Charleston!

dave lackey

dave lackey

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Finally! I have committed to a plan for our 45th Wedding Anniversary.

We have a gift certificate, a reliable car with working a/c, and reservations for a nice room in the historic district in Charleston, South Carolina. My bride shall be treated to a romantic dinner on the first evening.

Any suggestions for a nice restaurant (casual dress of course) with a view or other amenities would be appreciated as would suggestions for a short itinerary the next day. Oh, yes, it will be hot but then, a Southern Leica gentleman is used to that, right?😀
 
Congratulations on reaching the 45th wedding anniversary, Dave.
I am not familiar with Charleston, but I hear that it is a major tourist magnet these days.
 
Charmston's a great place. I show in the Martin Gallery on Broad and State St. My wife was showing there until her gallery owner retired and closed the gallery.

Probably in the 22 years we've been married we've been to Charleston 40 times. It's nice to mix gallery business with pleasure 🙂

There are some fine restaurants there and New ones popping up all the time. Magnolia an SNOB on East Bay are excellent. Poogens Porch and Husk on Queen St. McCrady's on Unity Alley between East Bay and State St. Also consider Planters. There are so many great restaurants there you'll have no problem finding a great one. These are are just favorites of ours. I'll say stay away from touristy restAurants around the Market and places like Hyams Sea Food. They're average food with high prices. For a great breakfast go to Safron. It's where the locals go and the food is great and reasonable. It's easy to find and plenty of parking.

Speaking of parking, expect problems finding spots near the tourist areas. I recommend the city parking garages.

The Charleston Museum is great, walking high end galleries like Martin, fort Sumter, the Youktown and antique shopping as well as shopping on lower King St. The battery is beautiful as well as driving around looking at historic homes. There are several plantations you can visit in the area as well as ruins of old churches.

Have fun and carry cold water. You're a southern boy so you know the danger of heat on us seniors.

Oops! Almost forgot Magnolia Cemetery. There may be restrictions on visiting there now but check it out. It dates back to the beginning of the area and it's just amazing for photography. Do a google search and contact them about restrictions if any.

There are also private horse drawn carriage rides / tours that are fun and romantic.
 
was bummed that we couldnt find any good cajun/boil crawfish in charleston, lots of nice restaurants along east bay street though.

love the city, especially the historic side/french quarter. so much history and first real east coast city ive been too other than miami, orlando and nyc.

we enjoyed the horse carriage tour, very informative, go before 6pm as afterwards they are not allowed to go around the houses
 
taemo said:
was bummed that we couldnt find any good cajun/boil crawfish in charleston, lots of nice restaurants along east bay street though.
Click to expand...

You've got to go to New Orleans for Cajun food. No crawfish in that area but plenty of fresh crab, shrimp and fish. You'll find plenty of southern traditional food with a twist though.
 
Dang, been on the run all day. Thanks everybody!!!

Just got home, mowed the lawn and read about all the food in the posts above, thanks, man, I am now starving!😛

I appreciate the heads up on all of those!
 
x-ray said:
You've got to go to New Orleans for Cajun food. No crawfish in that area but plenty of fresh crab, shrimp and fish. You'll find plenty of southern traditional food with a twist though.
Click to expand...

Charleston has a crawfish festival in April so I was hoping they would have some.
But yes, next trip on the east coast our plan is either a drive from Houston to New Orleans or Nashville-Memphis-New Orleans.
 
To get a taste of Charleston one must visit Shem Creek area and try Vickery's or R.B.'s for seafood and hang with the locals. Not fine dining, but good seafood. Poogan's Porch is also a nice spot with a bit more of the historic vibe. And if you feel like eating early vs standing in line, Hyman's is good too. Market street also has a few eateries. If you want to view some interesting coastal photography plan to visit Ben Ham galleries. Ben is a LF shooter who prints big (digitally).
 
HYou'll find locals at Shem Creek. I've never eaten at that vickerys but there's one in a neighborhood area of the city that I've eaten at many times. The foods good and is another licals place. Poogans is one of my favorites. Hymans is tourist food imo as are many of the places around the market. There's so much better food than Hymans.

If you're traveling from Atlanta and have the time and interest I'd suggest going through Augusta and the area to Savannah. There's an abandon Victorian cotton mill on the canal that's right out of a Lewis Hine book. Matter of fact I think he photographed some of his child labor photos there. Google the Sibley Mill https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibley_Mill. It's not open but you can get up close and the architecture is fantastic. There's another nearby that's been rehabbed into offices. There's a lot of cotton in the area but not sure if they're picking and ginning yet.

Savannah is beautiful and similar to Charleston but built on many beautiful squares and parks. Savannah is only two hours south of Charleston and a great way to go from Atlanta.
 
Hank's is good as is Cru--on the corner of Motley and Cru--no foolin'.
Avoid Hyman's--food is good but a Captin D's atmosphere...
All within reasonable distance of the historic area.
We were there in April. Good luck with the heat in July Aug!!
Paul
 
First off, congratulations on the anniversary, Dave. You two have been through a lot together, and deserve a bit of a trip.

As for the sights and eateries in Charleston, I can't help you, as it's been forty years since I was there last, and I'm pretty sure most of the places I knew are departed, along with my memory of them.

Have a wonderful time, and take a buggy ride.

PF
 
Hi Dave, congratulations on your upcoming 45th! Couldn't happen to nicer people 🙂

Hope you have a great celebration!

For a moment there, from the thread title, I thought you and Linda had taken up dancing...
 
Ha! Lynn, you made me laugh out loud even before I was able to see clearly this morning. What a sight that would be, a real Kodak moment...😛

All comments above are very helpful! Thank you!

I must be honest and say that travel, extended travel beyond a daily commute to Emory, is frightening and very difficult. Last year we had a fan belt break on our car at the peak of morning rush hour in Atlanta, eight lanes away from the emergency lane. And the eventual tow truck had no room for passengers leaving us two miles from the nearest exit and only a lightweight wheelchair.

A 350 mile trip these days is not taken lightly, nor is there any freedom to walk about and try out different restaurants. We must have a plan and go directly to our destination. So, these comments are extremely appreciated as your recommendations will save us time, grief and provide us with a bit of safety with less energy spent. I stay anxious about everything but hope to find a few opportunities to shoot during our short visit.

🙂
 
Dave be awAre that Charleston hAs a lot of cobblestone streets. They will present a problem to someone in a wheelchair. Most parking will require a walk of some distance and there are a lot of people to negotiate. Shem creek, Safron, Magnolias and SNOB should be easy to access especially the first two. Magnolias and SNOB you probably can drop her at the curb.

Have fun.
 
Dave,
As long as you balance common sense and having fun, and you stay aware of possible challenges, you should be able to enjoy a wonderful special occasion as this one for Charleston.
 
raid said:
Dave,
As long as you balance common sense and having fun, and you stay aware of possible challenges, you should be able to enjoy a wonderful special occasion as this one for Charleston.
Click to expand...

Ah, yes, awareness.

Well, now I am a little concerned. The local newspaper had an article out this morning about hundreds of protestors at a park only a few blocks from the hotel, just last night.

This is not helpful ....
 
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