hey, y'all! i just got back from "the holy city" aka charleston, south carolina on wednesday after spending a few days basking in the sunny, springlike weather and eating lots and lots of biscuits. i'd been to charleston once before, nearly 11 years ago with my family. but as much as i love 'em, my parents are decidedly NOT into food (nor historic houses) like i am. plus, it was really hot and we were cranky and i was 21 and we ended up getting into a huge fight and eating at chick fil-a in the citadel mall at one point. suffice to say, this solo trip was a redemption tour of sorts, and i was bound and determined to experience the city as it was supposed to be experienced. i think i succeeded!
(p.s. because i'm a photo freak and took like a billion more pictures than were reasonable for this post, i threw all of 'em up on flickr.)
DAY 1:
my flight was uneventful, save for the moment that i helped the couple next to me solve a crossword puzzle clue because i was eavesdropping and couldn't resist. 😂 upon my arrival, i got a lyft to my TINY HOUSE airbnb. sorry for the caps but i'm still excited about it. just look at iiiiit!
pretty sweet, right? this also marked my first airbnb experience where i had the whole place to myself. i do enjoy staying with locals because you get to pick their brains about the area, but i was in the mood to do my own thing this time around. i will admit that i was less enthused at 3am on my third night when i had to pee and in my dazed state, was like "welp, this is it. this is how i die. trying to climb down this damn ladder while half-asleep because i wanted the *aEsThEtIc*."
the immediate neighborhood (eastside) could best be described as "in transition" (shuttered pawn shops and vandalized fast food places next to luxury apartments) and i wouldn't have felt comfortable wandering around there at night, but it was also two blocks from bustling, bougie king street with shops and restaurants, so it was hard to get a true gauge on the vibe and safety level as a visitor.
anyway, once i dropped my stuff off, i walked up to
leon's, an autobody shop-turned-popular-oyster-and-fried-chicken restaurant to begin my food odyssey.
as i sipped my rosé cider like a basic lil' bitch and chowed down on my fried chicken sandwich with slaw, pickles, and a side of cucumber salad (DOUBLE PICKLES!) i chatted with a sweet mom and her 20-something daughter who were vacationing from houston and about to head home. they gave me a bunch of great tips and were southern AF and i loved them.
post lunch, wandering commenced and i made it all the way into the historic district, drooling over cute houses/buildings and obsessing over the fact that i didn't need a jacket. oh, and listening to my official trip theme songs,
"kick on" by sticky fingers and
"tennessee" by the cadillac three.
at this point, i desperately needed to caffeinate AND charge my phone. enter
city lights coffee, the '90s coffeehouse of my dreams (i'm convinced now that every city has at least one). the iced coffee was delicious and the atmosphere was lovely; i was honestly a bit surprised considering its location smack-dab in the touristy section of town.
took a quick walk along the waterfront, home of the iconic pineapple fountain...
and would you look at that? it's dinner time! as a party of one, i wasn't originally planning on making a reservation at
husk, but i decided to take a look on opentable about a month ago and there was only one slot open before 9 (at 5:30!) so i jumped on it.
the restaurant is housed in a big ol' mansion, because charleston, and focuses on locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients, because 2019. to start, i got the littleneck clams with beer broth, spring onion, baby fennel, dill, and fried bacon cornbread. then the waiter brought me these rolls with PORK FAT BUTTER and i swear i didn't know butter could taste so good. for my entree, i got the cornmeal dusted catfish with rice purloo, collard greens, preserved tomato, and shrimp bisque.
my meal was absolutely delicious—don't get me wrong, but i have to give it third place overall. the food in this city is just thaaat good.
an after-dinner drink was in order, so i popped into
the gin joint, a high-end craft cocktail bar which had been recommended by several friends. i do believe it was my favorite of the trip, due to both my beverage (the "come one come all" with
whiskey, banana, spiced pecan orgeat, sherry, and lemon) and the company—which included a goofy yet charming 20-something charlestonian who regaled me about his love life, and a woman who asked me to help her edit her hair extensions out of a selfie on her phone. mind you, i NEVER start these conversations. ever! i guess it's good to know that i apparently don't have resting bitch face?
and, because i didn't have to answer to anyone and i was tired, i bought a box of pralines from market street sweets at like 7:30pm and went back to my tiny house and climbed up to my lil' treehouse-ass lofted bed and watched the oscars while eating my pralines. pure. bliss. the perks of solo travel, bbs!
DAY 2:
i had made plans to take a morning walking tour of the historic district with
free tours by foot. this company has tours all over the world, and gleni and i had a good experience with them in new orleans. if nothing else, i feel like walking tours are a great way to get context for the cool places you're seeing, and potentially allows you to meet fellow tourists as well.
but first, biscuits.
callie's hot little biscuit is widely touted as the best around, and i'd have to agree. the place was the size of a shoebox, so i ordered two biscuits, blackberry and cinnamon, and scarfed them down at the little counter area before continuing on my way to the tour. now, i thought the flavor would just be infused into the biscuits or something. and it was. but there were also, like, blackberry preserves and some sort of sinful cinnamon cream in the middle of them. amazing. you crazy, callie!
the walking tour was fun and informative, and we saw a bunch of dope houses (including those of the eminently instagrammable
rainbow row):
i had lunch at
S.N.O.B. (that's
slightly
north
of
broad), a former warehouse that dishes out lowcountry grub. i was absolutely, positively craving a cheeseburger, so i went with the sea island beef sliders (with cheddar, special sauce, and pickles) and a side of broccoli and parmesan.
