Charleston, SC
We arrived in Charleston late morning on Tuesday; another flight that landed early--this time by 30 minutes! It is nice to be away from the cold weather and to enjoy late fall in the Carolinas. So back I tread to:
Tuesday, 24 November 2015
Charleston, SC
After checking in at the Hilton Doubletree Suites Hotel in Charleston's historic district, we head for lunch at Gigi's, the first of several of the city's best-known restaurants that we will enjoy over the next several days. Situated on the coastline at the end of a peninsula between the Cooper and Ashley Rivers, the city is well-known for its seafood. Will has shrimp salad and I have a Bibb lettuce salad with tarragon dressing (reminds me of the salad dressing at the dining room in the Virginia Musuem of Arts in Richmond), followed by crispy-crusted fried shrimp. Back at the hotel we make sure that my cousins from Baltimore and my brother and sister-in-law from Austin have safely arrived and make plans for dinner.
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| Hotel Lobby |
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| Hotel Courtyard |
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| Hotel Front Entrance |
This is a very busy time for tourism in Charleston and the city is throbbing with visitors; there is even a Carival cruise ship docked a few blocks from our hotel. We had to make dinner reservations well in advance to make sure that we could dine well while we are here and even last April many of the small boutique hotels in historic houses were fully booked. Fortunately, I know Charleston quite well, having visited many times with my family when I was a child. And from when I was 12 to 16 (and in junior high school) I spent three months of each summer with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, all of whom had moved from New York City in the early 1950's. My father was the only one of five brothers and sisters who stayed in New York, so I had the best of both Northern and Southern comforts while I was growing up.
My grandparents lived right in the center of the Peninsula, just a few blocks north of the historic district (although it was hardly thought of as a tourist attraction back in the late '50's), and then later moved further downtown and closer to the Battery which lines the shore at Charleston Bay. My aunts and uncles lived in the suburbs, but back then nothing was very far. Although summers are very hot and humid in Charleston, a teenager partying through the summer isn't about to mind them too much, and all the homes I stayed in were air-conditioned. One summer I worked in my Uncle Leon's supermarket, but most of the time I just bummed around with my cousins Lois and Jerry.
After resting during the afternoon, I meet Steve and Akiko (my brother and sister-in-law) in the lobby and walk less than two blocks to another one of Charleston's famous sea-food restaurants, Hank's. Judy and Les from Baltimore decide to take the night off after travelling all day and Will, fighting a cold, opts to stay in the room (a very large suite with bedroom, living room, bathroom, and small almost-kitchen). I bring him a bowl of Charleston's special she-crab soup and half of my fried shrimp dinner (which was indeed enough for two people). Steve and Akiko are major--and I mean major--seafood eaters, so they were in their element with a platter of fresh oysters, scallops, and salad.
It has been a long day and busy plans for tomorrow. Will and I arose at 5am in New York City this morning, so after dinner it's a good night's sleep.
My grandparents lived right in the center of the Peninsula, just a few blocks north of the historic district (although it was hardly thought of as a tourist attraction back in the late '50's), and then later moved further downtown and closer to the Battery which lines the shore at Charleston Bay. My aunts and uncles lived in the suburbs, but back then nothing was very far. Although summers are very hot and humid in Charleston, a teenager partying through the summer isn't about to mind them too much, and all the homes I stayed in were air-conditioned. One summer I worked in my Uncle Leon's supermarket, but most of the time I just bummed around with my cousins Lois and Jerry.
After resting during the afternoon, I meet Steve and Akiko (my brother and sister-in-law) in the lobby and walk less than two blocks to another one of Charleston's famous sea-food restaurants, Hank's. Judy and Les from Baltimore decide to take the night off after travelling all day and Will, fighting a cold, opts to stay in the room (a very large suite with bedroom, living room, bathroom, and small almost-kitchen). I bring him a bowl of Charleston's special she-crab soup and half of my fried shrimp dinner (which was indeed enough for two people). Steve and Akiko are major--and I mean major--seafood eaters, so they were in their element with a platter of fresh oysters, scallops, and salad.
It has been a long day and busy plans for tomorrow. Will and I arose at 5am in New York City this morning, so after dinner it's a good night's sleep.
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