I Am A Ghost: Savannah, Erosion, & Aphasia

Luke and I landed in Savannah Monday afternoon. In a fit of restlessness, I bought him a trip for his birthday. His mom and maternal family lived in Georgia, and he always dreamed in our early days of going down together.

We dropped our carry-ons at the Airbnb in the Starland Art District. Starland is the newest extension of the Savannah historic district. In 1999, two Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) students graduated with degrees in Historic Preservation and revamped the neighborhood around the dead Starland factory into an artist’s haven. Two decades later, the breweries, coffee shops, and record shops lure in SCAD students and millennial tourists.

Gallery Espresso; Foxy Loxy Cafe

The Starland coffee shops served waffle sandwiches or corn-tortilla tacos. Luke and I logged into work on their patio sets or vintage armchairs. In the bathrooms, flyers, stickers, and comics papered the walls. Stapled by the toilet, one page invited dog owners to a “Hallo-wag” party in 2017. On another bathroom’s mirror, blemished with contextless logos, management taped a legal pad note: “Please stop messing with the mirror.”