PFV Day 4: Savannah 2/Carolina Beach, NC

Savannah after dark:

 Guys, what a pretty town at all hours. Today i was like, "I love Savannah!" and Phil was all, "And it loves you too honey. Savannah is one of those cities that gives... and gets." cool.

Danielle had Shrimp and Cheesy Grits for dinner, but couldn't finish is and i was like, "what is wrong with you?" and she was like, "It's filling! I'll take it home." And i was like, "don't miss a drop!"

 Because that shit is gold. So then we found this magical place called Wet Willies, it's a daiquiri bar.

Danielle and I split a large "Bob Marley" on account of the commemorative cup, and Nanc got a "Banana Split."  Both are mixes because our waitress at the last place told us to get the "Call a Cab" and when i asked for it the lady was like, "Um... i don't think you want that, how about i get you a mix with that in there?" and we were like, "Um, Sure!" and then she gave it to us and was like, Yeah the "Call a Cab" is 90 proof grain alcohol.  And WHAT THE FUCK was our waitress trying to do to us, i just don't know. That's when Nanc was smart enough to pursue the menu and pick her own mix out, sans "Call a Cab."

You know one of the best parts about Savannah? You can take your drinks to go:

Good times on River St. Anyway then it was time to go and Nanc wasn't done, so Phil was all, "It's ok, passengers can ride with their drinks." and i was like, "I'm pretty sure they can't..." then he elbowed me in the side and was like, "Your mother can, as long as she sits in the back." 

 Guess what this is:

Honey! They love it out here, but this storefront was espec cool.

Then we went to bed. The next day...

We walked around Savannah:

Hey, what's this?

Oh, a secret garden! sweet.

Pretty.

Actually we were just killing time until we could go to this place:

It's a restaurant in a house that only has two seating at 11am and 1pm, and the line out the door starts at 10. We had two different relatives tell us that they went here, then went back the next day because it was sooo awesome, so there was no way we were going to miss it. We took turns waiting and walking around.

This place really pisses me off, every time i see it i'm infuriated.

 It's called Custard and they sell dresses. WTF? No Custard to be found. Why would they do that to people?

Anyway, lunch time:

I swear it was soooo delicious. Fried Chicken, Pulled Pork, Meatloaf, and then 17 sides. 17 SIDES! All family style too. The sides were sooo the best part. Phil was all, "Pass me some more of that Rudabagel!"

Ugh, i wish i took pictures before, but i was just too excited. Also there's just a glass of ice cold sweet tea waiting for you, and after standing in the sun/hummidity for hours it is just awesome. I love sweet tea (Real sweet tea, none of that northern imitation shit). I probably love sweet tea more then beer (don't tell anyone).

So after lunch it was time to leave. Phil was like, "But we just found this place, i don't want to go." but then he remembered his hotel reservations, and was like, "Hop too, chop-chop!" And so we started on our way...

And immediately got pulled over. Sucks. Nanc was speeding, which the guy even basically said would have been fine if we were on 95, but because we were a mile away it wasn't, ass. So then our car got attacked by these bugs that were totally mating and were disgusting.

I mean they were everywhere. Gross. So then Nanc asked the officer what they are, and he's like, "Oh those? They're love bugs. There molesting my windshield right now, which is why i usually don't pull people over out here." What an ass.

Then we pass a sign that says, "Jesus loves you, peaches in half a mile!" And there they were, selling peaches in the driveway of a gentleman's club. Danielle, "You can get peaches... or peaches!"

So then we go to get gas, and Nanc is all, "Some one needs to clean off my windshield." So Danielle volunteers and write when she goes to pick up the first wiper Phil turns them on and squirts wiper fluid all over her. Then he laughs and is like, "Just kidding, go ahead!" So she glares at us and starts scrubing her little heart out trying to get all the bug remains off the window shield.

So then Phil goes, "They were mating everywhere, like right there!" and Danielle thinks he's pointing to a spot that she missed and gives him "the look."  This is a terrifying thing, because when we were little kids it meant i better shut the fuck up or suddenly be flat on my back getting pummeled from all sides. He must know it too, because he was immediately all, "NO, no i was just pointing out a bug mating spot, you do good work kid!"



