My adventurous self – The View from Lajeune

Before my entry into the media Industry

In my latest blog post Back to Broadcast Media Sales! of the Broadcast and Media Industry series, I ended with how much the media industry has changed over the past 35+ years and how it continues to evolve due to the impact of the internet and streaming channels. You should really read the aforementioned blog post before you continue with this one…

But I need to back up now because my real beginning in the Media industry was at the tender age of 22 at a community led public broadcast TV station in Bridgeport, CT.

I graduated from college back in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Media Studies from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. Media Studies was an interesting field because we were taught a little bit about different media industries such as Public Relations, Television, Radio, Newspaper, Magazines and Photography. It was just enough to peak your interest in what you might want to pursue further. In my case I was fascinated my both Broadcast Television and Broadcast Radio.

However, once I earned my college degree, I continued to work the next 3 to 4 months in the same sales support position I held in college. It was at a Bridgeport, CT financial services firm. I also continued with my internship from the Summer before where I worked at a Bridgeport, CT Public Broadcasting TV station for a Minister from a local African American Baptist church. Minister John and I collaborated on this gospel TV show called Lifeline Gospel Videos. He was the host of the show and I was responsible for interviewing gospel artists over the telephone, writing up and editing their biographical stories and broadcasting these stories on air in 2 to 3 minute increments. My segment was called Bio-Line Gospel Videos. And it took me all week long to write, create, produce and serve as the talent for one segment. This was back in the 80s so the videos stories were saved on Betacam and converted to VHS for home use. Working on these video stories with the gospel artists was truly a labor of love. I am particularly fascinated by everyday peoples’ stories and I also love to share them with others so this opportunity was Win/Win. What wasn’t Win/Win was that this was an internship so I did not get paid one thin dime and as much as I loved my job, it did not pay the rent or the bills so consequently when it came time to put in my notice to the financial services firm so I had time to devote to the field I just earned a degree in, I quickly shed the public broadcasting TV station internship as well.

In my mind I was still on the right track though as the goal post college was to gain as much experience in the media industry as possible so by starting early with the Public Broadcasting TV gig, I had a little leg up on building my resume. I called myself being “paid in experience” so I could command a certain salary for when I entered the field of Media. In my opinion, back in the 80s, the media industry was like a closed fist. There were lots and lots of people looking to get in and very few openings. So it took a lot to pry open that “fist” and receive an open position (and this was both behind the scenes and in front of the scenes) as the supply of jobs truly exceeded the demand. And this was at a time where the pay scale in Media (especially for behind the scenes positions) was extremely low but this did not deter people from trying to get into what was perceived as the “glamour field.”

As I mentioned, post college was when I discovered that living in Bridgeport, CT was not working for me anymore as I needed to be closer to a TV station and the closest, WTNH “Action News 8,” was located in New Haven, CT. As luck with have it, my sister Casandra and her husband Alfredo were living in New Haven, CT at the time. They had not yet purchased their forever home in Ledyard, CT so they were living in a large 2 bedroom apartment in the Edgewood neighborhood. I asked Casandra (since my plans of moving to the Washington, DC area after college and working in Media recently imploded) if I could stay with her and Alfredo until I got on my feet and they both graciously agreed. I stayed with the two of them all Summer long rent free while looking for work as well as looking for an apartment. Casandra was instrumental in finding me my first apartment, a Studio apartment on Whitney Avenue in the East Rock neighborhood of New Haven, CT. The rent was $375 a month plus utilities for essentially one large room with a teeny tiny kitchenette, a teeny tiny dining area and a separate full bathroom. I bought a tiny dining table and chairs for the dining area, a daybed for the living area because it served the dual purpose of a couch in the daytime and a bed at night. The kitchenette was way too small to fit in any furniture. Oh and yes, housing was very affordable back then and this unit was perfect for me (smile).

My apartment was located right on a bus line which was ideal because my car had died on the Merritt Parkway earlier that Summer and I really had no other way to get around.

As far as work, I chose to register with an employment agency so I could make money while focusing on finding a job in Media. Right after registering, I was sent by the agency the following day to Easter Seals Goodwill Industries in New Haven, CT to work as a Job Coach. As it turned out, the supervisors and Administrators loved me so much that they tried to convince me to stay and make a career of it. I made it clear to them that I was on a mission to break into the Media industry and nothing was going to get in my way (smile). I liked everyone there and I believed in their mission but not working in media was not an option (double smile).

