First day touring the city

North America » United States » South Carolina » Charleston
June 22nd 2010

Published: June 22nd 2010

Edit Blog Post

AandJ in Charleston

Over 140 churches in the city

First, Sunday night's dinner at High Cotton: the ambiance was entirely old south and the food and service were remarkable. Everything, from the warm rolls at the start to the espresso, was wonderful. Two big thumbs up from us.

Monday - after our morning walk along the Ashley River, we had a quick breakfast in the concierge lounge (Christopher & Celia: it reminds us of the one in the London Marriott - good times!). Then off for a carriage tour to get a feel for the historic district. Lots of old and very old buildings: in 1931, they passed a law prohibiting tearing down any building more than seventy-five years old. So we saw lots of houses built in the 1700s and 1800s. When the exteriors need restoration, it has to be historically accurate - down to the hand-blown window panes. (Of course, the interiors are completely modernized, since people are living in them.)

Right after the tour, another big thunderstorm came through for about an hour. Luckily, we were right at the old market area and strolled around the (covered!) market buildings filled with local vendors.

Waiting for the skies to clear, we found a grocery store

all of them very picturesque

and had Lunchables in the car ... oh, well - can't be fancy for every meal.

The sun returned and we were off to tour a couple historic preserved homes. (Sorry, no interior photos allowed) The Nathaniel Russell House was our first stop. This is one of the finest homes in the country. The most famous feature is the free-standing sprial staircase that goes from the first to the third floor, which we actually got to use during the tour. Two of the rooms in the house are oval, and the structural elements like doors, windows, shutters, are all curved. Also there was an incredible amount of detail in the moulding, door frames, window frames, mantels in every room throughout the house, with gold leaf used very liberally everywhere. They are still restoring the home as they discover more about the original furnishings and decorations. This is a must see if you are ever in Charleston.

Next house was the Edmonston-Alston House. Not as ornate, this feels more like a home that someone really lived in. It was built more in the traditional Charleston style with four symmetrical rooms on each of the 3 levels. All three levels

now, the houses

of the house have a piazza, which is what they call a covered porch here. They run the full length of the house from front to back. This house is on the High Battery, which is the street that fronts Charleston Harbor. The view is just beautiful. The confederate general P.T.G. Beauregard watched the bombardment of Fort Sumter from this piazza. The grounds were gorgeous with a carriage house in the back that is now a bed-and-breakfast. A descendant of the original owner still lives on the top floor.

A few blocks away, we visited Rainbow Row - a section of about 15 homes all painted in different pastel colors. There were too many trees in front of them to get a good picture.

Dinner at Magnolias - as good as High Cotton was, this might have been even better. While the atmosphere was a little more contemporary, the food selection seemed more southern. I had buttermilk fried chicken with biscuits and sausage gravy ... I couldn't speak for the first few minutes of my meal! Allison had Magnolias' version of she-crab soup and fried oysters, which were both excellent. So far - great luck with the restaurants.