This week: let’s dive into Catalina Island.

As many of you know, I usually shoot the show solo, like an MMJ, a multimedia journalist, setting up the camera on a tripod, doing many trial and error shots until I get it right, and hoping for the best.

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Often, I get my wife Ruth to help out. Or other kind souls. I hired a student in Atlanta and in Las Vegas recently, my friend Linda Q. was behind the camera for me.

In Catalina, I brought along two interns who have been working with me this semester from Syracuse University, which has an outpost in Los Angeles. I also brought along two iPhone 17 Pro Maxs—one for intern Kenzie and one for me, two sets of mics, a tripod, a selfie stick and filmmaking cage and a clipboard for Jake, who was acting as script supervisor.

How’d it work out? Read on!

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You don’t have to hop a plane to Europe or Mexico to feel like you’ve escaped Los Angeles. As many in the Los Angeles area know, just 22 miles off the Southern California coast sits Santa Catalina Island, the rocky little paradise that feels a world away yet is only about an hour by ferry on the Catalina Express. On a clear day, we can see it the South Bay area of L.A. But as odd as it seems, not everybody from SoCal has gone over and visited. If that’s you, or you haven’t been there for awhile, this article and video is for you.

Avalon, the island’s main town, is compact, walkable, and packed with history, Art Deco architecture, and more activities than you can fit into a single day. You can spend your time strolling the waterfront, renting a golf cart to chase the views, exploring a surprisingly deep Hollywood past, or going full‑adventure mode with horseback riding, snorkeling, and zip‑lining. I like staying overnight, as waking up in the morning on a quiet little island is just priceless. However, hotel rooms can be really expensive during the peak summer months, so sometimes a day trip is called for, leaving early in the morning, staying long enough for dinner and returning home afterwards.

Below is my suggested one‑day itinerary for Avalon visitors. (Remember that the island has one other inhabited town, Two Harbors, which is more classic island life, with just a hotel, restaurant, great scenery and not much else. Avalon has all the amenities.)

Morning: Ferry Ride and First Impressions of Avalon

Plan an early morning departure on the Catalina Express from Long Beach, San Pedro, or Dana Point, depending on which is closest to you. The ride takes about an hour and fifteen minutes each way, on a clear day you’ll get great views of the coastline and, if you’re lucky, dolphins alongside the boat.

• Round‑trip fares generally run around the cost of a short‑haul flight, but you skip TSA and airport chaos—just park, check in, and walk onto the boat. (Don’t forget that you’ll have to pay for parking at the terminal.) Expect to fork over around $90 roundtrip from San Pedro or Long Beach.

• Have your phone ready on the boat when you approach Avalon. The first view of the harbor and the Catalina Casino from the water is one of the best angles you’ll get all day.

Stroll Avalon’s Waterfront and Side Streets

Once you step off the ferry, you’re on Pebbly Beach Road, which leads straight into the heart of Avalon. The waterfront promenade doubles as the town’s main street, lined with restaurants, bars, T‑shirt shops, and outfitters ready to sell you a cocktail, snorkel tour, or parasailing trip.

Take 30–45 minutes to:

• Walk the main drag and get your bearings.

• Duck into a side street or two to see the pastel cottages, nautical murals, and that classic “beach village” mix of old houses and modern rentals.

• Grab a quick coffee or breakfast and enjoy the harbor view before the day fills up. Our favorite morning spot is Jack’s, a classic, down homey breakfast diner offering the usual mix of eggs, flapjacks and waffles, and somehow turns into an Italian restaurant at nighttime.

Avalon is largely pedestrian and the main thoroughfare of Pebbly Beach Road is closed to vehicles. Locals and visitors get around on taxis, and primarily via golf carts, which you’ll be seeing (and probably driving) soon

Late Morning: Golf Cart Loop and Buena Vista Point

While you can walk most of Avalon in a day, you’ll miss some of the best viewpoints if you don’t get wheels. Golf cart rentals are one of the most popular first activities for visitors, and for good reason: the hills are steep, and the loop road quickly takes you to overlooks you’d need serious time and energy to reach on foot.

Expect to:

• Rent a cart by the hour (2 hours is a nice sweet spot for a circuit with lots of photo stops).

• Follow a mapped route that climbs above town, passes the Catalina Chimes Tower, and loops back down along the ridge roads overlooking the harbor.