As luck would have it, a few months down the road I spied a Want Ad in the Classifieds section of the New Haven Register newspaper for a Local Sales Assistant at WTNH Action News 8! I was overqualified so of course I got the job (smile).

I was elated. This was my first entry into Broadcast Media as well as my first real paying job in the Broadcast Media industry so life was good – for reference please read My Entry into Broadcast Media Sales.

In the next entry of the Broadcast and Media industry blog post series I will chat about the differences between working in the sales departments of Print Media, Broadcast TV and Broadcast Radio stations.

Sincerely,

TVFL

Don’t Call Me A Senior!

We are roughly one month away from the end of the year – another year flying by way too quickly. And, as it turns out, my birthday (Valentine’s Day which falls on the second holiday of the New year) is quickly approaching. So I will turn 64 years old on February 14th, 2026 God willing. Which brings me to my dilemma. I don’t consider myself a Senior Citizen. And I say it with a straight face (smile).

Technically speaking I am not yet a Senior Citizen since the state of Connecticut defines a Senior Citizen as a state resident who is 65 years or older in terms of program eligibility like Social Security, Property Tax Relief, Medicare and other state aid.

There are, however, some programs and/or services in the state of Connecticut which consider 55 as the starting age. As a matter of fact 13 years ago when I turned 50, AARP had the nerve to send me an unsolicited membership card! I tossed it in the trash (smile). Clearly they had confused me with my next door neighbor who, at that time in my life, was most certainly a Senior Citizen (smile).

Another thing. My name Le Jeune means ‘The Young’ in French so that might have something to do with my age obsession (smile). True story: While reading Jet magazine, my late mother Jean found my name attached to a very popular African American model who had just won an award in Cannes, France. The model’s name was Le Jeune Hundley and, as it turned out, she traveled to France because it was easier for a black woman from the United States to find modeling work in France then it was in the U.S. At any rate my mother loved the name, but changed the first E to an A, dropped the capital in J, closed the letters together and Voila! named me (her 5th daughter) after this model. Here is a picture of Le Jeune Hundley on the cover of Jet magazine:

By the way her name was misspelled here by Jet Magazine…

Another concern of mine is that scientists have identified the 5 stages of the human brain and 66 (or the mid-60s) is when the so-called Early Aging phase begins. This is the phase when people face increased risk for a variety of health conditions that can affect the brain, such as hypertension. Hence why I wake up 5 days a week at the crack of dawn (430am) to work out from 5am to 6am at Orangetheory Fitness in Hamden. I’m usually one of the oldest members in my class but I can still keep up with everyone (smile).

And also why I (as of the Covid Pandemic of 2020) completely cut alcohol (in my case – Wine) out of my life and continue to work very hard to eat clean and nutritious meals. It can be harsh (especially around the holidays) so I allow myself to cheat from time to time. Like the other day when I went with my girlfriends Sherry and Thais to see Wicked 2 at the Cinemark movie theater and treated myself to a Medium popcorn with extra movie theater butter (smile).

I truly believe life is for living and I have reiterated it as much in more than one of my previously written blog posts. I will continue to not act my age and just enjoy life to the fullest. So unless I am getting a serious Senior Citizen discount, you will not know when I am in fact a Senior Citizen.

I will be a selective Senior Citizen (smile)

Sincerely,

TVFL

The Big Easy

I can finally check off that I traveled to The Big Easy aka New Orleans, Louisiana while on vacation. Ever since I saw the movie The Big Easy starring Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin I’ve been so wanting to go. That movie was a hoot! And it came out in 1986 – 39 years ago! Then 13 years ago I saw another movie about Louisiana that resonated with me but in a much different way. It was called Beasts of the Southern Wild and it came out in 2012. It starred then 6 year old Quvenzhane Wallis who was nominated for Best Actress Oscar at the tender age of 9 for her groundbreaking performance. A phenomenal movie which I will never forget. So much so that I held off traveling to Louisiana because the movie was all about the forgotten people in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and I did not want to even think about the horror and destruction…So here we are in 2025 and it’s the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina so of course I’m going (smile).

