Saturday, July 5, 2008

Charleston! Forget New Orleans































White Pepper arrived in Charleston Harbor Monday morning exhausted. We had picked Charleston as it was at the limit of our fuel consumption and weather window. Little did Jan or I realized what a jewel Charleston is. This is a wonderful town to visit and vacation.

The downtown is only a mile from the City Marina, but they provide a courtesy shuttle. All of Charleston is preserved and historical. Much of the history is pre-revolutionary as well as Civil War era. The town was once the 3rd largest city in America and the preeminent city of the South. Over the centuries it has reinvented itself as party central. There are museums, world class shopping on King Street, fabulous restaurants in the Low Country tradition, and extended happy hour on East Bay St. Charleston is often called the "Holy City" there are more churches per square mile than any other city in America and there are even more art galleries. Some of the churches are among the oldest in the country. There is one church were Geo. Washington attended services, and the Episcopal Church--St. John the Baptist--has the graves of three of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

We threw ourselves wholeheartedly into the tourist thing. We took carriage rides, we took a culinary tour, and we visited Fort Sumter. Jan went to the farmer's market Saturday morning. We had some of the best dining I have ever had. On the night of the 4th of July we watched a spectacular fire works display from the water front park.

Another feature of the city is the remarkable number of young people about. There are 5 higher ed. centers closeby. The city seems overrun by kids working summer jobs or just out partying.

The comparison with New Orleans is inevitable. Charleston is so much cleaner, nicer, safer, and more interesting that I would never chose New Orleans over Charleston to visit. There is a French Quarter here, but it does not smell of urine and beer. We walked everywhere without a concern. In New Orleans I have called a cab to cross Canal Street.

The fellow with Jan in one of the pics is Eric Hyman, owner of Hyman's, the most popular restaurant in Charleston. I promised him a spot on the blog. He is the fourth generation Hyman to do business in Charleston and really nice guy.

We have stayed days longer than our plans called for. The weather remains unsettled, but we have to move on. Sunday morning we will start up the ICW for Morehead City, NC. We will both be very sorry to leave this surprising place.

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