popping into little hidden boutiques and amazing home decor shops. One Fish Two Fish led me to score two amazing new bedside lamps.

Of course the food scene in the south is one of the biggest draws. Now added to my “MUST EAT” list is The Florence for dinner and for lunch Green Truck Pub has the best burgers IN THE WORLD. I called it.

The only thing that could make Savannah even more dreamy is having the utmost pleasure of staying at SCAD’s Magnolia Hall. The southern mansion of my dreams that sits atop Forsyth Park (see the view from the front porch on a foggy night above). In 2014 I had the great honor of working with SCAD, covering their Savannah campus that makes the word “impressive” a tremendous understatement. Remember when we went to Lacoste after that?… it only gets better. Thank you SCAD for the southern hospitality and adopting me into your family, it’s an inspiring group of people.

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Greyfield Inn

April 16, 2014June 2, 2016Posted in TravelTagged clawfoot bathtub, cocktails, cumberland, cumberland island, cumberlandisland, design, destination, eggs, GA, georgia, georiga, getwaway, gogo, greyfield inn, greyfieldinn, historic, historic hotel, hotel, interior, interior design, interiors, island, jewelry, jfk jr, JFK Jr's wedding reception, john f kennedy jr, leisure, pamento cheese, personal-favorite-hotel, picnic, romantic, savannah, southern, southern homes, southern hospitality, theamericansouth, travel, vacation, white house17 Comments

While we were in California last year, spending the day photographing Lake Tahoe with our friends, Adam Katseff and his wife Amy, they told us about the Greyfield Inn…the magical place they stayed on their honeymoon, one that they knew I would LOVE (turned out to be a major understatement). I knew the name sounded familiar, and once they mentioned it was on Cumberland Island, it all came back to me…an enchanting wedding, an all-American couple…but more on that tomorrow…

After hearing about it, I knew I had to see Greyfield Inn for myself and with the trip down to visit SCAD, it was the perfect opportunity. I’m an extremely visual person and I’m sure it comes to no surprise to you that I quite often dream about the way life looked “back then”. I think walking through the doors of Greyfield will be as close as I will ever get to knowing the way it might have actually looked…

You leave your car on Amelia Island and Mitti, one of the four owners and inheritors of Greyfield and the Carnegie property, takes you by boat to Cumberland Island. Walking up from the dock the giant, old live oaks seem to wave at you with their long fingers of Spanish moss, diffusing the afternoon sun into a sparkling haze underneath their centuries-old canopy. Then, from behind the trees you catch the first glimpse of the four story white mansion they call Greyfield. Built in 1900 as a wedding gift to the Carnegie’s daughter, Margaret, this home is still furnished with many of the original pieces of that era but with exceptional modern day comforts (ummm…air-conditioning). As you walk up the grand staircase to the second floor porch lined with rocking chairs and swinging daybeds, you regret how short your stay is. Now, up in the canopy of live oaks, you overlook the property of white picketed fences and fields of grazing wild horses and as they offer you organic rosemary lemonade, if you’re like me, you think you’ve died and gone to heaven.

The house, grand as it is, still holds a very sweet intimacy. At night, sitting out by the waterway looking back on her, she stands a soft pearly white in the light of the moon, framed by Spanish moss draped trees with a golden light glowing out of every window, so warm and welcoming you would swear the evening was meant just for you. The charm extends to the inside with its historic clawfoot bathtubs, immaculate upkeep, full service bar, organic meals, classic high quality southern linens and L’Occitane toiletries. Every evening, men in dinner jackets and ladies in our sweet southern dresses snack on hors d’oeuvres and classic Southern cocktails (recipe for my favorite below!), awaiting a dinner bell around 7:30 where we all move into the formal dining room for that night’s seasonal meal which at times can harvest ingredients from Greyfield’s own impressive garden.

I know on busy New York days or times when I’m caught in a blizzard, I will think back on this memory and my soul will fill with the warmth of these sunny afternoons, lost on Cumberland Island in a dream called Greyfield…

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Magnolia Hall

April 15, 2014April 17, 2014Posted in LifestyleTagged georgia, magnolia hall, magnolia house, magnoliahall, magnoliahouse, savannah, savannah college of art and design, Savannah Georgia, scad, south, southern7 Comments

My history and love for Savannah runs really deep. Now you know SCAD as intimately as I do, and you’ve walked the streets of Savannah and fallen in love with student and alumni works. My first introduction to this great place was not through the first visit with my father but through the book and film Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I love this book. I love the characters. I love how Kevin Spacey plays Jim Williams who also did so much for the preservation of Savannah. My FAVORITE home in the world is the Mercer Williams house – I’ve toured it multiple times, and as rumor has it, Jackie Kennedy once offered to buy it. You can imagine my excitement when SCAD, in traditional southern hospitality style, invited Kevin and I to stay at Magnolia Hall, the home where John Berendt wrote the book I adore so much! We drank champagne on the grand porch overlooking Forsyth Park each evening, watching the day come to a close. We snuck into any room that was open out of sheer curiosity, admiring the interior design done by SCAD’s own president and co-founder Paula Wallace. SCAD maintains this historic 3-story 2nd empire residence built in 1878, as a place to offer their special guests… which is exactly what you feel like at Magnolia Hall.

ps- notable guests such as Oliver Stone, Mark Jacobs, DVF, Marina Abramovic, and Andre Leon Talley have stayed here!