In real life I make all of the travel arrangements for me and James, my life partner, so while browsing online for hotels in the French Quarter, I searched for some place real, some place authentic, a place that would speak to the New Orleans experience. I booked our hotel stay at The Royal Sonesta – New Orleans, a luxury hotel situated right on Bourbon Street. I chose it so that we could truly be surrounded by all the sights and sounds of the city. I did not choose wrong. The Royal Sonesta – New Orleans took up a whole city block, featured a doorman and was outfitted with 3 uniquely different restaurants – Desire Oyster Bar, The Jazz Playhouse and Restaurant Revolution. As part of it there was also a lively bar facing the street called Le Booze’ as well as PJ’s Coffee House of New Orleans which sold coffee, sandwiches, fruit, pastries and such. Our hotel room with an interior balcony and king sized bed was located on the 3rd floor where (lucky for us!) The Oasis Bar at the Pool was also located and open from 7am to dusk.

Our King Sized Bed

With Interior Balcony

Wisely enough The Royal Sonesta gave us a $15 dollar a day credit to be used at any of the aforementioned properties and we had only 6 days and 5 nights to explore the French Quarter so explore it we did (smile).

Sunday October 12th

Did I mention that we traveled in the month of October? You would not have known it was October because the weather felt like late August back in New England where I’m from – here it was mid to high 80s all week long, little or no humidity and sunshine for days!

We checked in well after the designated time of 4pm because the hotel had a huuuuuge party the night before that had just dispersed so our rooms were not ready. We gave them our luggage to store away and headed through the courtyard to Desire Oyster Bar to try some of those chargrilled oysters we had heard so much about from friends back home.

After picking up and dropping off our bags in our now finished room we headed out (by the way you do not need a car in the French Quarter as everything is accessible by foot, by pedicabs, by horse and buggy carriages, by trolley, by bus, by ferry, by boat, by Uber or by limousine.

We were starving, the dozen of chargrilled oysters were good but real salty so they just exacerbated my hunger. We stopped at a place nearby called The House of Buns where I ordered the Red Beans and Rice.

The House of Buns

Louisiana’s classic staple Red Beans and Rice

Afterwards we walked the streets and I felt like I was in the middle of Spring Break for all ages: young, old and in between. Lots of people walking everywhere but from what we heard the crowds were thin and nothing like what was to come, i.e., Thursday night and the weekend…

A looooong game of Chess with Bayou Bobby and his latest prey (smile)

It was around this time that I started feeling tired (I had woke up that morning at 5am for our long travel day which took us from Bradley Airport in Windsor, CT to Charlotte, North Carolina and finally to New Orleans, Louisiana) so I was beat. Not to mention the hour time change…But nothing a hot shower and a good night’s sleep wouldn’t fix.

Monday, October 13th

We woke up late on Monday morning (I think it was after 830am which is late to me since in real life I wake up at 430am 5 days a week to head to the Orangetheory gym in Hamden for a kick-a– class (smile).

We decided on visiting The Garden District on our first day so we could get closer to the water. We took a City trolley there for one low price of $3.00 (the ticket to ride lasted all day long for trolleys and/or buses).

You can ride the trolley or bus all day long on any given day for just 3 dollars!

We were starved when we arrived in the Garden District so we rang the bell and got off in front of this cute French restaurant called La Boulangerie on Magazine Street – like a lot of the fast casual restaurants – you order your food first, take your number and find a table. The waitress or waiter then brings your food and drink to your table. I ordered a sausage, egg and cheese on an english muffin and a double expresso. It was delish~

Delish breakfast at La Boulangerie on Magazine Street

We headed to the Riverwalk Mall where there were restaurants, shops and you guessed it, the river (smile). It was another beautiful day so we walked the boardwalk, went window shopping in the mall and then headed out to Caesar’s Casino to get our gambling on.

We did not feel like waiting for a trolley car or bus to arrive so on the way back we caught a pedicab for just $20 bucks and our driver pedaled us back to the hotel in no time.

After a quick shower and fresh clothes, we headed out for dinner and this time we dined at Nola because they had an upstairs balcony with al fresco dining so we could people watch while we ate.

Nola Restaurant

Taking a picture in front of the Hotel Monteleon

James’s delicious shrimp dish

Then we bar hopped (not for drinks but for live bands and karaoke) and were back in our hotel room by midnight.

Halloween starts early here…

The Cat’s Meow

Cannot remember the name but I loved the music

Tuesday October 14th

We ate breakfast at the hotel this morning – Desire Oyster Bar (yes, they serve breakfast too!). I had a huge bowl of steel cut oats with candied pralines, brown sugar and raisins and a large coffee. It was delish!

Desire serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and even boasts a happy hour!

