Within minutes of arriving in Brunswick, Georgia, we found a room at Brunswick Manor, a gorgeous Victorian house that overlooks an empty square, and a table outside a bar on the main street, from which we watched the rain come down. A man holding a glass of beer told us that the next block was being redone to resemble Ybor City so that Ben Affleck could shoot his new movie there. (On the drive in we had passed the facade of what looked to be a hollowed out Cuban restaurant.) A younger man appeared, in a plaid shirt and brown beard, and chatted with the beer man while holding a tow-headed child. He was in good spirits, he said, because he'd just finished writing a new song. Later, talking to us, he mentioned that his main work was as a pastor. When the rain stopped we finished our drinks and headed up the block to The Southern Table, the restaurant of our B&B owner, where the wait staff all wore hats. It seemed an odd touch, but perhaps they're hoping for parts as extras. My shrimp and grits were delicious.
