Our Place in Charleston

Jack and I have been here in Charleston, South Carolina for almost two weeks and it's about time that I post some pictures of the place we're staying in.  We are renting a small frame house which is located behind a larger, three-story home which is also used as short term rental property. When we first saw the house I was not impressed.  I thought that the set-up was pretty odd.  Later, when we walked around the area I realized that lots of homes are set up in the same way.  Probably because space in Charleston is so limited (it's on a peninsula) most homes do not have yard space and many properties have homes in what would be their back yards.    

We have a small living room which is also where Jack works. 

 

When I need a little space, I sit in a chair in front of the window in our bedroom and read or surf the web. 

 

Our kitchen is compact but, unlike our rental unit in New York City, it has an oven and a dishwasher.  

 

I love the granite countertops and the white cabinets. 

Jack and I really like Charleston and the area where we're staying.  I could see living here.  (Of course it's February and 60 degrees outside.  The real test of liveability is in August when it's 90 degrees and 80 percent humidity! ) There are five restaurants within four blocks of our rental, one of which is Fuel, 



which will be featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives tonight.  There is also a yoga studio, a barbershop and a hair salon within the same four blocks. We are within walking distance of the downtown area and two blocks from the free trolley shuttle.  There is a hospital so close that I could walk to the emergency room and the harbor is a fifteen minute walk away. 

Just walking around town we see things like the French Huguenot Church which was built in 1844    



and the Curiosity Shop, which is a cute little antique and collectible shop down the side of a building that is set in sideways to the street and nearby.

This week-end we plan on getting out and doing some more exploring.  I'm excited to try some new restaurants and maybe take a haunted graveyard tour.  

History Is All Around in Charleston

Geek Alert!  I love history and I love reading about it.  I'm not talking about the rote memorization of dates or the chronology of royalty.  That's way too dry for me.  I'm fascinated by the stories of people and how they went about their daily lives.  What did they eat?  What did they wear?  Why did they do the things they did?  How did they do the things they did?  Maybe that's why I chose social service as a career?  My favorite type of book is historical fiction.  Not the bodice ripper type of historical fiction, although I've read my share of those throughout the years, but books that take you to a time or place like March by Geraldine Brooks or Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.

So, it makes sense that I would like Charleston.  History is all around you here and I can't wait to take one of the guided tours to learn about Charleston's past!  The only problem is deciding which tour to take.  There are so many options:  garden walks, night time ghost tours (hopefully with graveyards included), pirate tours (Arrrgh!) which could be dorky but fun, 

plus boat trips and plantation tours.  I need to do a little more research on Trip Advisor and Yelp and then just pick one.  The pirate tour where the guide brings his parrot seems like a good time to me (I can feel my kids rolling their eyes when they read this, "Of course it does").  The prices here seem pretty inexpensive after New York City so we will probably take more than one tour. Jack and I definitely intend on taking a trip to one of the plantations in the area later on in our stay but we plan to wait until it is a little warmer so that maybe we can catch the gardens in bloom. 

For now, the two of us are walking around on our own and snapping pictures along the way.  The black and white marble walkway of this home caught our eye

  

along with the manicured backyard complete with statue of another home along the way.  

 

There are many large houses here in Charleston that have outdoor porches running along the side on three stories and Jack and I love the look of them.  Due to the heat and humidity in the South I would imagine that people spent a lot of time outside on those shaded porches trying to catch the hint of a breeze before air conditioning was invented.  I can just see myself sitting on a porch swing sipping a mint julep (actually lemonade for me, I hate mint juleps) and watching the world go by.  Of course, I'm conveniently forgetting about how I much I hate to sweat and how uncomfortable it must have been for women sweltering in layers and layers of clothes. Wearing stockings.  In August.  As my sister often says, "There's the fantasy, here's the reality."  Jack and I haven't been able to get a good unobstructed picture of a home with porches yet but we'll keep trying.

 

Heading South of the Mason-Dixon Line

We left New York City last week and headed down to Charleston, S.C. We knew that we were getting close to our destination when we stopped seeing road signs for places like Nathan's Diner and Jimmy's Sub Shop and started seeing the black and yellow signs for Waffle House.  Restaurants offerings were no longer ribbon pasta with a mushroom marsala sauce. 

Instead, restaurants were now boasting "Breakfast All Day Long" and offering dishes like homemade meatloaf with mashed potatoes and omlettes with crispy hash browns and of course,meat, meat and more meat.



I stopped eating meat a few years ago but I'm always able to find something I want to eat at a restaurant and occasionally, it's even healthy.  I have a feeling that it's going to be a little more challenging for me here in the South.  It seems that almost everything has meat in the recipe, is fried, and is served in super-sized portions. Look at the heaping amount of those hash browns!  The picture just doesn't convey the crispy, greasy deliciousness of them and despite my best intentions I ate every bite!  

