1) Charleston, SC is a splendid, charming town.
2) We have the greatest boat! (see next blog post)
Our stay in Charleston was enchanting. We immediately took to the town…you know that good feeling you get, or don’t get, when you stop somewhere new? Charleston definitely elicited a charismatic feeling. My kind of town…Charleston is.
We learned of pluff mud, saw dolphins play with their fish catch, mailed in our absentee ballots, shooed away the grackles, tasted gator tails, boiled peanuts, hush puppies, fried green tomatoes, rode our bikes to the Citadel and watched the dress parade, took a cupcake decorating class (well, Randy didn’t), discovered our favorite pub after testing quite a few, found our favorite deli, had a perfect martini, had a great soup by a perfect bonfire by the water, walked, walked, walked and rode our bikes everywhere! What we didn't do? LEARN THE SHAG!
Pluff Mud: This dark, soft mud was all around the marina at low tide. It’s a lowcountry term. Apparently it’s famous in this area for being great soil to grow rice in. Carolina Gold. But the modern machinery can’t manage this soft mud as it was earlier harvested only by slaves. It looks like chocolate whipped cream! But doesn’t smell as nice. Great word, pluff.
Grackles: These are the big blackbirds that started visiting all the boats early every morning and at sunset. Unwanted visitors! Just like the movie, The Birds! They made a mess on all the boats so we tried to shoo them off best we could.
Gator tails: Loved them! And, no, they don’t taste like chicken. We had them as an hors d'oeuvres. They tasted more like beef than chicken.
Boiled Peanuts: We liked these, too! Not everyone does. They’re certainly different than roasted peanuts but they’re served warm and they pop out of their shells like edamame. The shells being soft. Yummy!
Hush Puppies: Delicious. We tasted a lot of these foods I mention here at Hymans Restaurant which is renowned in Charleston. Always long lines at Hymans. We were dining with new friends and one of the owners brought these out to taste. These are golden-brown puffs supposedly invented to stop the barking puppies at an outdoor feast. They’re made by putting corn-bread batter into deep fat…’bout the shape of a donut hole. (Hyman's also make a great bloody mary, though I've never had one for dinner before. Of course I had to try it. Delicious. But I like them better in the morning. Weird having one for dinner. But I guess it's what they do! Apparently it's one of their specialties.)
Fried Green Tomatoes: I loved the book and the movie and now I’ve tasted them. And of course they’re delicious.
The Citadel: Randy and I were fortunate enough to have a wonderful tour of the Citadel at the invitation of our friend Speedy, a retired Brigadier General, and the General who replaced him, who was also a graduate of the Citadel. A very special evening. We wanted to see their dress parade so rode our bikes a week later to the Friday afternoon ceremony. Terrific. Particularly the drum and pipes band. There’s nothing like bag pipes. Thanks Speedy!
Decorating cupcakes: A wonderful kitchen store, Charleston Cooks, held the class one Saturday morning. Rode my bike in and had a blast! I can be the cruising cupcake maker.
The Blind Tiger: Best pub, best hamburger we found, tried Shock Top beer, food was always good. Love finding the best burger and new beers.
Wentworth Station: Best deli, best BLT. This deli was suggested by the bike shop we frequented when we asked where to get a good sandwich. And they were right. Went there many times.
Charleston Place: Best martini. Perfectly chilled, perfectly timed. I’m sure it was shaken, not stirred.
The Perfect Bonfire: Through our new friends Larry and Dona Jean on Amilado at City Marina, we met some very nice folks who live on the outskirts of Charleston and invited us to their home. I am embarassed that we failed to get their card and have forgotten their names! (On this cruising life, boaters have cards made up like business cards with all their information on them. It's a great way to stay in touch.) Their house is on a pretty waterway on which we took a cocktail cruise and came back to a warm bonfire, wonderful soup and fresh caught shrimp off the BBQ. Oh my.
The Shag: I have heard about this dance many times and want to experience this for sure! Another reason I have to get back to Charleston. Stay tuned for further news on this one. How fun to dance the Shag with the Ran-ster! I must learn this dance. And I think the Charleston dance was invented in Charleston. Is this place great or what?
We did not get to experience as many restaurants in Charleston as we thought we would. So many there… so little time. We need to watch our pennies, not to mention our waist lines. Waist line watching is NOT easy! I'm actually failing at that but hoping to snap out of it soon!
We did not get to experience as many restaurants in Charleston as we thought we would. So many there… so little time. We need to watch our pennies, not to mention our waist lines. Waist line watching is NOT easy! I'm actually failing at that but hoping to snap out of it soon!
At this time we plan to get back to Charleston and leave our boat during hurricane season (must be above 32º latitude). We’ll be able to do more discriminating tasting at that time. We met some wonderful friends in Larry and Dona Jean who were just 2 boats down from us on the dock. We will be able to enjoy them again , too.
Our youngest son Skip is getting married in April so the plan is to park the boat in the Bahamas and fly back to CA for a few weeks to celebrate that wonderful event! We did not want to rush our Bahama experience so we have decided to not rush to the Caribbean but return to Charleston by the end of the cruising season in June. We will then catch a sailing rally called the Caribbean 1500 that will take us directly to the Caribbean in November 2009. Again the insurance companies dictate our time. But…not a bad life, eh?
Our youngest son Skip is getting married in April so the plan is to park the boat in the Bahamas and fly back to CA for a few weeks to celebrate that wonderful event! We did not want to rush our Bahama experience so we have decided to not rush to the Caribbean but return to Charleston by the end of the cruising season in June. We will then catch a sailing rally called the Caribbean 1500 that will take us directly to the Caribbean in November 2009. Again the insurance companies dictate our time. But…not a bad life, eh?