There's a hurricane a comin'! We were supposed to go to St. Augustine today, but diverted to Carolina Beach instead for these reasons (but actually because we realized we'd have to drive, like, 10 hrs in one day to get back in time, which meant being in confined quarters with each other for that long. It was quiet for like 3 cricket chirps before Dad was like, "Hey, why don't we just go to a beach in North Carolina!" "Yay!" was the joint response).


Anyway the weather has actually been really nice except for these periodic drizzles that last 2min tops. Anyway Danielle always seems to sleep through them, so whenever she wakes up i'm like, "You missed the Hurricane!" which is especially funny to me. No one else seems to laugh though...

 Today there was a pretty big down pour that lasted for actually quite a while, like 5 min.

Ominous sky!

1 hour in:

Me: What does it say on the Georgia Licence Plate? Like North Carolina's "First in Flight", but what's Georgia?
Dad: I think it says, "Who gives a shit?" There's a thousand of them around, read one.

(turns out their state motto isn't on their license plates... because it's stupid.)




2 hours in:

Me: Dad, can you turn the window locks off?
Dad: I'm driving, Lauren, one thing at a time.
Me: I mean you just have to click that button right above the window button.
Mom: No, it's on the ca-mode. 
Danielle: What?!
Mom: In the center.
Danielle: Oh, the console.
Me: Like i said, it's on the ca-mode.
Dad: Lauren, i'm driving.

3 hours in: 


Me: (singing) Mock-yeah, Ing-yeah, Bird-yeah...
Dad: Lauren, I think it's time for you to take a nap.

4 hours in:

 Dad: (singing) Crazy... i'm crazy for thinking about you...   Sometimes people think i'm crazy.

5 hours in:
 
 Dad: Thank God that truck's taking a right here.
 Danielle: You have to follow the truck.
 Dad: Why?
 Danielle: Because that's where the highway goes. Don't worry, we're only 29 miles from  Georgetown.
 Dad: That's what they all say...

5.5 hours in:

Dad: Hey, there's a Hooter Town!
Danielle: You mean a Hoover Town?
Dad: Yeah, one of those Freudian things. It's so green and flush out here.
Danielle: Plush?
Dad: Yeah, like i said.

6 hours in:

Me: You know what's my favorite part?
Danielle: What?
Me: Getting there.
Dad: Really? Cause mine's being stuck in the car for hours.
Me: Where are we going anyway?
Danielle: Carolina Beach, it's right above Cape Fear.
Dad: Why do they call it Cape Fear?
Danielle: (dead serious) Because the Waters are Treacherous.

Wonderful.  

But finally:

Ahhh!

At first Phil was like, "Everyone's going to enjoy this hotel whether you like it or not. It's the most expensive." Then the lady checking-in in front of us was like, "Can i get the AAA discount?" So Phil's all. Hey, i'm AAA is there any additional discount?  And she's like, "Really you got the best price... unless you're in the military." And dad's like, "I was in the Air Force." and she's like, "Oh, Ok!" then later he's all, "Ok, this was the cheapest hotel, you don't have to enjoy it as much.

 But it's freak'n sweet!! And:

North Carolina BBQ, finally!

Look at this place: Pigs and Chicken, who could ask for anything more?

Look at this:

LOOK AT IT!

 

Incredible. 

We ate a TON today. So DPL and i went for a walk on the beach to work it off (because oBviously a 30min beach walk will work off 6000 calories). Through the treacherous skim, or course. It's like warm bathwater. i love it here. 

PFV Day 3: Savannah, Ga (Part 1)

The day began at 6am, as the sun floated gently above the horizon... for me. For everyone else it started periodically later, but eventually (at 10am) we set out for Old Town Savannah:

 Savannah is one of the most beautiful places i've ever been in my life, also it has delicious food, also it's hot as hell. The first place we came across was Colonial Memorial Park (cemetery).

Proved. It was filled with a ton of old mausoleums and tombs and stuff, cool. 

And all the trees were covered with Spanish Moss (La-da-DA-dA...)  Anyway Nanc "found" some when she "accidentally" grabbed some on a tree and it broke off. 

 But she decided it wasn't long enough, and through it away, to which Phil said, "Sorry Lauren, there goes your Christmas present."

Brick Roads!

 Posing!

 Jealous:

 Stairs!

 Nancy on the Bridge (A portrait by Lauren Pappas)

And then we almost had the Pappas Family Massacre.  Seriously tensions were rising, it was fucking hot out, and we were at a point where we were about to all destroy each other...

But hey, there's nothing some Sweet Tea and Beignets can't fix.