Jack and I have have been in Charleston for several days and on our exploration hikes through town we've seen at least 10 restaurants we'd like to try out. (If we can only find them again!) I'm happy that there are so many non-chain restaurants to choose from but, since Jack and I hope to be able to extend our road trip for 6 -12 months we are really trying to stick to a strict budget and not let ourselves get crazy going out for dinner like we're on an extended vacation.  Well o.k., I'm on a vacation since I'm on a work hiatus but we're really trying to live like a local wherever we end up on our road trip.  Our goal is to stick to eating out once a week but we'll see how that goes. 

Yesterday, we decided to enjoy the terrific weather here in Charleston by going out to breakfast at Hominy Grill which is two blocks away from the place we're staying and has outdoor seating.  The hostess was very apologetic about a 35 minute wait which, for a Sunday morning, seemed short to us.  We stood outside in the courtyard at a high-boy table and shared a celebratory cocktail from the walk-up outdoor bar. 

We were lucky to be seated at a table next to the french doors that opened onto the patio so we could enjoy the breeze and the excellent people watching.  The family at the table next to us placed an order for several of the Big Nasty Biscuits which featured a crispy fried chicken breast on a giant biscuit with cheddar cheese and gravy.  It looked really decadent and tasty even to a non-meat eater like me.  Kind of like a KFC mashed potato bowl (oh, how I miss them).  I stuck with the granola, fruit and yogurt and Jack ordered cinnamon french toast with apple-maple syrup and a side order of grits. We topped it off with a shared order of pumpkin-ginger bread and lots of coffee.

After breakfast we picked up our dog Coco and hopped in the car to explore a little bit further afield.  The town of Charleston is located at the end of a peninsula bordered on one side by the Ashley River and on the other side by the Cooper River with the Charleston Harbor at the tip.  We hadn't ventured off the peninsula since we arrived.  We crossed over the Ashley River which was marshy and fairly narrow and found ourselves on James Island heading to Folly Beach.  Folly Beach is one of the barrier islands near Charleston and has a public beach unlike Kiawah Island which is a private island which doesn't allow visitors unless you are visiting a specific person.  (A fact we learned after a 14 mile drive on a two-lane road)  Dogs are not allowed on Folly Beach from May - September but since it was February we were able to walk Coco on a leash.  It was Coco's first time on a beach and she struggled a little walking on the dry sand since her legs are so short.  She wanted NOTHING to do with the water when we walked on the hard packed sand.  The three of us enjoyed a long walk before we headed home to watch the Super Bowl.  

Before going out to the beach yesterday I wondered if we had made the right decision by choosing to stay in town rather than renting a place on or near the water but I think that we've done the right thing.  Now that we've left New York City, Jack and I are really alone without having our kids or friends around.  With Jack working all day I will need to find things to do and have easily accessible places to go to get out of the house or we'll drive each other crazy.  By renting in town I'll have lots of options.  Luckily, people are friendly here so who knows?  Maybe I'll make a new friend.       

 

 

It seems like forever since I sat down to write about the first leg of our cross country road trip. I could say that I was just too busy experiencing New York City to sit down and write about it but, I think the truth is that I've just gotten lazy (let's say less disciplined) since I've not been working.   

We had a lot of fun in January trying to fit in all sorts of touristy activities that we had put off in the hustle and bustle of Emily's illness and the holidays. I came to really enjoy the energy of the city and felt comfortable finding my way around outside of the tourist center.  I could live in New York but it is a LOT of work just going about your daily life.  You just don't think about the logistics of walking home in the rain while juggling an umbrella and a couple of bags of groceries, and a purse until you HAVE to do it.  I can't even imagine getting small kids on the subway in a stroller or out the door to daycare on foot.  I know millions of people do it every day but it would kick your butt before you ever walked in the door to work!

Jack and I saw two Broadway shows while we were in New York and both of them were great.  I have wanted to see a theatrical production of The Lion King since it first came out about 10 years ago and it really lived up to the hype.  The costumes were truly amazing and beautiful and the singing was terrific.  Circle of Life always gets me choked up (except when Elton John sings it) and it was really powerful performed live. The audience spontaneously leaped to its' feet cheering at the end of the production.  I haven't seen that happen since I saw Rocky at the theater.  





