Walk With Us Through Historic Charleston

(click any picture to start a slide show)

It looks like Lois quit her job at the Daily Planet. I wonder if from time to time she still sees Clark…..

Lois Lane ~ You can’t help but wonder where Clark Kent is

We have always loved Charleston. When we were looking for moorings for Cream Puff, we seriously considered Charleston. The historic downtown offers plenty of fabulous restaurants and high-end shopping. We opted against Charleston because of the personal property taxes boats are require to pay and the winter sailing conditions are not the best. Also, there can be very strong currents and the spontaneity of a quick sail is somewhat non-existent. Tidal planning is a must. If all goes as planned, the next time we go to Charleston will be on Cream Puff as we are headed north for hurricane season in spring of 2015. When we do sail into Charleston, we will head straight away to The Brown Dog deli. (Keep reading)

We stayed at the Renaissance Hotel downtown. It was very nice but a little worn out. Location is the attraction to this hotel. It is one block off the two main streets, Meeting and King. Mark has millions of Marriott points from his days as a corporate rat in the race. Otherwise this place would be waaaay out of our budget.

For us, the most enjoyable part of Charleston is walking the side streets and looking at the very old homes. This home at 21 King Street is magnificent. It is a house constructed of stone and the carved detail is a splendid example of the craftsmanship in that era.

21 King St

21 King St (Detail)

21 King St – Front Door

The Charleston City Market is in a building that is one of Charleston’s oldest public facilities. The original offerings by merchants included, meat, fish and vegetables. The market started in 1680 and was move to this location in 1788.

Charleston City Market Entrance

Loads of Tourist

Charleston City Market – Inside

Charleston City Market Ceiling

As we continued our walked, lunchtime approached. We consulted TripAdvisor to see what was near us and the ratings other travelers had given local restaurants. We found ourselves very near a top rated deli, Brown Dog Deli.

Brown Dog Deli – 40 Broad St.

From the street, this did not look appetizing. But, we have grown to trust other’s opinions on TripAdvisor. They didn’t let us down. The sandwiches were delicious. Cindy ate a duck club sandwich (apple-smoked duck breast, cashew butter spread, peach-ginger-pepper jelly, bacon, colby-cheddar cheese, arugula, & sherry walnut apple salad on a toasted orange-rosemary bread). Each mouthful burst with a variety of flavors and she was thankful for the waitress’ recommendation. Mark had a Pita Frampton (slow-cooked pot roast, herb roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, melted swiss & horseradish cream cheese spread). The deli is decorated with a 70’s motive and has album cover art all over the walls. We sat in the T. Rex booth. I had the T. Rex album when I was a kid. We asked our young waitress if she knew who he was. She didn’t. To bad the music of our generation is starting to fade away.

Brown Dog Deli – Inside

As we continued our walk, we strolled down Rainbow Row. It is called Rainbow Row because it consist of a series of thirteen historic homes painted in pastel colors. It is one of the most photographed streets in Charleston.

Rainbow Row – East Bay St.

Guided horse drawn carriage tours are a very popular way to travel through the historic home area. I wonder how many times this horse has made the journey?

Hey! Look Where You’re Going

It is interesting to see oak trees mixed with palm trees. If you look behind the palm tree at the pink house, you can see it is being painted. The question is, are they painting it the pastel color behind the tree or Pepto-Bismol pink?

On your're right is..... Well, it's pink!

On your right is….. Well, it’s pink!

2 Meeting St is a famous B and B. This beautiful mansion is circa 1890. In 1946 in was opened as a guest house and remains in the same family today. Architectural details like this are hard to find today. If you are interested in being their neighbor, 1 Meeting Street is for sale. After a recent price reduction, the new asking price is $5.5 million. It’s a fixer upper! It’s been on the market for almost 3 years – link to listing.