After breakfast we spent the day poolside at The Oasis Bar at the Pool to soak up the sun and relax before taking a shower, changing our clothes and heading out to Mother’s Restaurant. My girlfriend Jeani in Atlanta works for Delta Airlines and she and her husband Brian travel everywhere so when she makes a recommendation, we listen (smile). We walked to the restaurant as it was only about 12 minutes away. It was crowded! We waited in the ordering line, took our number and looked for a table way in the back because the front of the restaurant was already jam packed with people. I had Jerry’s Jambalaya with cabbage and red beans and rice. I drank iced water with lemon (actually I drank iced water with lemon with all of my meals as number 1: I don’t drink alcohol anymore and number 2: I knew I would be consuming an extraordinary amount of food on this vacay (smile).

Poolside at Oasis by the Bar pool

Soaking up the sunshine

The famous Mother’s Restaurant

Mouthwatering dishes

With long lines

At night we bar hopped again (for live music and karaoke) and found a spot where the singer originally from New Orleans had a rich and powerful voice. We stayed out that night ’till 11pm then went back to our room and hung out on our balcony deck which faced the courtyard, not the street.

The hotel room door which led to our balcony

Wednesday October `15th

We woke up late again and headed to Desire Oyster Bar for breakfast where I had the same thing – a huge bowl of steel cut oatmeal with candied pralines, brown sugar and raisins. Then we headed to the Nola Visitor Center to buy 2 tickets to an Airboat Swamp Tour (James’s pick). We purposely opted to not go on a lot of tours for this trip as we felt as if we could navigate the city without them. But this tour spoke to James so I agreed (smile).

Our Swamp tour was on a small airboat which carried up to 10 passengers. With transportation to the pier and the tour it cost us $119 per person. It was worth it though because we went deep into the swamp and stayed for almost 2 hours with a tour guide who was native to the area – 5th generation bayou family member – he regaled us with stories of him and his friends hanging out in the swamp when they were little boys looking for alligators and snakes. He called the swamp his “backyard.” I called him our Crocodile Dundee (smile).

The picture that was made for us before we even stepped into the Airboat (smile).

The alligators loved the marshmallows we fed them because of their white color

For lunch we found a cool looking restaurant called Crescent City Brewhouse on Decatur Street where I ordered the wild tagliatelle pasta with grilled chicken and a side salad.

Delish pasta dish

Yummy close-up

Fun Fact: Our waiter, Joshua G. was also a budding actor. He told us he was on pins and needles about a 2nd call back he just received for a role he was praying about and then told us he played the Jamaican dude in Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell’s Get Hard movie. I googled “Jamaican in Get Hard with Kevin Hart” later that day and watched Joshua’s scene with a big smile on my face. He was very good!

After we ate we went out for a long walk where we ran into the Louie Armstrong Park and more street performers. Even one who sounded like so much like John Legend that we thought the outdoor restaurant was playing his song, Ordinary People on loud speakers. It was another beautiful day.

I notice there is a lot of talent in this town – American Idol should take notice – this singer sounds just like John Legend~

We then took the trolley back to Bourbon Street and walked into a record store called Peaches Records! I was so surprised because it’s not every day you see a record store in a city. As it turned out, this record store was unique in that it used to be a Woolworth’s Store back in the 1960s where one of the more notable sit-ins took place. Seven students staged a sit-in at the Woolworths lunch counter to protest racial segregation.

Peaches Records

Sitting at the lunch counter of one of the first sit-ins for racial segregation

Thursday October 16th

We were running out of time but could not leave New Orleans without at least trying a beignet – so many people, including my gym friend Penthy, told me how goooood the beignet was. As it turned out there was a Cafe Beignet right across from our hotel. At this Cafe Beignet the dining was al fresco and it featured live jazz musicians, in this case a 3 piece band. I had scrambled eggs with white cheddar cheese and bacon on a plain bagel with black coffee. James had 3 different flavored beignets so I took a bite out of one of his beignets (smile). It was tasty for sure.

Al Fresco dining at Cafe Beignet with live jazz musicians

My Egg, Bacon and Cheddar Cheese Bagel sandwich with coffee

That night for dinner we ate at Acme Restaurant which my gym friend Anne M. highly recommended. We had tried to go to Acme Restaurant on Monday night but there was a large water main break that night which shut down all of the restaurants and bars on the street. The TV news reporter was there interviewing one of the chefs so I had to smile since I’m in the TV industry.

Can’t go anywhere without seeing a TV news reporter (smile)

Anyway, we waited in line at Acme because it was so popular and then were seated in the back. I enjoyed the seafood medley which was well worth the wait.