With praline sauce:

I mean look at that shit! So then Nanc was like, "We've got Cold Cuts, if you guys want to skip dinner." And Danielle was like, "Are you Fucking kidding me? The food down here is the best on earth. I'll go back to Sweet Potatoes alone if i have to." You won't Danielle, you won't. Also we're going to this totally awesome place down by the river (it's not a van) so no worries. 

Then we found this totally awesome sweet shop, czech out these awesome coconut cupcakes!

 Bazzongas!!!!
(I showed this picture to Phil and he was like, Who's she... that?"

Ok, so i have this bottle opener my mom got me from Canada, or something. We call it the 'Bear Dildo' because basically it looks like a black bear, then whittles it's way down to a... well the name says it all. But i just found it's cousin:

Ha! Brown Bear Sling Shot Dildo!

If there is a city that has upped it's tourist population more off the production of a single book then Savannah, i don't know it. That book, of course, is Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, an absolutely awesome book but really Savannah, you stand just fine alone. Cut the merchandising.

That being said, we went to the "Garden of Good and Evil," which is actually Bonaventure Memorial Park (cemetery) to look for the statue (we've been spending a lot of our time in cemeteries today). After about 20min of aimlessly driving around Danielle discovered via IPhone that the infamous statue on the cover of the book is no longer in the cemetery, but in a museum in town. Still this place is beautiful. So we decided to walk around a ton.  

Sooooo awesome. Then after a while Phil and i lost everyone (he was sticking close to me because i had the car keys/he's afraid of cemetarys). But Danielle immediately appeared from the mist, so we decided to play man-hunt with Nanc (or mom-hunt, as Phil titled it).

Nope, but that is her last name (creepy)...

sittin' and hope'n, and think'n, and pray'n...

Found her! Gotcha Nanc.

So we all piled into the car and headed back to the hotel, for intermission...

PFV Day 2: Driving

Initially we had big plans to play gin rummy then go to DQ after the restaurant, but then we got home, and everyone fell asleep, except Danielle because she needed ear plugs from Phil's snoring. Sometimes Phil snores so loud he wakes himself up. But when we were all dozing off I was all, "Well, if we wake up early we can see the sunrise!" And Nanc took this to mean, 'At 5am i'll wake everyone up for the sunrise!' Which is exactly what she did.

Wow, beautiful. Then we all went back to sleep, except for me because i wish i knew. Luckily Phil's an early riser, so eventually we took a walk along the beach and found a statue of Neptune (originally known as Poseidon), and vowed to the God of tidal waves and seaweed that we would bring everyone back after breakfast.

Breakfast time:

Here everyone has that, "What are you talking about?" look, so i imagine Nanc is saying something really interesting. If only i knew...

Then i was like, Nanc! Take a picture of me eating grits in front of the ocean, you know, like southern people do!

Wow, look at that ocean, it's so blinding!

 Then we saw dolphins...

Danielle: Look at the dolphins! When Scotty and I went to Hawaii they had spinner Dolphins just out in the ocean.

Dad: Oh yeah, it’s like a sea world show. Your mom and I saw that too.

Danielle:  In Hawaii?

Dad: No, in Florida.

Danielle: At Seaworld?

Dad: maybe.

 Walk time! I found this really cool flower of my hair!

I have just the bow to go with it.

Then we get to Neptune, and our vows are completed. So i'm like, "Dad, get a picture of him dropping the turtle on our heads!

And that's good, but you totally cut off half the statue. So i was like try again. and it took forever, but then randomly he's like... I got it. And i was like, "What? were we even poseing?" and he's like, "Yeah!"

Ok, i don't even know what i'm doing here, probably recreating the "What are you talking about look," but certainly not posing.  So i'm like, "Dad. You have to do this again."

Take 3:

So in an attempt to hide her cup from the camera Danielle's look turned from "Ahhh, don't!" To "I say stop this insanity!" But you know what? Good enough.

Go team Pappas! Ba-nA-Na-NA-na!

 So then we're on the road again. This time Nanc is driving, and she's crazy! She keeps trying to look for maps and paper directions and swerving all over and shit. Meanwhile Danielle's in the pasanger seat with her iphone, trying to give the correct directions. So dad and i do the appropriate thing in this situation, which is to sing country songs at the top of our lungs. Suddenly we quick swerve, and we all look at nanc, who has somehow got a map folded under the steering wheel in attempts to find various routes. And Danielle wanted to kill everybody (legit) so she's all, "Give me that! Just drive." and grabs the map and hides it. You gotta do what you gotta do.