From the cart, you’ll get some of your best overhead photos of Avalon—harbor, Casino, and those colorful houses stacked against the hills.

(There’s also a new electric taxi service, Ride Circuit which for just $2 will take you all over town, and save you from those steep climbs. To use it, you have to download the app first, and make arrangements to be picked up that way, like you do with Uber and Lyft.)

Buena Vista Point: Romance and Big Views

One essential stop with your wheels (Circuit will take you here too) is Buena Vista Point, a bluff‑top overlook above Lover’s Cove. Locals love this spot for its sweeping views of the harbor and open water, and it’s easy to see why people get married here.

From up here you’ll notice:

• The clarity of the water. Catalina’s rocky shoreline means the sand doesn’t get kicked up, so you can easily see 30–40 feet down on a good day.

• How compact Avalon looks from above—the “big island” you’ll hear about later is mostly outside this little town.

If you’re visiting in the warmer months, this is also a great place to imagine the snorkeling and scuba you can do later around Lover’s Cove, one of Catalina’s best underwater spots.

Midday: Catalina Museum and Island History

Back in town, trade views for context at the Catalina Museum for Art & History. It’s an ideal first‑trip stop because it explains a lot of what you’re seeing around you.

Inside you’ll learn about:

• Island scale: Catalina is about 21 miles long, up to 8 miles wide at its widest point, and covers roughly 76 square miles. Avalon is just a small corner; most of the island is protected open space.

• Wrigley’s influence: William Wrigley Jr. (of chewing‑gum fame) bought Catalina in 1919 and developed it as a playground for Los Angeles and Hollywood. His family still controls much of the island’s commercial activity through the Catalina Island Company, while 88% of the land is held by the Catalina Conservancy for hiking, biking, and nature experiences.

• Hollywood connections: Catalina has hosted Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, John Wayne, and even a young Marilyn Monroe (when she was still Norma Jean), who lived in Avalon during World War II.

• Tile heritage: Wrigley set up a ceramic studio on the island after realizing the local mud was clay. The studio produced tableware and the colorful tiles you see everywhere in Avalon, which have become a visual signature of the island.

After the museum, walk through town with new eyes—those decorative tiles on stairways, fountains, and storefronts are part of Catalina’s design DNA.

Lunch: Descansco Beach Club

My favorite lunchtime eatery on the island, right out of Tom Cruise’s old movie Cocktail, with a bar on the beach, oceanfront seating, and lots of water activities like kayaking and paddleboarding. It’s immediately to the left of the Casino.

Next: Casino!

The Catalina Casino is Avalon’s most recognizable landmark: an 11‑story Art Deco and Mediterranean Revival circular building that dominates the harbor entrance.

Historically, it’s notable as:

• One of the earliest purpose‑built “talkie” movie theaters, designed from the ground up for sound films.

• Home to a 1,100‑seat Avalon Theatre downstairs.

• Site of a 20,000‑square‑foot ballroom upstairs with hardwood floors, where big bands once played for huge crowds.

Today, you can:

• Take a guided tour that dives into the building’s history and spot the Art Deco murals by artist John Gabriel Beckman, who later worked on films like “The Maltese Falcon” and “Casablanca.”

• Lace up for a roller‑skating session on the original ballroom floor. Sessions are typically around an hour and include skate rentals, and gliding under those chandeliers on 1920s wood is a very specific kind of time‑travel. Cost: just under $30.

Be sure to step out onto the outer balcony for 360‑degree views of the harbor and town.

Dive Park, Snorkeling, and Descanso Beach Club

Step outside the Casino and you’re at the Catalina Dive Park, one of the most popular shore‑diving and snorkeling spots on the island. The water here is known for its clarity and abundant fish; people travel from all over the world to dive Catalina’s kelp forests.

If diving isn’t your thing:

• Head back to Descanso, the launch point for the Zip Line Eco Tour, where you soar 600 feet over the canyon on a series of runs that drop you toward the sea. Rides typically start around t$150 per person.

More Activity Options from the Pleasure Pier

If you prefer to stay on—or just above—the water, head back toward the Pleasure Pier near the center of town. From here, you can book:

• Glass‑bottom boat or semi‑submarine tours to see the underwater world without getting wet.

