I’ve been to Charleston, South Carolina many times in the past. The South Carolina Lowcountry has long been one of my favorite vacation destinations, and though I left here just two weeks ago after a visit to Hilton Head Island, I couldn’t resist the temptation to return for a long weekend.
Despite a mere three and a half hours of sleep last night, I was up at 4AM and ready to go for my sunrise walk around Charleston. I walked over to the Waterfront Park, perched myself on a swing, and enjoyed the pre-sunrise color in the sky. Once I walked out onto the pier, I could see several dolphins out in the water for their morning swim.
I kept getting distracted and wanting to walk down every street and alley, but I eventually made my way to the Battery, a raised walkway around the tip of the peninsula. From there I zigged and zagged my way back to my hotel to pick up the map I had left and ready myself for brunch.
I made a reservation for brunch at Church and Union, a popular restaurant housed inside a former Baptist church. I had high hopes, but the meal kind of fell flat. I was especially looking forward to the praline French toast (listed on their website menu); alas, they no longer have that and instead feature a Grand Marnier French toast with berries, cream cheese, and some type of green herb on top. I mean, I love herbs; but on pizza and pasta, not French toast. The cranberry mimosa was (obviously) delicious, as was the scone they delivered to start my meal, but I was already looking forward to what I hoped would be a redeeming dinner.
After brunch I began to hit my wall. I wandered around the City Market for a few minutes, went to the Old Slave Mart Museum (interesting, but small, crowded, and way too much reading involved), then crashed hard for a midday nap. Semi-rested, I was ready to take on the city again. I literally wandered all over for about two hours, up and down alleys and streets, stopping to take pictures everywhere. It was 60 degrees and partly sunny, so I knew I needed to enjoy it while I could.
Next, I headed back to the City Market area to do a little spontaneous souvenir shopping and to sample everything from pecan pralines to key line pound cake. Byrd’s Cookies even has a literal cookie bar you can sample from.
Dinner tonight was at Indaco, my favorite restaurant from my last visit to Charleston. It was still relatively new at the time, but is now well-established as one of the best Italian restaurants in Charleston. I opted for the spicy soppressata pizza, an Austin Eastciders cider, and zeppole. The pizza was one of the best I’ve had in a long time, with just the right balance of spicy soppressata offset by the drizzle of honey on top. I thought the zeppole might be a bit much after the pizza, but they were so light and pillowy I managed to devour them as well.
My evening consisted of walking back to the Historic District and wandering the same streets and alleys I wandered earlier in the day, this time lit by gas lamps and punctuated by the gentle sounds of water in courtyard fountains. Upper King Street where I had dinner (filled with stores, restaurants, and bars) and the Historic District where I enjoyed my post-dinner walk feel worlds apart, though they are only separated by a mile or so. I was very tired so my evening didn’t extend too late. I don’t have anything planned for tomorrow until 10AM, so I’m hoping for many more hours of sleep tonight than I got last night.
Traveling with Laura 