Month: March 2017
Location: Charleston
While it would my 30th visit, the genesis
of this actually began almost 10 months and 800 miles away. I was on my usual visit to Manhattan over the “Memorial Day Weekend” and I decided to
do something that I had never done before.
I went on a guided "Walking Tour" of the city.
Now, walking in Manhattan is something that I had done for over a decade,
but it would be interesting to see it from someone else’s point of view. So I booked myself on a 6 hour tour
and as I arrived early in the morning at our meeting location, I was promptly
mistaken by a family to be the guide. As we cleared
the misunderstanding, very soon I became friendly with the family, who was visiting from
Florida. They were comprised of Lisa, her husband Lloyd, daughter Maria, son Dustin and Lisa, his girlfriend. Lisa, the mom, was
interested in my travels and so we exchanged numbers and decided to stay in
touch. Over the next several months, as
Lisa followed my blog, she mentioned that it would be fun to go somewhere
together and we instantly decided that we should visit Charleston over Spring. We picked a weekend and went ahead and made
our reservations, booking a house that we could share. Over Fall and Winter, I continued travelling
through other states and then before I knew it, March was upon us.
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| Our home for this trip |
I arrived at Charleston airport on Thursday afternoon and
saw all of them – except Maria who couldn’t make it – waiting for me with a
sign. They had driven from Florida and
so we all got into their "SUV" and
headed off to find our lodgings, which were in a residential neighborhood. We followed directions, which took us through the back
streets and through a narrow entryway, into the backyard of a cute
house. The car was full of food and
beer, so much so that it looked like we were going camping in the
wilderness. But I wasn’t complaining
since that meant that we would have a good time. The house itself was very cozy with 3 bedrooms
and I took over one with twin beds. We
unpacked and then assembled in the living room to plan our evening.
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| The fantastic 'Husk' |
We had made reservations in one of Charleston’s premiere
restaurants named ‘Husk’ and decided
that rather that get too adventurous, we should just proceed there early and
grab a drink at the bar. We called an ‘Uber’ and our first ride into the
downtown showcased the beauty for which Charleston is known. ‘Husk’
is located in a beautiful house and the bar was located at the back, in an
equally beautiful area spread over 2 floors. After a cocktail there, we were guided to a
charming dining room which had a balcony overlooking the courtyard with a
tree. The food itself was as good as we
had hoped it would be and if this was what the next few days were going to be like, it
would be a fantastic weekend. All of the
desserts looked delicious and being in a big group meant that we could order
the entire lot. After that,
all that was remaining was to return back to our house…but not before
encountering one of the most flamboyant ‘Uber’
drivers, who would have been right at home in the haze induced 60s.
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| The courtyard at 'Eli's Table' |
The next morning we got ready and headed out for brunch to a
place which had been recommended by our ‘Uber’
driver last night, and was called ‘Eli’s
Table'. In fact, I had made reservations while we were in the car. We were guided to a table in the backyard and
it was the perfect setting for a brunch.
Once again, the meal was outstanding, and I was beginning to see why
Charleston is considered to be the best in the land when it comes to cuisine. Our server was a young man who knew his way
around town and gave us pointers on
places to visit – mostly bars – and things to get while there, even saying that
we may probably run into him. The
brunch had been substantial but now it was time for our activity for the
morning, which was a “Walking Tour”
and considering that we had met on one such tour, it only seemed appropriate.
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| The multicolored tree |
As we walked towards our meeting point, in the light of day
the architecture looked even more amazing and made us look forward to our tour.
We met our guide, a distinguished
looking lady, and our fellow tourists, a group from Atlanta via
Massachusetts. The lady had a pink
flower, which is native to the area, and said that since I had come all the way
from Chicago, I should have it. I said that
in this case I would be proud to display it during the tour and so wore it on
my jacket. Speaking of flowers, our very
first stop was to see a tree which blooms with flowers every Spring for a very
short time. But what was unique about
this tree was the fact that it bore flowers of two different colors on the same
branch. I had never seen anything like
this before and luckily for us, we were visiting during the right time of the
year.
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| The beautiful streets of Charleston |
We proceeded to look at historical buildings such as
churches and even walked through a graveyard, where our guide told us a story
of how she had once walked into the place with a certain number of tourists and
had walked out minus one! Well, all of
us were accounted for and we continued through the neighborhood and past some
establishments such as a 150 year old Hotel – with its own ghost story – and
past a Market. But the main highlight of
the tour was still ahead of us, the magnificent houses of Charleston; something
that this city is known for.
Walking through what must have been one of the most
expensive streets in the nation in terms of real estate, what I was struck by the most was not the gaudy opulence, but the simplicity.
There weren’t any golden tiles or intricate artwork on the walls, but
just beautifully constructed houses.
Plus we could peek inside and see the immaculate gardens and in some
cases, walked through narrow alleyways, which revealed even more
treasures. We had made our way to the
waterfront, which has an elevated walkway next to it and a row of even more
beautiful – and pricier – houses with a view.
Our guide was telling us about the stories of those places, as well as
the “Waterfront Park” which had seen
its share of “Pirates” from back in
the 18th century. Before
going inland for the last part of our tour, we looked outward through the
harbor and in the distance was the single most famous building of Charleston, ‘Fort Sumter National Monument’.