Acme Restaurant (see the line behind me)

My delicious dish – a Seafood Medley – at Acme Restaurant

That night we listened to live jazz music but this time at The Jazz Playhouse in our hotel. I drank 2 mocktails as we listened to the sounds of The Brass-A-Holics. This group was incredible as they all played musical instruments including the saxophone which is my personal favorite. I would have taken pictures of these gorgeous male musicians but my phone had died – bummer! At the end of the night The Brass-A-Holics summoned everyone out of their seats to follow them around the restaurant where we all marched/danced to When the Saints Go Marching In. It was another memorable evening spent with people whom I’ll probably never see again in my life (smile).

Friday October 17th

Travel day – I have to note: Traveling by air today is exhausting and it really tries your nerves – we almost missed our connection two times (one time on the way to Louisiana, one time on the way back from Louisiana) through no fault of our own. Another thing – on the flight headed to New Orleans our Pilot informed us that he thought he was going home after his shift had ended but was asked at the last minuteto stay on and take our flight so I’m thinking, Oh no, he’s really tired… Anyway, he then proceeded to tell us that 3 things needed to be fixed before we could actually take off so our flight would be delayed but he would keep us posted as each one was completed. He came back after each one was completed to let us know the status. On the 3rd “thing” he accidentally said it was ‘good enough’ and then changed it to mean it easily passed all of the tests but all I kept thinking was ‘good enough.’ Yikes! As it turned out, God protected us and got us back safely so I really have nothing to complain about right?!? (smile).

At any rate, here are my memories of New Orleans in October:

Beautiful sunny and hot weather

Bare legged tattooed ladies

Daiquiris and pizza shops

Jello Shots

Po’Boys

Loud competing music in the streets

Independent art galleries in the Art District

Apartments, condos and homes with unique architecture and ironwork balconies

Street sweepers in the early morning cleaning up the mess from the night before

Poverty stricken children of color drumming on empty canisters for dollars

Homeless sleeping in the street

Young male street performers holding court on Bourbon Street while entertaining the crowds

Caleb the funny doorman at The Royal Sonesta

Sincerely,

TVFL

Saturday in the (Central) Park

In Connecticut this week it’s hotter than July, the weekend is always right around the corner and there’s no sign of rain so What to do, What to do, What to do. New York City seemed like a good option and it is quite literally a Metro North train ride away. So me and my partner in crime hopped on the New Haven train on that Saturday with the idea of exploring Central Park – a park that I personally had not been back to visit in over 25 years (gasp!) and literally gave no thought about. It was his idea, I was thinking South Street Seaport so it took him a minute to convince me to change my mind (smile).

Here are some fun facts I discovered about Central Park during my quick online research while on the Metro North train ride:

1) Central Park is bigger than some countries. There are 843 acres in the plot starting on the Upper West Side of NYC, measuring 2.5 miles long and 0.5 miles broad.

2) Central Park is the oldest public park in the United States – the plans for the park were approved in the year 1853.

3) Central Park is one of the most popular filming locations in the world – some of these films include Home Alone 2, Enchanted, Elf, The Avengers, Stuart Little and John Wick 2.

4) There are 58 miles of pedestrian routes in Central Park. Because it is so large, my recommendation would be to focus on the famous sights such as Strawberry Fields, Cherry Hill and Bethesda Fountain.

5) Central Park has only one single straight line – this park was purposely designed to have a natural flow of nature in it so the only straight line in the park can be found at The Mall.

6) It is the United States most visited park with 42 million visitors annually and only 14 % of those are first time visitors – the rest are mostly local New Yorkers or visitors coming back!

7) And last but not least, you will be shocked to learn that Central Park is entirely artificial – looks can be deceiving but all of the parks natural features are man made. All of the lakes, forested areas and hills in the park were all artificially created.

We caught the NYC Subway from Grand Central Station to Central Park – it is not so easy to navigate the Subway – nothing is as clear as it could be including the simple purchase of a MetroCard from the vending machine. The vending machine never once mentions the price of it, just that you can buy one card to use on an unlimited basis or a single card to be used once. At any rate we finally figured it out – it costs $9.00 for the unlimited MetroCard and $1.00 for the processing fee. We shared the MetroCard which did not last us too long because a single Subway ride is $2.90 (smile).

Standing in front of the Subway stop to our way back to Grand Central Station

We both wanted to make the most of our day trip to NYC (time wise) so we had already decided on renting Electric bikes – all the rage now as everybody and their grandmother seemed to have the same idea on that Saturday (smile).