• Parasailing flights for a bird’s‑eye view of Avalon and the island’s coastline.

• Inland bus or jeep tours to the island interior, where you might spot wild bison introduced in the early 20th century.

  

Where to Stay If You Extend to an Overnight

If you decide to stretch your “day trip” into a quick overnight, staying right in Avalon keeps everything walkable. In the episode we mention a stay at Seaport Village Inn, a centrally located property with a deck and harbor views, which makes it easy to catch both sunrise and your morning ferry. Rates tend to be a little lower here. In summer, prices are high--the Zane Grey Pueblo Hotel, which sits atop a hill and is absolutely stunning, ranges from $300 to $500 a night in May. Most of the hotels in town are within that range, though I’ve found a few in the $200 range, for midweek. Winter is when you get the best rates overall.

Remember that only 4,000 people live in Avalon, but it attracts 1.4 million yearly visitors, so hotel space is at a premium.

Practical Tips for a Catalina Day Trip

• Book your ferry in advance, especially for summer weekends and holidays; boats can and do sell out.

• Arrive at the terminal 45–60 minutes early to park, check in, and board without stress.

• Budget realistically: A family of four can spend several hundred dollars on ferry tickets alone, but it’s still often cheaper and quicker than flying somewhere and dealing with airports.

• Decide your activity style ahead of time. Do you want a mostly relaxing beach and stroll day, or are you packing in golf carts, tours, and water sports? That choice will shape your timing and budget.

• Bring a light jacket: Even in summer, the ferry and evenings on the water can be cool and breezy.

For your viewing pleasure, the latest episode of Photowalks, in the capital of the island, Avalon, as we explore the little 4,000 population city and indulge in some island activities like roller skating in the ballroom of the great Casino and Horseback Riding.

I’ll have a complete itinerary companion for you later today.

Are you a Catalina fan?

Jeff

All of the sudden, less than three weeks after Apple’s 50th anniversary tour, with CEO Tim Cook doing a series of look back interviews, Apple announced this week that Cook was stepping down from his role, and moving into a new “executive chairman” position.

That it happened wasn’t a surprise, just that it occured so quickly and suddenly.

Cook’s replacement, John Ternus, comes from the hardware division, and I’ve seen all sorts of articles this week suggesting that now Apple will be free from the cautious approach the company has taken since the Steve Jobs era, and it would wow us again with tons of new, innovative products.

While Apple hasn’t had an iPhone size hit since the release of the iPad in 2010, it did introduce two huge successes during Cook’s watch, the AirPods and the Apple Watch. Cook has one major dud to his credit, the VisionPro $3,000 headset, and the HomePod, the talking speaker that copied what Amazon and Google were already doing did not set the world on fire.

Meanwhile, Wall Street hasn’t been happy with Apple for seemingly missing out on the AI revolution, and letting Google, OpenAI and others run with it.

My take: first of all, from a shareholder perspective (which I am not) Cook has quadrupled sales, the iPhone is way more popular than it ever was during the Steve Jobs era, and if you want anyone to blame for the constant nag messages about how you’ve run out of room for photo taking on your iPhone, Cook is your guy. He’s built “Services” into Apple’s no. 2 division, generating over $100 billion in fiscal 2025, selling us monthly subscriptions to iCloud, Apple Care, Apple Music and other recurring monthly charges. Cook built this division from nothing into something that’s now 25% of the company, compared to 50% and $210 billion for the iPhone.

From a tech reviewer perspective, Cook has pushed Apple to update products yearly with small iterations that have been hard to get excited about. (Ditto for rivals Samsung and Google.) While I do believe the iPhone 17 Pro is the best model Apple has ever made and a major upgrade, due to the expanded view of the Selfie camera, the 16 wasn’t much, and the 11, 12, 13 and 14 weren’t exactly memorable. If you have any idea what the differences are of any of the current iPad models, please fill me in. Also explain to me why anyone would want to spend $1,000 for an iPad when the entry-level model is just over $300.

But consumers don’t seem to mind, as Apple has reported record quarters for years in a row.

On the new era with Ternus, will his watch produce more exciting new products?

The fact is, Ternus just did take a bold swing, with the introduction of the Macbook Neo, Apple’s first economical laptop, starting at $600. That Apple could pull this off, after years of being the luxury brand was a wow. And this came from the hardware division Ternus leads. Could there be more like this to come?