We saw How to Succeed in Business with our friends Mardi and Cheri who were visiting and enjoyed that too.  It's a fun story set in the '60's about a young guy who wants to make it in the business world and the girl who loves him.  Again, I found myself noticing the costumes: men in starched white shirts, ties and suits and women in pastel colored dresses, nylons and some awesome heels in matching pastel colors.  Cheri, Mardi and I agreed that it's a polished, professional look but exhausting to maintain. 

 

Jack and I enjoyed several trips to the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side courtesy of our membership which was a Christmas gift from Amanda and Scott.

We visited the Museum of Natural History and the Cloisters with Kate and Ben and took several long walks throughout the city with them.



We had several terrific brunches in Brooklyn with Emily and Grant and a wonderful birthday brunch celebration with all of the kids at Schiller's. 

For us, the best thing about staying in New York City was getting the opportunity to spend lots of time with our children.  Getting together for dinner (on a work night!) with Kate and Ben



or going for a walk together are some of the simple things that we don't get to enjoy very often with any of our kids.  Jack and I were really sad about leaving them and at least one of us was teary (I'm sure you can figure out who THAT was). 

This time together with our girls and guys was a wonderful gift and worth the hassle of selling our home and living out of plastic bins.  We're looking forward to heading into warm weather for a few months and working our way West to see the rest of our kids.  Next stop, Charleston, S.C.!



A Splendid Time Was Had By All

Being a tourist can be a lot of fun, can't it?  New sights, rich food, and impulse shopping all make for a fun-filled day or two.  I love to go on vacation but I'm always happy to go home.  Now that we are doing our "Grand Tour" the challenge is to make wherever we stay feel like home and still take advantage of all of the opportunities of a new place.  During our visit in New York City we've tried not to run amok and act like this is one long vacation.  Who can afford that?  Jack and I try to live like locals.  We cook at home most nights and the only shopping we've done has been for Christmas presents. 


This past week-end our friends, Pat and Denise came to New York City for a few days.  It was great to catch up with them and do some of the typical tourist things. Armed with our trusty subway map, Jack and I were able to play tour guide. (Our kids are laughing somewhere, muttering about "...the blind leading the blind.")

 We started our day with lunch overlooking the Bryant Park ice skating pond and then headed over to the Empire State Building.  It was a cloudy day but we were still able to see all over the city from the 86th floor observation area.  It was freezing cold and windy - it didn't seem that blustery when Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks met there at the end of Sleepless in Seattle!

We didn't really mind the wind or the cold but it was vaguely annoying that every step of the way cost money.  Tickets - $25/each.  Going to another level - an additional $15/each.  A map to know what you're looking at - more money. In order to leave the observation deck they route you through the gift shop to get to the elevator you just passed!  A small thing really but irritating.  How do families afford it?

Later that night we headed over to Grand Central Station which is one of the two train stations in Manhattan. 

Our kids had recommended that we have dinner at the Grand Central Oyster Bar so we took them up on their suggestion and had a terrific meal. The restaurant itself made me think of Mad Men for some reason.  It seems like the kind of place where those characters would enjoy a three martini lunch.  Since it was my birthday, I treated myself to scallops for dinner. I haven't eaten meat in several years but every once in awhile I will have fish when it seems like my body craves it.  Or maybe it's just when my willpower is low! 

The next day we all hopped on a Greyline Doubledecker bus for a tour of Manhattan.  Jack and I try and take a guided tour whenever we go to a new city and it's a great way to show visitors around town.  Since the tickets are good for 48 hours and you can hop on and hop off whenever you like, it seems like a pretty good value to me. 

Later that day, we had dinner and saw a jazz show at Dizzy's Club which is in the Time Warner building a couple of blocks from our apartment.  The view out of the floor to ceiling windows is incredible at night and the two times I've been there I've felt like I was in an episode of Sex in the City minus the amazing shoes and cool clothes, of course!  The food is good, the service is great and the prices are very reasonable.  Not New York reasonable but comparable to a nice restaurant anywhere.

Based on another recommendation from our kids, we finished off our night by heading back to Grand Central Station to have a drink at the Campbell Apartment which was closed for a private party the previous night.  Modeled after a 13th century Florentine palace, the Campbell Apartment was the private office of Joseph W. Campbell who rented the space to use as an office and to entertain guests in 1923 and maintained it for over twenty years.  The ceiling is 25 feet high and as you can see, the window behind the bar is enormous.  

Today, the Campbell Apartment is a place to enjoy "cocktails from another era".  It's the kind of spot where you would expect to see Hercule Poirot sipping a cup of tea or Howard Carter and George Herbert telling friends about their amazing discovery in the Valley of the Kings. It's a fun place to sit on a sofa in front of the fireplace and enjoy an appetizer while sipping a drink.  Jack stuck with Scotch but I had the Flapper's Delight and the Berry Royale, both of which I can highly recommend!  Stop by the next time you visit New York.  While it looks fancy, the dress code is casual.  It does say that tennis shoes are not allowed but I'm not sure how strictly the rule is enforced.  We did see someone with a baseball cap on so they probably aren't that strict about enforcing the dress code, but why risk being turned away?  The Campbell Apartment does recommend making a reservation if you plan on visiting during peak times like after work or on week-ends.  