We ordered the 2 E bikes online while on the 1 hour and 45 minute train ride from a store called Bike Rental Central Park which appealed to us as it was located just across the street from the W57th entrance to Central Park. The 2 E bikes cost us $180 and included a helmet (which we both refused – too hot!) and a map of Central Park. Locks were not included because as one of the store associates told us, these E bikes are expensive and they would rather us not let them leave our sight then park them and leave them locked up somewhere where they would become easy prey…

The bike rental store we found online and which saved us $50 dollars for pre-purchasing the E bikes

The hardest part of the day was deciding which way to go. There were pedestrians everywhere, pedicabs with couples inside, horse and buggies with families, bikers, walkers, strollers, rollerbladers, scooters and again, E Bikers. We did follow the map they supplied because as with the E bikes you are limited to riding on the streets, you must stay off the sidewalks and pathways and you always, always give pedestrians the right of way. Not everyone was following the rules…

My E bike – I can’t lie, it took a little getting used to, I’m used to pedal power so this was an exercise in patience

As I mentioned before, Central Park is huuuuge so in our 4-hour E bike rental time, we wound up seeing the following, in no particular order:

Conservatory Garden – the only formal garden in Central Park – it is 6 acres long and divided into 3 separate parks.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir – this reservoir holds a billion gallons of water and is one of the park’s most scenic landscapes.

Wollman Rink – we lucked out on this place out because 300 tons of sand were dropped onto this rink for the first professional beach volleyball APV event ever held inside this park! We could barely see from our picnic table as the crowd was massive but nevertheless enjoyed our soul food lunch courtesy of Melba’s😋

AVP tour event – first time ever at this location!

Excited about eating our lunch at Melba’s – heard great things about it

Yummy lunch from Melba’s – catfish sandwich with chipotle mayo – I had previously eaten a ton of fruit from 2 different stands in the park due to the heat so I wasn’t as hungry as I thought but that sandwich was gooooood!

Conservatory Water – Popular with families with children because of the famous climbing sculptures and the sight in the children’s classic and movie: Stuart Little.

Trying to hide my hiked up pant leg for E bike riding (smile)

Bethesda Fountain & Terrace – Bethesda Terrace is considered the “heart of Central Park” and rising from the terrace is Bethesda Fountain with the famous Angel of the Waters statue stop.

Lots of people wanted to take a picture in front of the statue so it took a minute before I could get my turn (smile)

That was basically it. We plan on heading back on another Saturday this Summer to catch the other Central Park sights because again time and the unexpected precipitation (forgot to mention it started to rain lightly in the late afternoon from all of the humidity) worked against us. Plus we were looking to drop off our E bikes so we could head to Times Square for some nighttime activity but all in all it was a good day and definitely worth the trip.

Sincerely,

TVFL

Re-Discovering Savannah

Life sure is funny. Not Ha Ha funny, but peculiar funny…The first time I found myself in Savannah Georgia was wayyyy back in June of 2011. It was the same year that I was diagnosed with colon cancer. I had planned a memory making trip down to Hilton Head, South Carolina with my niece Keedah and all four of my sister Dana’s grandchildren: Rashidah (9), Ahmad (8), Kenyon (7) and Rasoul (5). The goal was to give my oldest sister Dana a well deserved and much needed break. I rented a 4 bedroom condominium from this couple in Cheshire, CT (this is before Air BnB was invented), a Dodge mini-van with extra car insurance and brought movie videos, board games and lots of snacks. As you might guess, I was receiving a ton of negative feedback on taking a long road trip after being diagnosed with colon cancer so before I was to go I consulted with my Colorectal Surgeon and I’ll never forget what he told me. He said, Go, but when you return, we head straight to surgery’ Lucky 7.

I knew then that life was truly for living (smile).

All that to say, we spent 1 day out of our 10 day vacation in Savannah, Georgia – just an hour’s drive away from Hilton Head, South Carolina. That 1 day was so memorable that I promised myself that I would go back, but this time I would stay in Savannah.

This is that time (smile). 14 years later. Life sure is funny…

Fast track to now. It’s June of 2025 and the world has gone batshit crazy. Fast paced and full of not so good surprises. The goal this time was for me and my man to get the heck out of Dodge (Connecticut) to truly relax and unwind from everything. I remembered the quaint city of Savannah with the cobblestoned streets that I had visited over a decade ago so that’s where we headed. My weather app showed sunny days with plenty of sunshine for the entire week. I was super psyched! The reality was that when we arrived on Sunday June 8th the rain was coming down in buckets playing match games with thunder and the sky, dark and foreboding. This scene played itself out so many times throughout the week that we decided to just rough it and try to enjoy ourselves. Oops, I lied. There was one day of the week (Wednesday, June 11th) where the weather played nice and actually remained sunny and dry the entire day but the remainder of the weekdays and nights were unpredictable.