Many of these same pundits claim there will be a day at some point without an iPhone, where it just goes away, like a VCR, DVD and cassette tapes did.

I don’t necessarily buy that—you gave up a landline, but not the phone experience. Is your screen time actually less than it was a few years ago? Not for me. I don’t see phones going anywhere. Would I have to go back to shooting on big cameras again?

But still, Ternus has to plan for a future with new products that could replace the cash cow.

In the works:

• Apple is expected to launch a foldable iPhone in the fall that copies what Samsung and Google have been offering, with a steep price tag and hopefully better usability. The advantage for the foldable phone is you get a way bigger screen. The con is inferior cameras and a big crease in the middle.

• Video/AI glasses: Like the ones being sold by Meta, Apple is looking at specs that will take photos and video, play music and answer AI questions. I like my Meta sunglasses, although I rarely use them for anything beyond shielding the sun. Perhaps Apple will find a way to make them more usable.

• An all-new, more productive and useful Siri. The digital assistant, first introduced in 2011, was initially a laughing stock, then got way better at answering basics like weather and time. In 2024, Apple announced the Siri upgrade, but never introduced it, because it couldn’t get it right. Instead, it’s thrown in the towel and will have Siri be taken over by Google’s Gemini. How that will work within our iPhone system is questionable, but kudos to Apple for realizing it just couldn’t do it right and farming it out to a company that does know a thing or two about AI. (On the all new and “improved” Siri though, I’ll believe when I see it.)

• Talking AirPods. What if Apple could turn the music listening devices into an AI machine that could talk to us, answer questions, do a better job of translating and and help us navigate, while grooving to music? That sounds promising, but I still have to believe most people just want to hear their tunes or talk on the phone handsfree.

• Apple is also said to be working on a small AI device that could clip on to your lapel and talk to you with AI stuff all day long. Useful? I’m skeptical, but ready to be proved wrong.

Finally, the date Apple watchers look to is June 8th. That’s the opening day of the Worldwide Developers Conference, when Apple offers previews of what’s to come in the ecosystem, and it will give us great concrete clues to what is truly next for Apple.

Cook steps down September 1, and shortly after Labor day, the company historically launches the new iPhone with a splashy event in Cupertino—an event Ternus will be expected to lead. For those of us looking for any signs of a new direction for Apple—that would be the first place to check out. I can’t wait!

NAB SHOW

Walking the floor of the National Association of Broadcasters convention this week for me was geek heaven. I got to check out new cameras before they’re released, lighting and audio accessories I’m interested in, and most importantly, get to talk to company reps about problems I’m having with their products, and how to solve them. Fun times!

The most interesting camera: Insta360, the cutting-edge Chinese company, is in a cut-throat battle with Chinese rival DJI to one up the other with clones of other products, usually at the expense of California based GoPro.

The Trump administration has banned the sale of new Chinese made drones, so DJI, which makes most consumer drones, responds by introducing great sounding products that can’t be sold here. The sequel to the Pocket 3, arguably the most popular new camera introduced over the last few years, was displayed at NAB, and it won’t be available for sale in the U.S. due to the company’s battles with the U.S. The Pocket 4 has nothing to do with flying cameras. You have to hold it in your hand.

Meanwhile, Insta360, which hasn’t been stung because it only offers one drone, one that’s sold through another company, introduced its answer to the Pocket 3, the Luna, with a twist that it has 2 lenses.

Details are scarce, and Insta360 didn’t announce pricing. The release is expected later this year.

The company that has suffered the most from the Chinese clones, GoPro, came to NAB showing off its latest, a massive upgrade called the Mission 1 series, which has a way larger image sensor and a new concept beyond the action camera, pivoting towards cinema, but in the same smaller body. The test footage shown off at NAB was truly awesome.

For GoPro, this means higher resolution and better low light performance on a camera that you can still stick onto a bike helmet or car. The first Mission camera will have a higher price point than the Hero line, over $600.

I want to see try them all, especially the Mission 1, but I sure wish the Chinese companies could innovate in a way that isn’t just making knockoffs of other products.

Otherwise, NAB was about speaking on a whole lot of sessions, catching up with old friends and acquaintances, and having yet another opportunity to visit the world’s great restaurant, and her name would be Juan’s Flaming Fajitas.

