What I learned About Charleston

I am blessed to say that it is another amazing trip in the books for my 12 trips in 12 months series. This time I got to spend some time with John and Janice in Charleston, SC. Apparently, I’ve mentioned numerous times that I wanted to return to Charleston so John reminded me of this and graciously made it a stop on his Great Loop trip. 

Charleston is an amazing city with a myriad of things to do, a visual feast for the eyes, and a physical feast for the stomach. There are also some amazing cool and creative people there as well. Here’s what I’ve learned during my three days in the Holy City. 

Mt. Pleasant is Not Charleston

So it costs a small fortune to stay in the downtown area of Charleston where all the cool shit is happening. Thus to have an affordable trip there, you have to stay a little further out. I chose the Cambria Hotel in Mt. Pleasant because (and I’m slightly embarrassed to say this) they offered a free bottle of wine with the stay. Later, I sold that bottle and used the money to buy an expensive cup of coffee. I digress.

When you look at Mt. Pleasant on the map, it’s simply over the bridge from Charleston. Not bad. However, that bridge is long and it turns out the Cambria is several miles from it. Also, all the cool shit that I mentioned in the intro is a little further inland. All told, I was about 15-20 minutes from everything that I wanted to see and do. Not terrible, but without a car, I was paying an average of about $50-60 per day on ubers. Next time, I’ll shoot for something on the other side of Charleston that may be closer or I’ll look for a place with a shuttle. 

Not a Bad Meal in Charleston

And when I say not a bad meal, I mean all of them were hitting. Charleston has a great reputation for food and, honestly, that’s been one of my two lasting memories from my last trip in 2008. The other being running from a plantation. From Southern food to Italian food to Mexican food, everything was fresh and delicious. Here’s my rundown of my favorite Charleston meals:

1. Fried Chicken Club at Iron Rose: To me, the mark of great fried chicken is twofold. One the batter has to have taste that makes you want to take bite after bite to get that flavor. The second is it has to have just the right amount of crispness and texture, fight me. This sandwich had all of it and it was large, but not overwhelming. I ate it all and without feeling bloated, very important. It also didn’t hurt that I was eating it on a beautiful spring day on the Terrace of the hotel where the bar was located with the occasional graduating College of Charleston student stopping by to grab a White Claw. 
2. Italian Sausage Sandwich with Broccoli Rabe at Allora: Allora is a restaurant that focuses on Italian coastal cuisine and they have a lot of fancy, expensive stuff on their menu. The Italian Sausage Sandwich was the only affordable thing that I recognized. However, the broccoli rabe threw me. I was starving and I figured I could just pull it off. I’m so glad I fought the urge to do so. The sandwich was amazing. All components were so flavorful, savory, and fresh. It was more of a sweet Italian sausage than a spicy one, which I loved. And the broccoli was well-seasoned and truly added to the taste. It was also cheesy. A creamy mozzarella topped off the experience. 
3. BEC Sandwich at Miller’s All Day: Miller’s All Day is one of those types of places that get a lot love from travel influencers, which can have mixed results. However, this place lives up to the hype. I got the BEC (bacon, eggs, and cheese) because I was deeply hungover and needed something to soak up last night’s alcohol. The sandwich, while not elaborate, was big and flavorful. The bacon was that thick cut meaty bacon that eats more like a pork steak than meat candy. The cheese and eggs added to the texture. And it came on a brioche bun. Man, it was satisfying and just what I needed at the moment. Across from me, was a couple who split quite possibly the biggest, most luscious cinnamon roll, I’d ever seen. So there’s that. 

Ghost Pub Crawls are Awesome!

This was a bit of a drunk idea, but the first day we were in Charleston, we were looking at tours to do. I’m trying to do that a little more when I travel. And a pub crawl involving a discussion of the ghosts of Charleston was one of the options. Also, didn’t disappoint. 

Tim, our tour guide, met us at the Blind Tiger Pub in the French Quarter. Super nice. Super knowledgeable and passionate. So we sat down and had a drink and learned some Charleston history along with ghosts existing in this venerable pub. 

We went on to three other places. A subterranean bar. A rooftop bar. An Irish pub. All really cool places that we may or may not have found on our own. 

One thing I loved about the pub crawl, aside from learning some Charleston history, was that it was a masterclass in story telling. Each story built upon the next in subtle ways, with the tour culminating, or close to it in a story about a building where every business inhabiting it failed because of tragedy taking place within. A sign on the building says a “new business is coming in 2020.” The sign was funny and slightly haunting and gave anecdotal verification of the existence of spirits. 

The African-American Museum

I love museums and history and it has been on my radar to come here since it opened a few years back. The exterior of the museum has an interesting post modern architecture that I definitely dig. The inside burst with color and images of the full spectrum of Africans and African-Americans. I think what this museum specializes in is the nuances and the perilous nature of the African journey through the middle passage and to the shores of South Carolina, which has one of the most toxic histories in the American story. From Africans in Africa to the dangers of rice farming to revolutions throughout the Americas, the museum provides nuggets of knowledge in interesting and painstaking detail. I found myself cramming in the knowledge the way I would later cram in my fried chicken sandwich. 

One of the most haunting exhibits at the museum was a series of documents that captured the tragic ending of the life of George Junius Stinney Jr. Stinney was a 14-year boy who in 1944 became the youngest person to be executed in the United States in the 20th century. The first document was a notepad that had several random and scribbled notes about the murder of two young white girls. According to the Equal Justice Institute and several other sources, Stinney was convicted of murdering two young white girls by an all-white jury after a trial lasting just two hours and a 10-minute deliberation. No physical evidence linked him to the crime, and his alleged confession was obtained while he was held in isolation, separated from his parents, and without legal representation. 

The second document was the official court document stating he was guilty of murder and sentenced to death by electrocution.

The third document was a death certificate, certifying the death. 

In December 2014, a South Carolina circuit court officially vacated Stinney’s conviction, which the last document reflects. 

The exhibit is sobering and haunting. It’s a reminder of the level of cruelty that human beings can inflict on each other all for the sake of holding their ideals, fear, and ignorance. 

The one regret of my trip was that I didn’t spend more time at this museum. It was truly an educational treat. 

The Walkable Feast of Charleston

The architecture in Charleston is absolutely stunning. Tons of colonial-era buildings. Bright colors (especially along Rainbow Row), sweeping balconies, and a majestic waterfront. The first night we were there we rented scooters and cruised around the downtown area, which has kinda become a tradition when we all get together. Many of the old buildings light up, which leaves you in awe at every mile. These places look like hotels or museums. It’s really hard to believe that real people live there. 

Charleston is also a pretty safe city. When cruising through the streets, we never felt out of place or unsafe or like we could potentially get ran over. We also didn’t feel like we were going to get questioned by the cops for being in a nice neighborhood, which is impressive.