We stayed in the historic district of Downtown Savannah at a cute-as-a-button boutique hotel named The DeSoto Savannah. I chose this hotel because it was convenient to everything – retail, restaurants, parks, and sightseeing. The DeSoto had an outdoor pool on the second floor, as well as a small gym and a day spa. We never did make it to the hotel restaurant, 1540, because we were too busy exploring other parts of the City but from what I heard the breakfasts and dinners were delish.

In my opinion, the best and easiest way to explore Savannah is to do what we did on our first day out. Buy tickets to a Hop on Hop off trolley tour. By the way, we purposely did not rent a car at the airport because The DeSoto only offers valet parking due to the congested parking situation and the historic downtown district, where we stayed, is walkable.

James purchasing our All Day Trolley tickets

We chose Old Town Trolley Tours because they were highly visible and very convenient. No matter what neighborhood you were in, an Old Town Trolley arrives every 20 minutes. The cost was $45 per person and that got you unlimited trolley rides between 9am and 5pm to 15 different Savannah destinations. If you rode the trolley from the 1st stop to the 15th stop without getting off, it would take you an hour and a half but if you, like us, hopped on and off to the neighborhoods where you wanted to take a deeper dive, then you might not get to all of them in the 8 hour time frame. It’s worth it though because each trolley ride comes with a narrated tour so you are being educated about Savannah and her dark past.

Our very first trolley stop was to The Savannah Visitors Center and History Museum where we totally enjoyed visiting the SCAD (Savannah College of Art) Museum – a place where all the artwork is created by faculty, students and alumni!

SCAD’s explosive enrollment growth over the years includes international students from 20 different countries!

All of the artwork seen here at SCAD is done by students, alumni and art instructors alike!

One of the quilts on this wall reminds me of one of my sister Casandra’s quilts (smile)

One of our most memorable hop offs was to City Market which is chock full of Artists, local merchants, candy shops, coffee shops and restaurants with bars. We liked this neighborhood because it felt lively and energetic. The cobblestone streets, the horse and buggys rides, all felt very authentic.

Love Love Love the horse and buggy rides

After our time in City Market, we caught a new trolley and headed for The Lucas Theater neighborhood. Here we enjoyed a sushi lunch at Sushi Hana, an ice cream from the famous Leopold’s Ice Cream Shop and an almost dinner at The Olde Pink House…it was a Monday so The Olde Pink House, which was highly recommended by my girlfriend Kristie, is closed on Mondays…

Our last trolley ride was to Forsyth Park which is Savannah’s largest and beautiful green park and it covers many City blocks. At the park we discovered the Forsyth Fountain which I realized made for a perfect photo op (smile).

The next day (Tuesday June 10th) we decided to spend on River Street since that was the very street that lured me back to Savannah. When I was in Savannah back in the day with my two nieces (my other niece Dimitrica had driven up from North Carolina to stay with us at the condominium for a few days) and 3 great nephews and 1 great niece, we landed on River Street and I fell in love. Back in the day there was a free riverboat ferry ride to the 4 squares of the City of Savannah, This free riverboat ferry would drop you off in a neighborhood (square) where you would spend a certain amount of time before getting back on the ferry to be transported to the next square – we had a blast on all 4 squares. Incidentally that riverboat ferry no longer exists, I suppose it was replaced by the Hop On Hop Off paid Trolley rides because there are no longer just 4 squares to visit, now there are 22!

River Street today is a whole vibe. From the JW Marriott Art Gallery which features breathtakingly beautiful artwork, to the slow leisurely walks by the river, to the restaurants – from fast food to casual food to fancy food, the gourmet chocolate and candy shops with free samples and many different types of popcorn, gourmet coffee shops, colorful bars, boutiques, and tour trolleys careening up and down the cobblestone street, River Street still has my heart (thump, thump).

JW Marriott – the art gallery is must visit!

