Charleston: View from City

Five years into their relationship, Brian finally took Jess to his favorite city in South Carolina! For years Brian has raved about the centuries of history, the vastness of the blue ocean, the unparalleled seafood, yada yada yada.

And it's all TRUE! This city is amazing! It's like New Orleans meets Boston!

We began our journey with an easy 3-hour drive from Greenville. The state capital, Columbia, marks the halfway point, so we swung through town to check out the statehouse and the campus of USC.

Not bad, minus the Confederate flag hanging directly behind the General Wade Hampton statue. Hmmm . . .

After a hot drive in our Honda (the air conditioning died just outside Greenville), we wanted nothing more than a couple of hushpuppies and cold, local beer at Hyman's Seafood. Jess enjoyed a little Palmetto Pale Ale, while Brian (like the little academic that he his) studied the menu intently.

Jess had the crab cakes and Brian finally decided on the amber jack filet with a crab cake on the side and fried oysters. But before the meal came, we ordered THE BEST appetizer this side of the Mason-Dixon Line: delicately battered grit cake, fried, then topped with fresh sea scallops and drizzled with a lobster alfredo cheese sauce.

After dinner we walked to the battery to see the harbor and the sunset.

Look carefully and you'll see Banana Republic's fall line on the way to American stores for Jess to enjoy:

We spent the rest of the evening wandering the enchanted streets of the French Quarter, all of which have carriage alleys that look like this:

And then there's the colonial-era cemeteries! On day 2 of our mini vacation we went roaming amongst the headstones. Check out Mr. Edmond James Mills, killed at the Battle of Gettysburg:

Before we left town, it was time for Brian's first taste of oysters on the half shell and one more farewell moment with the ocean.

See our visit to Drayton Hall plantation in the following post, Charleston: View from the Country.