Y'ALL. i do not know how they made eating sliders and broccoli a religious and also sexual experience but good god in heaven, i will be thinking about this meal until the day i die. and it was still only my #2 of the trip! we're getting closer...
to work off the beefy goodness, i checked out the
historic charleston city market, an awesome artisan/craft bazaar. i got this sweet marbled clay ring (which i briefly thought i lost when i was drunk on my last night and forgot that i'd put it in my pocket when i was washing my hands):
then, i set off to explore
longitude lane, one of charleston's handful of magical, secret, charming alleys.
as i was snapping photos, this older man who was out in his driveway (because people actually live in this alley!) says, "so much pollen!" to me. i was like "well, i'm visiting from boston, so i'll happily take that over snow!" and he goes "boston? we have a home in little compton, rhode island!" and i'm thinking
of course, you do, dude. of course you do. "welcome to chaaaahleston!" he drawled. i thanked him and wandered away before i asked him to adopt me.
next up was a guided tour of the
nathaniel
russell house, which was gorgeous. that spiral staircase, tho! my
favorite room was the drawing room. can't you just picture being at a
fancy party in here?
the weather was, once again, *chef's kiss*, so i took a stroll along
the battery, a pretty promenade.
time for more coffee!
bakehouse charleston was light and airy and beautiful (you can't really see in this picture, but they have a whole bookshelf back there).
on my way to dinner, i saw a little sign on the sidewalk advertising a record store around the corner.
the record stop was pretty tiny, but had one of the best selections of used and new vinyl i've ever seen. now, if they could only get like, one vintage store in town...
okay, folks. if you go to one restaurant in charleston, i'd make it
the darling oyster bar. the drinks are great, the food is amazing, and the vibe is fun and casual with a stylish retro flair.
to drink, i ordered the "darling fashioned" (obvs) with evan williams black bourbon, bitters, charred cane syrup, and vanilla. and then...and then...the oyster spaghetti just done fucked me up. best meal. favorite meal. it didn't hurt that it was basically what i'd create if i were tasked with dreaming up a dish: house-made angel hair, bacon, celery root, caper, oysters, lemon, and breadcrumbs. goodbyyyyye everybody, i've got to go!
the evening ended with an expertly-made whiskey sour at
warehouse, a big, industrial cocktail bar near my tiny house that i swore was playing music from my personal library: "gimme shelter," followed by ratatat, followed by "dancing in the moonlight," followed by spoon. into it.
DAY 3:
i grabbed a coffee and almond croissant the size of my head at
kudu coffee & craft beer, which also had an excellent soundtrack of the stones and the kinks. charleston loves their classic rock!
because i get up criminally early even while on vacation, i arrived at the
aiken-rhett house like 10 minutes before it opened and started chatting with this retired couple from georgia who were staying in a luxury hotel downtown and had arranged for a private tour of the house. i almost started laughing out loud as i put on the little headset for the self-guided audio tour, thinking "HELP ME, I'M POOR!"
while the nathaniel russell house was cool, i was absolutely overwhelmed by this one. not only is it preserved rather than restored—meaning that everything is in the state it was found—this is the only house that takes you through the slave quarters and tells you their stories as well. i actually started tearing up at one point. incredibly moving stuff, especially when you see the contrast of how the wealthy owners were living.
lunch was at the
brown dog deli, where i ordered the cleverly-named "apple butter jeans" with turkey, ham, brie spread, bacon jam, apple butter, apple, and arugula. according to the receipt, my server was named meredith brooks, which prompted me to make a silly "bitch" joke via instagram story. thanks to everyone who appreciated it!
of all the cool buildings charleston has, i'd have to say the
dock street theatre was my favorite. you can also go inside on most days to see the interior!
...there was a banana pudding milkshake at
kaminsky's dessert cafe:
and a happy hour painkiller at the delightfully tropical
cane rhum bar (sorry if i'm making anyone sick):
on the way to dinner, another whimsical alley pulled me in.
philadelphia alley was straight-up dreamy:
poogan's porch was like, the only restaurant name i remembered from my last charleston visit, and i had it in my head that i needed to go there. as luck would have it, because it was the off-season, the whole menu was 40% off! i got anoooother old fashioned and the bourbon smoked chicken quarter with caramelized pearl onions, roasted mushrooms, red wine jus, collard greens, and grits.
the last evening's nightcap was at proof. i was intrigued by the knuckleball (old grand-dad bourbon, spicy coca cola reduction (?), orange bitters, and boiled pickled peanuts (?!) and it did not disappoint. they were playing the last good kings of leon album, because of the times, which just seemed SO RIGHT.
 |
| THE SPOON IS TO SCOOP THE LITTLE PEANUTS OUT |
at this point, i was kinda sauced from all the bourbon in my drinks and chicken, so when the bartender asked me where i was off to next (presumably because he carded me and saw my massachusetts ID), i was like "i don't know, i'm staying in a tiny house!" hahahaha what the fuck is wrong with me. oof.
the next morning, i ended things right with a breakfast of shrimp etoufee and scrambled eggs at the famous
hominy grill.
cut to three days later and i still don't think i'm really hungry. sorry, body! it was all worth it, though, because charleston was so lovely. the great thing is that i barely scratched the surface of all of the great places to eat and drink here...so i guess a return trip is in order.
addendum of assorted cute photos that are neither here nor there:
