Return to Savannah, Part II: A cruise on the Georgia Queen

 We'd seen the Georgia Queen (pictured above) on every visit to Savannah since 2017, but we never felt inclined to check out what the cruise ship was about.

That changed last month. I will say -- as a testament to how much the COVID pandemic stops to  make you think about doing certain things -- that we hesitated for a moment before discussing whether to try out the Georgia Queen. But when we realized we were going to be on its outer decks the whole 90 minutes of the relatively brief excursion, we decided not to fret. 

The Georgia Queen has elaborate tourist offerings, such as a nighttime dinner cruise. This would have had us in a confined area inside the vessel, not to mention its greater expense, so we decided not to even consider that. We'd do the simple daytime cruise from the downtown dock point west to a short ways pass the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, a cable-stayed cantilever span. The the Queen turns around and cruises in the other direction almost to the river's mouth at the Atlantic Ocean when it turns around again and heads back to port.

Above and next four below: One thing you come across a lot while on the daytime cruise ... is other vessels, large and small. The boat above is the free ferry from River Street to Hutchinson Island, where the city's convention center and adjoining Westin Savannah Hotel. But Savannah also is a major harbor for massive cargo ships as seen in the photos below. 

 

 

I went a little overboard when the Georgia Queen passed under the Talmadge Bridge, composing from all sides and angles, illustrated by the photos above and below. 

The next popular subject in my shoot aboard the Georgia Queen was the golden dome on Savannah City Hall, illustrated in the shots above and next four below.

The Westin Hotel (above) and adjoining convention center (below) on Hutchinson Island. 

The Cracked Earth Monument to soldiers who died in World War II (above) and a slice of the Savannah riverfront (below). 

East of the riverfront promenade there is heavy industry, exhibited in the picture and above and two below. 

Above and below: A cannon is fired from the grounds of old Fort Jackson. Our tour guide told us that the firings are timed to coincide with each Georgia Queen passing to entertain passengers. 

Above: Our tour guide says the vessel above is a wreck. I don't know how long it's been there, or whether it will remain there permanently. 

 

Above:  A view looking southwest from the Georgia Queen. The twin spires of St. John the Baptist Cathedral can be seen just left of the large structure.  

Several people in a section of the riverfront plaza (above) seemed enthralled by the Georgia Queen's return to port. Not far from them, and closer to the dock point, one of several daily riverfront street musicians performs (below). 

 

Next Up: More of the Historic District

PREVIOUSLY IN THE SERIES: 

Part I: Colonial Park Cemetery

Return to Savannah, Ga., Part II

While in Savannah last week, I put the camera in my new iPhone X to heavy use. I shot it for all of my night pictures, which included several dozen I took on a nighttime guided tour of Savannah's holiday attractions in a trolley.

The tour made stops at the Davenport House Museum, 324 E. State St., in the old section of the city and at the Westin Hotel on Hutchinson Island. The Westin was hosting an annual Christmas gingerbread house competition. The photo leading off the post was taken from behind the Westin looking across the Savannah River.

I was pleased with the iPhone X camera; its portrait feature is particularly good. It automatically throws the background into a blur. But generally -- and this is only after limited use --  I have to say that I haven't found it that much better than the iPhone 6 camera I had been using the past two years. All of the photos in this post were taken with the iPhone X.

As always, to view a larger, sharper version of an image, simply click on it. To see a full gallery of images from my trip to Savannah, click on the link in this sentence.

Above and below: Shots from inside The Collins Quarter cafe and bar, 151 Bull Street. 

At The Collins Quarter, I had a lamb sandwich (above), which came with fries; Lee Ann had a pulled pork and bacon topped with hollandaise sauce (below). I also enjoyed a pint of an IPA from a local craft brewery (second below).

Above: A light flashes different colors along the side of the Indigo Hotel. This magenta color is an example. Some others can be found in the main gallery. 

Above: A line pattern I noticed exiting the Davenport House, one of the stops on the nighttime holiday lights trolley cruise.

Lee Ann made our reacquaintance with the Johnny Mercer tribute statue in Ellis Square on Friday morning. We used the opportunity to illustrate the iPhone X camera's portrait feature. The photo above was taken using the camera's normal setting; the one below, using the portrait setting. Notice the bokeh feature below; the camera chooses a wide aperture to provide this.

Above and next four below are examples of some of the gingerbread houses we saw at the Westin Hotel on Hutchinson Island.

Above is a wall hanging in our hotel room in Savannah. 

More wall art (above), this time from Savannah Coffee Roasters, 215 W. Liberty St., where we had breakfast on the morning we left to head home. More examples of the wall art there can be found in the full gallery.

Above and below: Two shots from the couple dozen or so that I shot as we crossed the Highway 17 bridge leaving Savannah to head home.