Catalina Island!

On Sunday’s episode of Photowalks, we return to the island of Santa Catalina, one of my favorite places in the world. I’ll be back tomorrow to tell you why I love it so much, but first, let me just invite you to tune in and check out the episide, which debuts Sunday at 10 a.m. ET on Scripps News, and replays later on YouTube.

Thanks as always for watching, reading and listening!

Jeff

Savannah is one of my favorite American cities, just off the Georgia coast and near the South Carolina border, with incredible 1700s era architecture, great southern food and 22 leafy squares that are just made for walking.

Since the name of the show is Photowalks, it made perfect sense to grab my iPhones and selfie sticks and return (4th visit) to film a new episode earlier this year, which is available for your viewing pleasure now. As I’ve learned over the years, there’s always more to see—you can never hit everything on short helicopter visits.

In January I met up with Supriya Christopher, who leads Savannah’s tourism public relations at a New York travel show, and we talked about a return, which happened fast, the following month, as part of the the Atlanta to Charleston to Savannah and St. Augustine tour. She helped set me up with some really interesting local folks to meet with, plus, I got to also visit with my friend Howard Paul, the great jazz guitarist who lives in Savannah and runs the boutique jazz guitar company Benedetto Guitars. So lots to see and do, and most importantly, get great photos!

The last time I was there I shot on the then new iPhone 13, and the difference between what I could do then and now is stark. If you haven’t upgraded in a while, I highly recommend it. Higher resolution, sharper images, better in low light, way better looking video and the wider selfie camera that I love on the 17 Pro are just some of the selling points for me. (Take a look at the episode and let me know what you think!)

What follows is an easy 2‑day itinerary for anyone considering visiting, following the route from the Photowalks Savannah episode: walking Bull Street from City Hall to Forsyth Park, dipping into Revolutionary and civil‑rights history, sampling Savannah’s food scene and visiting a world‑famous gothic cemetery, and as always, in the episode, I wrap up with phone‑friendly photo tips.

Day 1: Bull Street Walk, Squares and Southern Classics

The city’s signature is its plan: short blocks and a repeating pattern of squares that make the historic core one of the most walkable places in the country. Except for the cemetery visit (more on that in a minute) once you’re here, you don’t need a car—Savannah is built to be explored on foot.

Start at City Hall near the river, then find Bull Street and start walking. This will take you to Johnson Square, the oldest and first of Savannah’s historic squares, laid out around 1733. This is also a key stop if you’re thinking ahead to America’s 250th anniversary: Johnson Square is where residents gathered to hear the Declaration of Independence read aloud locally for the first time.

Georgia’s three signers had already put their names on the document in Philadelphia, and streets in Savannah still bear their names. After the reading, locals staged a symbolic “funeral” for the monarchy, parading and “burying” an effigy of King George III in the square to mark the end of royal rule in the colony.

From here, your main move is simple and satisfying: just walk straight for about a mile to Forsyth Park, home of the historic fountain that you see in the thumbnail image above. From here, you will cross square after square along the way. The blocks are short, and you’ll reach the park faster than you expect.

Midday: Chippewa Square, Clary’s, and Mercer‑Williams

Chippewa Square is famous as the setting for many of the bench scenes in “Forrest Gump,” though the actual bench now lives in a local museum, not the square itself. Surrounding streets include theaters, galleries and restaurants, making this one of the more cinematic corners of the historic district.

Savannah also leans heavily into its “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” fame, based on the popular 30-year-old book and 1990s era movie. The Mercer‑Williams House, a 19th‑century mansion facing Monterey Square, played a key role in the book and film and offers interior tours that showcase period furnishings and its architectural details. Even if you only see Mercer‑Williams from the outside, it anchors one of the prettiest squares in town.

• Clary’s Café, a classic neighborhood diner featured in the “Midnight” book and movie, is just 0.2 miles off Monterey Square and is a must stop. It still serves generous Southern breakfasts and sandwiches, and even sports a stained‑glass portrait of the Bird Girl inside.