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| On the waterfront |
We continued back towards the place we had started from,
admiring more houses, some of which were brilliantly colored. I have done some tours of houses and
neighborhoods in the past but this one had been as good as any in terms of
charm, history and elegance. We were
still quite full from our brunch, but wanted a breather before our next
activity and so headed to a place called ‘Blind
Tiger’ for some cocktails. After
that we headed to ‘Market Street’
which hosts the “Historic Charleston City
Market”. This is a street over a few blocks that are lined
up on both sides with local shops and eateries. Running through the center
of the street is a long, single-story building in which local vendors and
artisans have set up shop. It reminded
me a lot of Boston’s “Quincy Market”,
though without all the food.
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| This used to be a "Gas Station" |
Our next activity was a “Culinary
Walking Tour” and since their main office was nearby, we thought that we
had plenty of time and so were taking it easy.
However, we realized that the meeting point was actually a couple of
miles away and so we frantically ordered an ‘Uber’
and made it there right on time. Our
first stop was a restaurant called ‘HoM’ - or “House of Munch”, as it is known - and upon entering we saw that other visitors were already assembled, including
the group with whom we had done the tour in the morning. We had 3 tastings here – including a
flatbread with “Pimento Cheese”, which
was delicious - and then moved on to the next place. It was a small place called ‘R Kitchen’ which hosts “pop-up” style dinners, albeit with the
same staff but different menus. After a
couple of samplers here, we moved over across the street to a place called ‘Fuel’, which was essentially a
restaurant inside a “Gas Station”. While the food here was good, by this time we
were feeling stuffed and so couldn’t do it justice. But we did have room for a small cupcake at a
final stop at a bakery and then since we were less than a mile away from our
house, just walked home.
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| The "Escape Game" |
I spent the next hour on the couch trying to recover from the
drowsiness and lethargy that all the food had brought on and I saw that I
wasn’t the only one who had been affected.
However we did have one final thing to do this evening and that was play
an “Escape Game”. Now, I have done this a lot during all of my
travels, but never with my own team. I have always joined other groups and while
each of them had made me feel welcome, I was still an outsider. So I had told Lisa that I wanted to do this
during our visit here and they were on board.
So, for the first time after dozens of these rooms, I arrived with my
squad for an attempt at “Prison Break”. We were joined by another couple and then for
the next 60 minutes, the 7 of us worked together and managed to escape. It had been a lot of fun and I knew that as exciting as these rooms are to play, it is truly memorable when you do so with your
own team.
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| An evening on the porch |
There was no way that I was going to have a full meal after
all the food that I had imbibed, but that did not stop me from getting my
favorite “Belgium Chocolate” cone at ‘Häagen Dazs’, which was located right
next to the game. We went back to our
place and it was a nice night to be sitting outside on the porch. So Lisa made us a “cheese plate” and some dips and along with some beer and popcorn
that I had gotten from Chicago, we had ourselves a great time, just
chatting. I have had several great
evening during my travels, most of them involving food and drink. But relaxing with friends on a porch is now way
up on the list.
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| 'Magnolia Plantation' |
We had a lot planned for this Saturday, starting with a
visit to a plantation, which was a few miles outside of downtown. But before that, we decided to get the
breakfast of champions by stopping over at a place called ‘Glazed’ and getting ourselves an assortment of donuts. The locals were already lining up and clearly
this was a place to be. With our sugar
levels properly adjusted, we headed over to ‘Magnolia
Plantation’. The entrance resembles
a “Countryside Estate” and as we
drove up the pathway towards the house, we passed immaculately maintained
gardens lined by an avenue of trees. As
beautiful as this was, on the side, clearly visible as a scar, were the shacks
that had been the “Slave Quarters”.
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| The horrible part of the plantation - "Slave Quarters" |
Our tour started with a short presentation over there and
just walking through those shacks was suffocating; forget living there with
dozens of others, all of them crammed like sardines. We were then taken for a tour of the house,
which in stark contrast had all of the opulence and elegance. We were told on numerous occasions that this
had been a site for filming of several movies, most famous being “The Notebook”. Now, I have never seen it but several of the
ladies obviously had and I noticed that none of the men owned up to it. After the house tour we went for another
demonstration on “Gullah Culture”,
which told the visitors the story of the people who were brought to these lands
as slaves and their life during that era.
The lady also touched upon their culture and food and how that has
influenced the people and communities of today.
Yes, slavery was and always will be an atrocious part of our history and
I have heard people say that they would never visit South Carolina, let alone a
plantation. But we cannot ignore what has happened
and need to learn from it. Coming to a
place like this is the only way to confront our ugly past and heal as a
community.
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| Approaching 'Fort Sumter National Monument' |
There was a trolley tour that took us around the plantation
grounds, which are now used for multiple things such as “Halloween Tours”, “Strawberry
Picking” and other farming activities.
It was cold and I for one was glad when we concluded the tour since the
trolley wasn’t completely enclosed.
