Charleston, SC

One of the reasons I started this thing was so I could do a bit of a travel journal and also compile a list of things that we do family comes to visit us here in DC. You see, I have a horrible memory. Maybe I keep forgetting that I have a horrible memory because I haven't documented any travel or visitors.

So now I'm going to attempt to remember what Mike and I did on our very fun and relaxing vacation to Charleston, SC - August 7 - 12. Way to wait a month*, Julie.

We left the afternoon of 8/7, and after our plane left the gate and then came back because of a sick passenger, the trip there was fairly uneventful. We arrived at our hotel around 7PM and the desk clerk made us some dinner reservations.

This hotel is fabulous. From all the "free" food they give you to the smell of the lobby (They use scent marketing. It works.), you can't help but be relaxed when you are there. The location is perfect for exploring the historic areas in Charleston. We rented a car for our trip, but it turns out we didn't use it except as transport to and from the airport.

After our half day of travel, we were looking for someplace close by to eat that wasn't too heavy, so we decided to let the desk clerk pick a place for us. He sent us to Social, a wine bar and "small plates" restaurant. While it may have been a little too young, fun, and hip for us, it was good. We had a white wine sampler (several Reislings, I think) and some food that was tasty, but apparently not memorable enough. Although, I believe there was a pizza involved.

After dinner, we walked out to the pier in Waterfront Park (one evening, we saw a really cool moonrise) and then went back to the hotel for our fresh cookies and milk. This became our evening ritual.

Our daily ritual was to have a leisurely breakfast in our room (one of those "freebies") and take walks around town. We had a book with a couple of walking tours that gave us some history, and we had a fun little iPhone app that included a self-guided video tour.

We went down to The Battery,



saw some churches,





strolled around the residential areas,



took a carriage ride (and didn't take pictures), walked around the campus of the College of Charleston,



and went out to Fort Sumter.



We ate at some of our old favorites, and found some new ones. Ye Ole Fashioned was a great place to stop for cold, creamy beverages while walking down King Street and not shopping at the snooty stores. Also on King Street, we stopped at La Hacienda for lunch. Our favorite new place was Southend Brewery. Fire grilled pizzas. Mmmm...

It was also ridiculously hot on several of the days. We were very grateful for the Italian Ice carts all around town.

We left Wednesday morning, and before we took our breakfast on the rooftop deck, I went out and got some pretty good sunrise photos.



After our ten weeks of Mike working in Cincinnati, this was a great way to reconnect and end the summer.

Let's go back tomorrow.

*and way to let it sit in draft for another month and a half.