Today’s riverboat ferry is Queen sized (smile)

Had a nice conversation with the Regional Store Manager of Byrd’s Cookies, one of the fastest cookies franchises in the South

Uber Day was Wednesday as we had plans to visit a real soul food restaurant called Geneva’s located about 20 miles east of downtown Savannah. We lucked out because it was sunny, hot and dry all day. When we asked the locals which restaurants they recommended for soul food, Genevas Famous Chicken and Cornbread Company kept coming up. And it was worth the Uber ride – yum!

Our young waitress at Geneva’s was lovely and very accommodating.

I ordered the 2 piece roasted chicken lunch which came with black bean salad and their signature corn bread – yummy!

Made it a point to meet Geneva, the owner of this establishment who worked alongside her staff, very down to earth, no airs whatsoever

After our meal at Geneva’s we called a new Uber and were headed back to our hotel when our driver convinced us to take a detour and go to Tybee Island. My niece Mona, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee and visited Savannah with her son Harlem, highly recommended that we visit this island. Mona was not wrong (smile). And spontaneity ruled the day because here we were, our belliesfull from lunch, headed to the beach with no gear (smile). I’m so glad we made the trip – it was a fun time – my kind of island – beach vibes and all!

Nice time on the boardwalk but wishing I brought my bathing suit

Perfect weather for a Frozen Blueberry Icee

On Wednesday evening, still in the spirit of spontaneity, we bought tickets to an Old Town Trolley Ghosts and Gravestones tour. Ghost tours seem to be all the rage so I read up on why Savannah is considered one of America’s most haunted cities. It comes down to these 5 reasons: 1) Bloody Battles; 2) Deadly Diseases; 3) Fearsome Fires; 4) Mysterious Murders and 5) Savage Slavery. I won’t go into it in this blog post but it’s an interesting read.

Our host of the ghost tour was perfect for this role – captivating, believable, even had an English accent (smile)

I preferred this 2 hour nighttime tour because we actually visited 2 different mansions (The Andrew Low House and Perkins and Sons Ship Chandlery) where the ghosts allegedly still reside (unlike some of the other tours where you visit the actual graveyards which is little too creepy for my tastes). The Ghost tour and trolley price was $55 for Adults (children under 13 were not allowed).

I felt like I was entering a house with no exits when I spotted these three (smile).

The house slaves pictured here interestingly enough outlived everyone in the house

The very next day Thursday June 12th we headed to Franklin Square to visit Broughton Street and eat and shop. We had some time to kill before our next tour: Savannah is for Morons so this close-by-us neighborhood was perfect for killing time.

We ate appetizers at B Common Restaurant – one of our super friendly Uber drivers recommended it as a great place to go if you are looking for somewhere to eat downtown

The 2 dozen oysters we devoured were delish 😋

Who knew that sausages wrapped in glazed donuts was a thing?!?

After eating we arrived to an air conditioned trolley tour called Savannah is for Morons. It was 2 hours of non-stop craziness and laughter. These 2 zany female comedians, both named Dani, took us on a wild hilarious ride throughout the City of Savannah and gave us a drunkard’s view of its history. We even (in the middle of the tour) stopped at an irish bar called McDonough’s for drinks which was ironic because on this very day I was quietly celebrating my 5th year anniversary of being sober (smile). Consequently I ordered a cranberry juice with lime (double smile).

The 2 Dani’s in cute matching rompers were a hoot!! And well worth the $55 dollars apiece for this comedy tour!

On Friday we had a plane to catch at 4 in the afternoon (by the way, Delta Airlines is by far one of the best airlines I have ever flown on – from beginning to end, it seems like they truly take pride in customer service. I’m so glad my girlfriend Jeani has built her career there). End of commercial (smile).

We walked back to the City Market neighborhood for more shopping (I found a fab boutique called Whispers that I didn’t want to part with) and we lunched at the Cafe at City Market. We also spent a ton of time in a small art gallery which featured various artisans and their wares. I met this dynamic artist by the name of Jery Taylor – her work spoke for itself – simply beautiful!

Mrs. Jery Taylor, Quilt Artist, Basket Weaver, Painter, shall I go on?!?

These 2 women ran my fav boutique called Whispers and offered impeccable service!

So that’s my Savannah story. Fun Fact – Forrest Gump’s iconic bus bench scenes were filmed in Savannah, Georgia. I’m sure you can imagine why the actual bus bench has long since been moved to a Georgia museum for safekeeping (smile).

Sincerely,

TVFL

Category: My adventurous self

Before my entry into the media Industry

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Don’t Call Me A Senior!

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The Big Easy

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Saturday in the (Central) Park

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Re-Discovering Savannah

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