While waiting for the trolley I had booked for us an excursion to ‘Fort Sumter’ and so we headed towards
the waterfront. We collected our tickets
and had less than an hour to grab some food, which we did at a flamboyantly
titled place called ‘Ted’s Butcherblock’! We arrived back to see that there was a long
line to board the ferry for our 30 minute ride.
Also, the wind had picked up and I for one was hoping that there would be
an indoors seating area. There was one
and everyone made a beeline towards it, meaning that soon there wasn’t any place left to
sit. So I went outside and while it was
cold, it wasn’t unbearable. Plus, there was something special about watching the
island approach, knowing all the battles that had taken place over there during the
war.
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| Inside the fort |
The fort itself is now almost non-existent, though the
remnants of the fortifications remain, along with the old cannons. There is a small museum
which tells the story of the pivotal role that this place played during the “Civil War”, right from the first shot
being fired, all the way to its defense and eventual surrender. There were also stories of its role during
the “Revolutionary War” and it truly
was amazing to be standing on the site of one of our Nation’s iconic
landmarks. There was a group that looked
like they were going to a High School prom – though this place would certainly be an
interesting choice! We learnt that they
were in fact a part of a travelling school band and were passing through
Charleston. The gift shop had
memorabilia from the war, including “Union”
and “Confederate” uniform caps and it
was sad and funny to hear one of the girls point to the hat and tell her
friend, “Oh, it comes in multiple colors”. So much for the kids and history books!
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| The incredible "Chocolate Pudding" |
We took the ferry back to the mainland - though this time I
stayed inside - and then after driving through some charming neighborhood,
returned back to our place. It was our
last night and we wanted to go out and have some fun. We called an ‘Uber’ and went to a place called ‘Proof’,
which was listed as the top bar for cocktails.
Both, the ambience, as well as the drinks were great and a good choice to
start the evening. From there we
proceeded to another restaurant that was known for its food – ‘Hominy Grill’ and what a dinner it
turned out to be! When people talk about
food in Charleston, they aren't kidding.
Of all the cities that I have been to so far, this may end up being on
top of my list as far as food is concerned. I was full, but just had
to get their “Chocolate Pudding”
which I can honestly eat every day of my life.
I refused to waste any of it and took the leftovers to go, no idea when
I would be eating it. We weren’t done
yet and stopped for a nightcap at ‘Little
Jack’s Tavern’, which was around the corner from our house. It was a typical neighborhood bar and a nice
end to the evening.
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| 'USS Yorktown' |
Next morning dawned grey and chilly, but we had one more
activity left to do before our departure.
After my breakfast of the leftover pudding, we packed up our car –
everything that had come out had to go back in – and left for brunch at a place
called ‘Paige’s Okra Grill’. Upon arrival we were told that there was a
wait of over an hour and so we decided to come back here later in the morning. We were headed to ‘Patriots Point’ to see ‘USS
Yorktown’, an aircraft carrier from “WWII”. It was windy and really cold as we walked
over to the ship and even inside we could feel the cold draft. As with any other aircraft carrier this was
huge and there were a few self-guided tours that one could take through the
ships interior. We went down to the
lower decks and followed a path through the vast labyrinth which took us to
different parts of the ship, from the “Crew
Quarters”, to the “Galley” to the
“Dining Room”, to the “Medical Section”. There were other exhibits along the way that
told the story and history of the ship and to explore everything in detail
would have taken us hours. There were 5
different tours, including one which took us all the way up top to the “Tactical” and “Navigation” sections and by this time we were cold, tired and
hungry. So we decided to forgo the rest
of the ship as well as the Submarine and headed back for brunch.
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| My squad for this trip! |
There wasn’t as much crowd at ‘Paige’s Okra Grill’ as this morning, but it was still
buzzing. Considering it was our last
meal in Charleston, we went all out and ordered the works, deciding to have our
brunch “family style”. Then we went to the “Bloody Mary Bar”. Now,
typically you have a few hot sauces and other garnishes like cheese and pickles
that people add to their drink and call it a day. Oh no, not this one. This one had a full buffet that you could
mount on your glass…a very long buffet.
There was every food item - savory and sweet - that one could imagine
being on a breakfast or lunch menu and you were allowed to use it like a
garnish. By the end our glasses resembled
gigantic towers and how we managed to get them back without toppling over is a
mystery that Physics cannot answer. And
there was more food waiting for us. If
my every last meal in a city were to be like this, I would be extremely
happy…and obese.
It was time to head home, but had just enough time to go
back downtown for some last minute souvenir shopping at the Market that we had
visited on Friday. Then it was onwards
to the airport to drop me off. As we said our goodbyes, I thought that it had
been one of my best trips. My last several
visits had followed a pattern of me coming to a city, going to the main tourist
attractions and finding cool places to eat and drink. Well, I had done that here, but the main
difference was that I wasn’t alone. This
time I had friends with me and the fact that prior to this we had only met for
a few brief hours meant very little, for we had enjoyed every single moment of
this trip. I often think about “what if’s” and if I hadn’t decided to
do a that tour in New York all those months ago, I would have never met Lisa
and her family and we would have never done this together. But we had, and it ranks as one of the
highlights of my travels.
