Day 169 - March 31, 2013: Easter in Savannah

The most famous church in Savannah is Christ Church Episcopal, established in 1733, where John Wesley was the pastor. We went inside and it is as beautiful as any church we have been in here in the U.S. Then, we attended Easter services at the Trinity Methodist Church, built in 1848, where its external restoration in 2005 won an Award of Excellence from the Historic Savannah Foundation.

Christ Church Episcopal (1733)

Trinity Methodist Church (1848)

The waterfront dock, where we are located, is along River Street. This is where the Cotton Exchange, which was a major commercial activity in the 19th century, was established. Cotton was brought here by ship or rail, and brokers representing the farmers bid to establish the price of cotton to be passed on to the larger markets such as New York or London. The brokers stood on these overpass bridges and examined the cotton which was passed by below to bid the price. Today, the buildings facing the river where the cotton was stored (on the right in the picture) are filled with restaurants, shops and hotels.

River Street Cotton Exchange

There are free water taxis, named after local historic figures, that run from the River Street Docks across to the Convention Center and Westin Hotel every 15 minutes all day and into the evening. Their wakes do bounce us around a bit, but they provide an important service, seem to be well utilized, and we have gotten used to them.

Juliette Gordon Low water taxi

We have been eagerly following NCAA Basketball, and today, Michigan beat Florida to make it into the Final Four! I have the University of Michigan burgee displayed and proudly wore my Michigan shirt along the dock. It is amazing how many people are stopping by to tell us they are from Michigan, as well.