Tag: the south

Snapshots from Savannah

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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.

Savannah, Georgia Savannah, Georgia Continue reading “Snapshots from Savannah” →

Snapshots from Savannah

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A trip down to savannah, georgia and a stay at SCAD's Magnolia Hall.

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.

A trip down to savannah, georgia and a stay at SCAD's Magnolia Hall. A trip down to savannah, georgia and a stay at SCAD's Magnolia Hall. A trip down to savannah, georgia and a stay at SCAD's Magnolia Hall.

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Helen’s Guide to Charleston

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The best recommendation is by word of mouth…

So yesterday we chatted with Helen about her life, business, and home as part of a very special series on inspiring women across the United States in partnership with Pandora…but today she’s taking us on the town! She gave us a list of her Charleston favorites – “I’m listing a lot of food because it’s so good!” – and we headed out to see what Charleston, South Carolina was all about…

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First I made her take me to her pop-up shop, Pretend Store, where we chatted with the current designer in house, Proud Mary’s Harper Poe.

“We used to have our office in the little building that is now Pretend Store. We bought the building and renovated it a few years ago and when it was time to move out we didn’t know what we wanted to do with it so Pretend Store happened. It started as a way to bide our time while we figured out then longer plan for the building and turned into a way for us to connect with people that we’ve kind of had design crushes on. We rent the building to each participant for the month and then they do with it whatever they want. It’s been really fun seeing the space transformed time and time again. “

  

 

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