We made a journey to Tybee island this past weekend. This little gem of an island is located about 20 miles from Savannah, GA, and boasts a suprisingly non-pretentious beach community. While we saw new homes advertised as "Starting at only 650,000!", the general feel of the neighborhood was very "local". It didn't seem that any ridiculously extravagant or incredibly large homes existed on the island.

The bottleneck of a highway leading to it is curious. Five miles of random exits and desperate lane changes culminate with 15 miles of 2 lane road. This is further aggravated by the out-of-state plates that insist on going 10 miles under the speed limit, in order to best view the marsh.

We showed up in March, so our visit likely did not reflect the normal density of automotive and pedestrian traffic. We managed to park on a massive 4 lane-street directly across from the beach. The mile preceding, however, was peppered with signs pointing us in the direction of "beach parking lots". The street was like a massive, asphalt desert with little trickles of geriatric-filled Buicks winding through. March was clearly not their "money month".

When we finally stopped for drinks at a delightfully tacky location called "Bahama Bob's", our modest request for outdoor seating was met with a quizzical "Sure,". Apparently they're not used to people drinking outside in 60 degree weather. The "ocean breeze"--which normally conjures images of tropical vacations--was our downfall.

Like many places in the south, Bahama Bob's seemed to be a bar wrapped in a restaurant shell. In the "Deep South", it's apparently illegal to establish a business entirely for the purpose of drinking (heaven forbid). As such, one must be careful where you eat in the South; sometimes a place is a restaurant that serves alcohol, other times it's a bar with an attached kitchen. You don't spend Friday night in a restaurant until 2 AM, and you don't eat good food in a bar (read: pickled turkey gizzards). "Bahama Bob's" was the latter, halfheartedly offering us a menu; we declined, electing to drink our lunch instead.

Tybee seems like a delightful enough place--in March. We're excited to go back at a time when the winds from the Atlantic are welcomed as a reprieve from the heat--not hated for the what little warmth it wisks away!