We spent the following day visiting other New York City sites like Central Park and the 9/11 Memorial but I'll save that for another post. New York City was amazing but for Jack and me, the best part of the entire week-end was spending time with dear friends.  A splendid time was had by all.   

 









It's Great To Be Alive!

On Saturday, my sister Deb and I celebrated our 55th birthday.  (I hope she doesn't mind my putting our age out there into cyberspace!)  We agreed that just being around to HAVE another birthday was the greatest gift and that no matter what our aches and pains are this is the best time of our lives. 

I can't speak for Deb, but I know that in my 20's I did not appreciate what a gift life is.  (Note the cigarettes!)  I spent a lot of time thinking, "Some day...", "When I ...", then I'll be happy. 



In my 30's and 40's in between a job, and kids, and household chores I spent most of my time running from one thing to the next like the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, "I'm late, I'm late!"  I was so busy trying to cross things off of my To Do list that I wasn't enjoying the "doing" only the "finishing". 

I am so grateful to be here in my 50's and to be starting another year with my sister and our family and friends.  Being a little older and a little wiser makes a big difference in how I look at life these days.  Although we aren't together physically this year, Deb and I are together in heart.  She has always been the BEST sister.  She is, by the way, the Evil Twin.  :)









Brooklyn Is Cool

 

This past week-end we spent some time with our daughter Emily and her guy, Grant exploring Brooklyn.  Emily has lived on the first floor of a brownstone in Brooklyn for almost the entire time she has been in New York City and really loves the apartment and the neighborhood.   

I always tell people that walking around in Brooklyn (well all of New York City, really) is like walking around in a movie.  Jack and I like all of the trees and think that the brownstones are beautiful.  A typical brownstone might be broken up into one apartment per floor and have hardwood floors, high ceilings, tall windows, no elevator and no central air conditioning. There are no alleys so the garbage cans are kept in the front of the house.

Brooklyn is very different from the part of Manhattan where we are staying and the many neighborhoods of Brooklyn each have different personalities, too.  Emily and Grant live in a neighborhood called Park Slope which, in 2010, New York Magazine declared New York's most desirable neighborhood.  It reminds me a lot of the Lincoln Park neighborhood in Chicago with shops, restaurants and access to some nice open space which is important when you live in a borough with 2.5 million other people! 

One of the things that makes Park Slope so special is Prospect Park which is 585 acres of open space that was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead who also designed Central Park in New York City, the Midway Plaisance in Chicago, and the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.  The park is about 5 blocks up the "slope" or hill from where Emily and Grant live so it is very easy to get to and a nice place to walk, run or just hang out when the weather is good. 

On Saturday, we wandered through two neighborhoods we'd never visited before. The first was Brooklyn Heights which seems to be populated by primarily families and is within walking distance of the downtown Brooklyn government complex.  The weather was so warm that we sat outside on a bench to drink our coffee.  Jack and I were surprised that the streets were so quiet, especially on such a Spring-like day.  As we strolled through the neighborhood we passed several converted carriage houses which were the servants quarters for the mansions across the street.  We especially loved this house and wished that we could have gone inside to check it out!

Later, we strolled down the hill to the DUMBO neighborhood which stands for Down Under Manhattan-Brooklyn Bridge Overpass. We had a tasty brunch at Bubby's overlooking the water (New Yorkers seem to be really big on brunch) and took some great shots of the Brooklyn Bridge.  Grant told us that DUMBO is a place that people move to if they want to live in a loft and can't afford the Manhattan prices or if they are artists, musicians, etc., looking for live/work spaces.  For me, DUMBO was a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there.  I liked the old warehouses and industrial buildings that will probably be converted to more lofts when the economy turns around but I'm too old to live in an emerging neighborhood.  Or, too fearful I guess.  I want to live in a place that's a cross between suburbia and city living at a price I'm willing to pay.  Sounds like Oak Park, Illinois, doesn't it?  Maybe not the price I'm willing to pay part. 

Jack and I have really enjoyed learning more about New York City and our girls have been terrific tour guides.  We only have a few more weeks here and a LOT of ground to cover before we move on.  I've attached a link to an article about Brooklyn from GQ magazine for you to check out. 

http://www.visitbrooklyn.org/pdf/GQ%20Nov%202011.pdf