• That “Bird Girl” statue that once stood in Bonaventure Cemetery gained worldwide attention from the book cover and film poster; it now resides at the Telfair Museums, which are on Telfair Square. ($30 to enter, but you get to visit three different museums, which also includes the Owens-Thomas House, which dates to 1819 and is a standout example of English Regency architecture in the U.S. The museum shows both sides of the story—it also has some of the best-preserved urban slave quarters in the country, located behind the main house.

  

Afternoon: More Squares

As you continue toward Forsyth, pay attention to what’s surrounding each square. Architectural historians like to say that Savannah’s real masterpiece is not any single building but the street plan itself—and then every style in American and European architectural history shows up around those green spaces.

On just a few blocks you can see:

• Early Georgian‑style homes from the mid‑1700s.

• Federal and Greek Revival townhouses with fanlights, columns and symmetrical façades.

• Elaborate Victorian homes from the city’s 19th‑century boom years, with ornate trim and wraparound porches.

• 20th‑century buildings filling in the gaps, often in dialogue with the older fabric.

It’s not unusual, as we did in the episode, to be able to stand on one corner and pick out structures from the 1760s, 1860s and 1960s all at once.

First African Baptist Church

Along your loop, make time for First African Baptist Church, widely considered the oldest Black congregation in North America, on Franklin Square. The congregation traces its origins to 1773, when George Liele, then enslaved, began preaching along the Savannah River; he was ordained in 1775, obtained his freedom in 1777, and organized the church that same year.

The current building on Franklin Square was completed in 1859 and dedicated in 1861, constructed largely by congregants who were still enslaved. They made and carried Savannah gray brick from the river and worked by firelight at night, since daylight hours were controlled by enslavers. Money that could have gone toward personal emancipation, as we learn in the video from long-time pastor Thurmond Tillman, instead went into building a sanctuary; within two years, the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

The church later served as a key site on the Underground Railroad and remains an active congregation today.

Final Square Stop: Forsyth Park

End your Bull Street walk at Forsyth Park and its fountain.

Forsyth covers about 30 acres at the south end of the historic grid and functions as Savannah’s central green, with lawns, paths, playgrounds and a weekly farmers’ market. The fountain, installed in 1858 and modeled loosely on fountains in Paris’s Place de la Concorde, is the city’s most photographed single sight and appears in nearly every tourism brochure and post.

Dinner: The Olde Pink House

For a classic night out, reserve a table at The Olde Pink House, an 18th‑century mansion just off Reynolds Square that now houses one of the city’s best‑known Southern restaurants.

The original structure dates back to the 1700s and is often described as the first mansion built in Georgia. Over the centuries it has served as a private residence, law office, bookstore, library, and tea room before being restored and reopened as a restaurant in the 1990s. The menu leans classic Southern: shrimp and grits, crab cakes, she‑crab soup—and two dishes in particular:

• A crispy scored flounder, served whole (minus the head), diamond‑scored, lightly floured and flash‑fried, then finished with an apricot‑shallot glaze—a kind of Southern take on sweet‑and‑sour.

• Fried chicken that many diners consider among the city’s best; Savannah has a deep bench of fried‑chicken institutions, but the Pink House version is often mentioned in the same breath as the city’s most famous plates. (Our waiter told us the fried chicken there was simply the best, and I’m not about to argue!)

Day 2: Riverfront and Bonaventure Cemetery

Begin your second day on the Savannah Riverfront, centered on cobblestoned River Street. Once the commercial heart of the city, this stretch of warehouses, sheds and wharves handled bales of cotton and other goods moving between ship and shore when Savannah was one of the world’s busiest cotton ports.

Today, those 19th‑century brick warehouses house hotels, restaurants, galleries and shops, but the industrial bones are still visible in the iron catwalks and cobblestone ramps.

We stayed at the River Street Inn, sleeping in one of those old cotton warehouses—a roughly 200‑year‑old building converted into a boutique hotel overlooking the river and its parade of ships. The location puts you steps from the waterfront promenade and an easy walk up into the historic district.

Afternoon: Bonaventure Cemetery

No Savannah trip is complete without a visit to Bonaventure Cemetery, a few miles east of the historic district on a bluff above the Wilmington River.

Bonaventure became globally famous after serving as inspiration and backdrop for “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” but it has been a local place of memory since the 19th century. The cemetery is known for:

• A canopy of live oaks draped in Spanish moss, creating a gothic, tunnel‑like atmosphere along many paths.

