Charleston SC

Yesterday, we left the dog at the condo and took a day trip to Charleston SC. Not enough time to see this beautiful and historic city, but enough to say "I was there" and "I want to go back". We took US 17 from Myrtle Beach, hitting Georgetown & Charleston Counties for the first time. After an uneventful hour's drive, we stopped in Georgetown for an iced tea in their historic downtown area, and drove around admiring some of the local architecture. By the way, I hit 60,000 on the Beetle's odometer as we were crossing the bridge and entering Georgetown SC. Another half-hour of driving and we started seeing suburban development on the outskirts of Charleston (Mount Pleasant SC), and lots of roadside stalls selling handmade sweetgrass baskets.

Before entering Charleston, we crossed the Arthur Ravenel Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge over the Cooper River designed by Parsons Brinckerhoff. The bridge opened in 2005 and is one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in the Western Hemisphere.

After an overwhelming visit to the Visitors Center, we took a picture of the gothic revival railroad buildings that were still standing, then drove down to the old market, where we found a spot, then walked around looking for a place to eat. We found a hidden gem down a cobblestoned alley called The Buccaneer Restaurant, that had just the right atmosphere, affordable fare and a great selection. Afterwards, we walked along the riverwalk, saw the USS Yorktown across the harbor at Patriot's Point, and saw some of the most beautiful and unique homes and mansions. We made our way back to the car, after a quick browse through the market in the middle of the street, and drove away just as it began raining. We spent the next hour driving around taking way too many photos of homes, the classic side porches that Charleston is known for, micro gardens, and my obsession - parking, in the historic French Quarter and historic downtown sections of town. With the weather not cooperating with us, we decided to leave, taking the scenic route home along SC 41, which added Berkeley and Williamsburg counties to the list. On the way home, we stopped at an Atlanta Bread Company for coffee and a snack.

South Carolina

Yesterday, we ended up trying out US 301 from Wilson NC to Selma NC, but everything was closed (on Sunday) and most of the area we drove through had seen better days. So, it was back on I-95, a quick rest stop and hoagie at Subway (so much for the local flavor), and reached the Palmetto State being greated by way too many bilboards of Pedro - so of course, we had to stop.

We left on US 301 until we caught US 501 E which took us the rest of the way in to Myrtle Beach SC. We wanted to stop a few places, but couldn't because of Ziggy crammed into the back seat of the Beetle. We drove through town, again hoping to stop a few places, but it was 82 degrees and we couldn't leave the dog in the car, so we continued on south to Surfside Beach SC, where Colleen's parent's condo was, just a few miles inland.

We got to the condo, which overlooks a golf course and got situated. We were too tired to go back out, so we ordered in. The local places would not deliver, so we had to get national chain pizza with a side of breadsticks - satisfying, but not what we were hoping for.

This morning, we went to Nibils Restaurant, suggested by Colleen's Mom and Mary from work, which was a family restaurant overlooking the beach and fishing pier here in Surfside Beach. We were lucky enough to get a window table with a beatiful view of the ocean. I had a nice omlette and Colleen had a fruit plate w/grits, and we both enjoyed some great hash browns and coffee.

We put money into the pay station (which accepted credit cards - cool) to reserve our space through noon, so we got our beach gear and headed for the sand. We got a bit of sun (maybe a bit more than we should have - ouch) then came back to the car for a nice drive up the coastal resort community of Myrtle Beach. We stopped at the local Wings Beachwear for some T-shirts, before hitting a Krystal Drive-Thru for a snack on our way home.

3rd Annual Trip to Da South

OK, I am sitting here at a Motel 6 in Fredericksburg VA with Colleen and Ziggy. We arrived around 8:30 pm, left the dog in the room, and went off to "Central Park", the largest unenclosed mall on the East Coast. Out of all the usual chain suspects, we settled on Cracker Barrel to soothe our fried ocra fix.

Today, we are going to walk the dog around the historic part of town, and jump on US 301 (which parallels I-95) for a more leisurly, scenic drive to South of the Border, and eventually, Myrtle Beach SC.