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shopSCAD

April 14, 2014April 15, 2014Posted in Lifestyle, TravelTagged art, georgia, journey, purchase, savannah, savannah college of art and design, Savannah Georgia, scad, shop, shopping, student art, students, travel, trip, vacation5 Comments

What comes of all the creativity that pours out of Savannah School of Art and Design?… SCAD President and co-founder Paula S. Wallace answered that question with shopSCAD, a unique store in the heart of historic Savannah, Georgia where students and alumni can showcase their talents though innovative handmade works of jewelry, paintings, sculpture, pottery, housewares and more available for purchase. ShopSCAD is always on my list of *must do* Savannah visits every time we are in town! So inspiring!

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Savannah College of Art and Design

April 11, 2014July 31, 2014Posted in LifestyleTagged art, artists, campus, college, georgia, savannah, savannah college of art and design, Savannah Georgia, scad, students44 Comments

So you want to be a designer… an illustrator… a jewelry maker… an animator… you want to be a buyer for SAKS, animate characters for Pixar or make jewelry for Tiffany & Co… but how does one begin? What is that first step on the road to forever? Enter SCAD.

I don’t have a lot of regrets; I find it a waste of energy to regret something, and yet… I regret I did not go to school at Savannah College of Art and Design. I have toured the campus twice, that’s how impressed I am with it. I’ve made friends throughout the years with SCAD graduates and know many colleagues who have SCAD alumni working with them. I hear their name in the creative industry more than any other!

Let’s talk about the campus – first off, there are SCAD campuses not only in Savannah, but in Atlanta, Lacoste, France, and Hong Kong (um, amazing). But the main campus in Savannah is so beautiful I just can’t help but admire it…nestled in historic downtown Savannah, Georgia (you *know* how I feel about that) SCAD has saved and renovated / restored / preserved 70% of the historic buildings. I’m always one for subtle inspiration and I find that a college interlacing perfectly into a city, tucked away behind plaster moulding from the 1800s and beautiful old wooden floors, to be beyond inspiring. The Fashion Marketing building was so beautiful and so whimsically decorated with its wall of eclectic paintings and research room with a fireplace and bookshelf of artifacts that I told our guide it was just rude the students get to have such beauty.

So here we are in my beloved Savannah; let me take you on a tour of one of the most impressive creative institutions I know…

ADMISSIONS

Before we “go to class”, let’s talk about first impressions – they say that’s everything, right?

While we were down in Savannah, everyone was abuzz about SCADstyle, a campuses-wide event happening April 14th-17th which brings together luminaries from the worlds of fashion, jewelry, interior design and other fields for a series of discussions and lectures about the state of design and fashion. This time guests include fashion designer Alexander Wang, renowned graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister, and Domenico De Sole, Chairman at Tom Ford. I want to go back just to hear the digital content panel with Sally Singer, Quentin Jones, Cass Bird (OBSESSED), Sara Moonves and Arnaud Boutin! Even our friends from Dannijo will be speaking!

I’m sure all of these people will walk through SCAD’s main admissions building and why would they not?… it’s GORGEOUS.

One of my *favorite* things about SCAD is how they fill the buildings, halls, shops, restaurants, and town with student and alumni work. The piece I always take a moment to look at each time we are in Savannah is in the admissions building; it is a sculpture of a bee which I find amazing and here is why:

Bees should be extinct.

Natural selection should have eradicated them centuries ago, scientists say. Their bodies are too big for their wings. This is SCAD’s mascot; so chosen because it was widely held that the bee should not be able to aerodynamically fly, yet it does; the school was not expected to do well when it started 35 years ago and yet…it does. The principle the college was founded upon was to give students with interest and passion a chance…to fly…even if they weren’t yet aerodynamically prepared.

FASHION

A couple of years ago I was sitting at Prabal Gurung’s show and I met the man sitting next to me – he was charming and intelligent, and by the end of the conversation I learned that he was Michael Fink, the Dean of Fashion at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Fast forward and here we are, talking about the fashion program of SCAD and reminiscing about that first day we met. He was formerly the Women’s Fashion Director at SAKS for 15 years and now he talks about his student’s work with as much passion as if he just saw a Jason Wu runway show. One of the points he made I found incredibly compelling was that he sees each senior fashion design student’s collection three times throughout the year to advise them and help ultimately guide their success. I asked him where students go on to work after they graduate from the program and as he begin to rattle off a list of the most famous U.S. designers and brands I cut him off and said, “So… basically there are SCAD fashion design alumni everywhere.” and he laughed and said yes.

The fashion design program in Savannah has 400 students in classes that cover fashion illustration, design and accessories. Senior students make six looks for a collection by hand, which they submit to a juried show. Twenty industry professionals narrow the total submissions down to 20 students who are invited to show their collections in a runway show that is well attended by both the local community and recruiters from top fashion houses.

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Guide to Savannah

April 10, 2014March 23, 2016Posted in TravelTagged city, georgia, guide, home, paris of the south, savannah, Savannah Georgia, south, southern, theamericansouth, tour, travel27 Comments

My love for Savannah started on a father / daughter trip about five years ago – obviously I got to pick the destination – and something very strange happened to me…I felt at home there and that took me by surprise. I enjoy Texas, where I was born, and I love New York, the place where my work and dreams are, but every time I get down to this small southern town I get that feeling of peace, that I am where I belong. Savannah has so much of what I love about New York to it: it’s walkable, has great restaurants, beautiful parks, great coffee, art, interesting people, antiques and historic dreaminess. I’ve gone back every year since over and over again, tweaking my list of must-dos, and must-eats. Here is my guide to Savannah if you’re just visiting like me or thinking about going to SCAD one day.