• Winding lanes and family plots filled with ornate marble monuments and angel statues.

• The graves of notable Savannahians, including songwriter Johnny Mercer and Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Conrad Aiken.

• Much‑photographed memorials such as the statue of young Gracie Watson and large angels like the monument to Beulah Bliss.

The “Bird Girl” statue that once stood here is no longer on site; as mentioned earlier, it was moved to the Telfair Museums after the book and movie turned it into an icon.

One practical detail: the cemetery gates close at 5 p.m. daily, so plan to arrive by mid‑afternoon to give yourself time to wander. If you don’t have a car, take a cab. Trust me, it’s worth it.

Benedetto Guitars – Jazz Mastery

A short drive from downtown, you’ll find one of Savannah’s most surprising workshops: Benedetto Guitars, a small facility dedicated to building high‑end jazz archtops by hand.

Benedetto is not open to the public, but if you’re in the market for one of the best made jazz guitars in the world, give them a call—I’m sure Howard and co. would be happy to host you.

ICYMI: I’m a Benedetto owner, and posted an un-boxing video a few years when my beloved instrument arrived!

From the episode:

• The company produces between about 80 and 120 guitars a year, many as bespoke orders for professional players.

• Prices start in the mid‑thousands for their professional series and can climb into the tens of thousands of dollars for fully carved archtops.

• Every instrument is built using “violin woods”: spruce tops and maple backs and sides sourced from Europe or the Pacific Northwest, seasoned for years in a warm, low‑humidity room before they’re carved.

It’s a striking contrast to mass‑produced guitars that go from green wood to finished instrument in a short cycle. Here, some sets of wood have been aging since the late 1980s or early 1990s before ever touching a chisel.

Savannah isn’t the first place most people think of as a “guitar capital,” but for jazz players who prize these instruments, it’s a kind of pilgrimage point—and a reminder that American music is being crafted in all sorts of corners of the country.

Taken together, two days in Savannah give you Revolutionary history, Black church heritage, Southern cooking, artisan guitars, and one of the world’s great atmospheric cemeteries—all in a city designed to be walked and photographed. (But do try to stay longer—there’s always much more to see!)

P.S. Want to hear a nice little jam with myself and Howard? It’s in the episode, check it out!

Savannah is one of the great walking cities, with 22 squares that are made for strolling, incredible multiple styles of 1700s and 1800s architecture, a youthful vibe thanks to the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), amazing trees, great food and it’s home to my favorite guitar luthier, Benedetto.

Check it out, and if you’d like to know more, know that I’ll be back later today with a 2-day suggested itinerary companion to the episode.

I’ve recently returned from beautiful Bakersfield, California (Yes, really) where I had the pleasure of working with Pete Yackley for two days on a Photowalks shoot. Just like I worked with Debbie Lindemann in San Francisco and Linda Quackenboss in Las Vegas.

What do they have in common? They’re all watchers of Photowalks, who reached out and said they’d love to come on a shoot with me. I love when this happens!

Pete wanted me to visit Bakersfield and see the town that’s best known for oil wells, country music and basque food through his eyes. I was happy to do, it was just fitting it into the schedule, which finally came through. An added bonus: he said he wanted to help me shoot and introduce me around town.

As you probably know, Photowalks, despite being a weekly TV series (Scripps News every Sunday at 10 a.m. ET) is a mostly DYI production. I shoot most of it, but always depend upon the kindness of others, whether that be my wife Ruth helping out with camera work, working with interns (Kenzie and Jake shot the upcoming Catalina Island and Manhattan Beach episodes) utilizing help from a Scripps station (Cincinnati and New York!) or getting some other good samaritan to pinch in.

Linda helped me shoot in Las Vegas, Debbie in San Francisco, and Pete was a yeoman, putting in Jeff type hours (7 a.m. til after sunset) in Bakersfield.

The beauty of the Photowalks series for me is traveling around, getting to meet new people and make new friends, and to see their places through their eyes. It’s why I do it. Plus, I’m on a journey to see the world’s most photographanle places, right?

That’s my perspective: What did Pete get out of it? Here’s his take.

“I wasn’t about to hold my breath when I asked Jeff to consider an episode in my hometown of Bakersfield, California.