Dad: "We're going to Carolina. Can't you feel the sunshine... can't you just taste the Pork Rinds."

Mom: "Can it, Phil." I laughed SO hard! ha.

Dairy Queen Break:

 Perfect shot. Listen, if you're going to get a Blizzard, it's got to be Vanilla ice cream (Soft Serve!) and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, because every other blizzard pales in comparison. I discovered this at age 8, and it still holds true.

 So then we have this brilliant plan to get BBQ. This is a plan i've had since this trip was just a small ounce of energy in the backseat of my brain. You go to Carolina, you get BBQ. I've been talking about BBQ for, like, two month's straight. At one point Nanc is all, "Are we getting BBQ in Georgia?" and Phil's all," Georgia? That's sissy BBQ. We goin' to Carolina!" So i look up the best place on our route.

Look closely at that white part of the sign, and... it's Monday. I don't want to talk about it.

Then i take a nap because we're listening to Stephen King's 11/23/63, and while the story is really good, it's slow and there's way too much detail/unnecessary dialogue. Then i wake up and there's a farm stand! Life's getting better already.

 Peach cider!

All kozy. I love peach beverages. If you want to know what the best Peach beverage in the world is, it's the Peach Nectar they serve at cracker barrel, but it's only seasonally, you gotta search that shit out. 

When i'm driving Phil like to do crazy things like put his hand right in front of my face pointing out the driver side window and is like, "Look at that!" and, like tell me to slow down and stuff. At one point we get stuck behind like seven trucks on a two way highway, and Phil's all, "Look at this shit show! Those sons of bitches, get over!"

Then Danielle's like, "OK, we're going to take exit 5 onto 17S and it'll be 15min's to Georgia." Then immediately after she stops talking:

Dad: What exit?
Mom: Which Highway are we taking?
Dad: How long until we reach Georgia?
Danielle: Can anyone in this family hear?!

 And i nearly pulled a Nanc swerve, but from laughter.

And then it was clear that we had been driving for 8 hrs, and needed to get somewhere fast. And we do! Welcome to the Oglethorpe hotel in Savannah, Georgia!

We get there, and Dad's all, "Stay in the car, i'll take care of this!" and runs out. Then, like 5min later he comes out of know where, and opens the back door, where Nanc is oBliviously reading and is like, "AHHH!"

And we're like, Why didn't you just open your door?" and he's like, "I wanted to be clear." Okay. Time to unload!

The elevator door totally almost slammed shut in my face.

Dad's in charge of unloading, he's like: first trip is Nanc's stuff!

Kidding. But why do we have so much stuff? The world may never know.

Weeping willows and Spanish moss!

There's a ton of Spanish moss out here, and whenever it appears someone says, "Look, Spanish moss!" and then Phil sings, "La-da-Da-da-DA... the Spanish mosSSS!" It happens alot.

Then i found this place online called Sweet Potatoe's. So we went for some Southern cooking dinner, and it was delish!

I had Gumbo with black eyed peas and collard greens. Danielle had this peach glazed chicken with cheese grits and okra, and mom and dad split blackened catfish with baked sweet potato with brown sugar and tons of butter that was sent from the heavens. And they had this beer sweetwater 420 pale ale that i've been dying to try.  This place was SOOO good, so i guess everyone misses bbq for a reason, plus we're going on the way back, NO JOKE.

Dessert:

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie, Sweet Potato Pie, and Banana Pudding (man v food says this is the best banana pudding on the planet, but disagree. Still delicious though). The CCPP was DIVINE, and wins the Pappas best dessert of the day award (and that's quite the honor).

Meanwhile, back at the Oglethorpe:

So then we get to the hotel, and Phil's like: Alright girls, this is your room:

Guess i'll take the chair, dick (Kidding). But then i was getting changed this morning and i was like, "Dad, don't come into this room." And of course he's like, "What?" and walks directly in, and Danielle's like, "Can anyone in this family hear?"  Then i was like, "Danielle, heAr's the thing (ba-dom CHING!): you have to know in this family as soon as you say something, you are going to have to immediately repeat it in segmented questions, but once you accept this everything will be okay." Then she punched me in the face and we went to catch our trolley.