i have some mixed feelings about the south. i may have been born in la to jersey / californian parents but as much as i downplay it, i very much grew up in the south. i lived in atlanta, went to college at the other usc (south carolina) and spent a big chunk of my adolescence on hilton head island, sc. i even worked at a popular tourist-filled bbq restaurant on the island for a few summers + holidays. as i got older it dawned on me how … conservative the south could be and so i beelined out of there to new york city and really haven’t been back all that much since. it’s refreshing to see that a lot has changed since those days and that at least some things are getting more progressive.
my parents recently moved from san diego back to the south so going back became inevitable — i’m typing this on my flight back back from visiting them in hilton head for the first time in many years... it’s kind of wild how little has changed on the island. i thought we’d have time to visit charleston (my favorite southern city - love its food + bev scene and that its old southern charm can muster up a slight california feel), but it didn’t shake out. i did get to show b savannah though (also near and dear to my heart).
where to…
atlanta, ga:
atl has its fill of southern fried food + bbq and all that. but i rec you stay at hotel clermont, get your little treat at hell yeah gluten free, lunch at krog (my favorite’s recess), bop around the beltline, app + drink at staplehouse, saving room for late night bites at atlanta’s go-to, waffle house. order your hashbrowns scattered smothered diced capped + peppered.
savannah, ga:
savannah’s a favorite with its arty kid feel since scad’s based there. oat cappuccino at perc, walk thru the historic squares covered in spanish moss all the way down to river street with a drink in hand to combat the tourists (no open container rules!), visit the very la-y shoppy shop provisions, have yourself a $8 happy hour glass of natural wine at late air and dinner at the grey in an old art deco greyhound bus terminal. if you have more time in savannah, visit tybee island for a little beach moment.
hilton head island, sc:
i’ve taken for granted all the time spent on the manicured bike paths all around this lush island. unfortunately my childhood closet had a t-shirt from just about every establishment on the island, including just about a whole wardrobe of varying salty dog tees :/ if we’re being honest here, my aim screen name at one point was saltyd828 before i landed on my personal favorite: enchiladababe82…
okay back to hhi — stay at a kindred or airbnb in sea pines, rent a beach cruiser to get around and slow down on island time. the island’s full of tourist trap seafood restaurants but the best in the game hands down’s the sea shack. locals and tourists alike will stand in quite the line to order at the counter. you can’t really go wrong but trust me, and order their homemade shrimp burger that comes with hushpuppies and two sides (go for the fries and sweet potato cornbread). you’ll see both hushpuppies and buffalo shrimp on every menu so don’t leave the island without getting your fill of each. i had an obsession with (virgin!) piña coladas at a young age (in hindsight maybe why i often found myself at the commodore in bk). but going back it makes sense given there’s no shortage of frozen drinks on the island to combat the insanely muggyyy humidity. so i made sure bryan got a slew of frozen drinks (and many brain freezes) at frosty frog, tiki hut + salty dog’s happy hour boat cruise.
charleston, sc:
still bummed out i didn’t get to visit charleston this time around, but i know i’ll be back. charleston was a quick 90 min drive from good ol columbia (usc) so i’d visit friends there and got to know it pretty well. i remember vividly hearing/watching the talking heads stomp around for the first time in the background at a college of charleston house, and it felt very fitting. it’s been too long so i’m a little out of date on my recs i can vouch for, but the internet has me believing that bar rollins is just a perfect little quintessential natural wine bar. i remember being a big fan of the ordinary, leon’s, husk, and xiao bao biscuit at the time. oh, and i was infatuated with caviar & bananas, owned by nyc’s dean & deluca (rip) alums. walking along king street + the battery is touristy but also charleston-y. folly beach is a good time if you have some beach time to kill. i’m sure there’s a lot of cool spots that have opened since my charleston trips so i guess i’ll just have to return to the south to find out.
nashville, tn:
east nashville has a slight brooklyn meets austin feel to it and there you can probably avoid all the bachelorettes stomping up and down broadway. stay at the dive motel, coffee at barista parlor, brunch + drink breakfast wine (!) at lou, browse all the (way more affordable than la) vintage shops, dinner at locust, drink (+ fries!) at dino’s + end your eve with karaoke at santa’s pub.
la happenings + openings:
west altadena wine + spirits - silverlake wine’s expansion into altadena with good neighbor bar opening next door later this summer
triple beam santa monica - the westside finally gets in on the triple beam action after a long awaited opening. both altadena wine + triple beam pizza are clients so i’m there a bunch and it’s safe to say both neighborhoods are better off with these welcome additions
the benjamin - just opened in hollywood by the hundreds founder (+ my old becca coworker friend kate as a partner!) with la classics. going to snag a seat the bar to fill up on martinis, shrimp cocktail + chocolate chip cookies.
now playing:
any way by l’imperatice + maggie rogers
into this whole album by l’imperatice but maggie makes it even that much better
paid subscribers, access to the full where to southern guide + google map bookmarks are all below.