Just a few months later, not only was he here on the Streets of Bakersfield (to quote a Dwight Yoakam/Buck Owens hit song), but I was invited to show Jeff around, capture moments on one of his many iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max rigs and show what this Central Valley town has to offer.

Of course, I learned a lot about how to get great pictures, but was surprised by the places and people I too was discovering during his two days here.

Bakersfield is not Las Vegas, Washington D.C. or Osaka (all recent episodes). So it was a pleasant surprise when Jeff said there was so much good material he was making this a rare 2-episode show.”

This is all true. And Part 1 debuts on May 3. I hope you’ll check it out.

What did Pete learn from the experience?

“I was impressed that shooting on the iPhone was so quick and spontaneous. No big gear bags, just a few phones, small selfie stick and maybe a cage to hold a portable light was all that was needed.

Over the two days, I was surprised how flexible the shooting schedule was, sometimes ahead, sometimes running late. But, the folks Jeff interviewed didn’t seem to mind a bit.

The iPhone is it’s own secret weapon. While scheduling one popular venue, the owner admitted later she was hesitant about a “big film crew” coming in. Once the smart phone format was explained she was relieved and thankful to be included in the show.

Jeff makes producing PhotoWalks seem too easy, yet a lot of prep, shooting hours and post go into the finished product you see on TV or YouTube. Taking photos is, ultimately, with a few tips the easiest part.”

Next stop are the backroads of Indiana and Kentucky, and we’ll be in Indianapolis and Louisville too. Later this year, it’s Sioux Falls, Fargo, ND, Minneapolis, Columbus, Ohio and we’re headed back to San Francisco. Please raise your hand if you’d like to join me there.

And speaking of the City by the Bay:

I first met Debbie when I did live photowalk events in San Francisco, courtesy of our then sponsor Flipboard and we’ve remained in touch. When I needed a hand for a local episode at Crissy Field, (where I would never shoot solo—and you know why, right?) I knew just who to call.

Her take:

“At Crissy Field, I saw how you shoot the opening scenes of the show and that you had a storyboard outline and just talked to include those points which makes Photowalks so natural feeling! And that the show is not random. You have a list of all the shots/places you want to include and have done your research ahead of time including lining up people to interview. And traveling from place to place, I learned about how you use Final Cut to edit and that’s motivated me to up my game on home movie editing!!

And the Insta 360 selfie stick—used it since the first time I met you. Millions of steps and photos taken with that invaluable accessory!! Because I’ve been on an in person walk a few times, I find it easy to insert myself on any Photo Walk show and see why you chose the angle or position for your photos and to second guess where you might take the iconic shots from places I’ve been! And I’m nearly always right after all the practice!”

Which brings us to Todd W. This week he wrote:

“Is there a chance you’ll offer a Jefferson Graham led Photowalk for your fans to come and join you on a Photowalk? Many of your peers do this and you have the fan base that it would probably fill up quickly. What do you think? “

What would you like to do? A day outing to a place like Venice Beach, Santa Monica, a weekend in Las Vegas, a visit to Catalina Island with time to sit and edit afterwards? A one day affair, a weekend trip?

Let’s craft this together and make it happen!

A.I. Music

For the upcoming Bakersfield episode, I really needed to produce some country music for the soundtrack, and everything I was trying DIY style sounded inferior. Then I came across this AI music website called SUNO (if I told how I heard of it you wouldn’t believe me*) that can create music based on a prompt.

As in: “Instrumental country upbeat Bakersfield sound type song with Fender Telecaster in lead and pedal steel in the chorus.” What came out sounded absolutely amazing. (You can hear a sample in the above video clip)

Part of me felt like a sub-human for doing this—I mean, the charge was only $10 for a monthly subscription, and the music is so good, I could imagine using it all the time. But I won’t.

Because luckily for me, my brilliant brother Jez Graham and pal Paul Ellis contribute human made music for me that fits the soundtrack perfectly and I think having original music is one of the selling points of Photowalks.

But in this case, I made the deal with the devil. One time only, I hope.

What do you think about A.I. music everyone? Yay or nay?

*How’d I hear about Suno? ChatGPT actually recommended it!

From Las Vegas, thanks as always to everyone who reads the newsletter, comments and offers the kudos. If you’re in town and attending the NAB, I’ll be speaking Saturday at 1:30 about…would you believe AI? Come say hi.

Jeff

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