Charleston
What a fantastic town! We rode over from Kiawah Island this morning and settled in at the Charleston Place Hotel.
Check in
At 10 am, our suite was ready. “We were expecting you yesterday,” said the desk agent, since Amex provided incorrect information. “But we’re all set.”
Breakfast
I asked our server, Scott, how to eat grits. He explained that grits were like a holding pattern, awaiting traffic. When he brought me bacon I hadn’t ordered, he said it was on the house and I created grits with butter, salt, pepper, and bacon. That went with my Palmetto omelette of lump crab meat and lobster. And the side meat dish, corned beef hash. And the English muffin. And the Aztec coffee (made with human sacrifice?). Breakfast took a little over an hour. We didn’t need lunch.
Fort Sumter
Who knew the fort was finally decommissioned in 1947, after uninterrupted, continuous service? The National Park Service does a great job (as it did at Alcatraz). Charleston Harbor is gorgeous. Diving pelicans and what looked like a porpoise.
Return
We hail a cab only to find it’s occupied. “No matter,” says Manny, the driver, “get in.” The occupants graciously make room, Manny drops them off at the outgoing boat and takes us back to the hotel.
“I’ll take you to the airport on Monday,” he offers.
“Sorry,” I say, “but the hotel provides a car.”
“I’ll be cheaper.”
“The car is free.”
“I’ll beat the offer!”
Tonight, after church, we head for Husk, very highly recommended.
© Alan Weiss 2013
An original smoothbore cannon, a 42 pounder.
A diorama of one of the battles.
I'm not fuzzy in real life, buy my backup photographer is.
