So, after a slight delay in Seattle, our Alaska Airlines flight sailed smoothly towards “the Lowcountry”, made all the better by free cocktails on the plane (Jack & Coke Zeros me, red wine she) and three episodes of the new MAX thriller series Duster with Josh Holloway. He’s a kick, the story engages, and the early-70’s hit soundtrack rocks. So to speak.
We landed to 87ºF temps and roughly 3,000% humidity, caught an Uber driven by a local musician and dad of two named Wolf, whose insights helped us lay a solid foundation for this week’s exploits. Cloudy skies portend sporadic rain showers with an occasional flash of lightning, but 45 years in Seattle has certainly prepared us for wet.
Our AirBnB lodging in the 2-room Jonathan Jasper Wright Inn is awesome! A simple, but well-appointed single bedroom/bath with A/C, a comfy queen bed, WiFi, fridge, and a microwave we’ll probably never use. And did I mention A/C? Host Seantell clearly knows what she’s doing. We settled in late afternoon yesterday, then wandered our Cannonborough Elliotborough neighborhood for a few hours, realizing in no time that within a few dozen square blocks there are enough promising coffee shops, restaurants, bars, and retail shops to dissuade us from ever leaving downtown Charleston.
Toward the of our wanderings we happened upon Bistronomy. We might not have stopped except the menu in the window revealed the Monday Special 1/2 Price Waygu Burgers with Frites. ‘Nuff said. That bovine magic, plus a spring greens salad with tomatoes, radish, toasted coconut, crispy shallots, and a yuzu vinaigrette satiated us both, and we called it a night.
Tuesday Morning
We slept off our timezone jetlag this morning, garbed up for what proved to be a 5-hour, 13,417-step urban trek, heading south to the MUSD campus (Medical University of South Carolina) and a highly-touted breakfast/ lunch eatery called Caviar & Bananas. The sandwich-oriented menu seemed simple enough, but choosing from the offerings proved a bit challenging. We settled on a superb Build-Your-Own egg-bacon-cheddar on grainy wheat bread sammy and a tad too bitter iced Americanos, gentled with cream. The endless flow of scrub-swathed medical students made for fun people-watching, and one aspiring medico helped us out with our pathway for the rest of the afternoon.
After dodging a rain shower we walked south on Rutledge past Colonial Lake Park, then southeast to the Battery, the seawall area at the south tip of the Peninsula, where the confluence of the Ashley and Cooper Rivers form Charleston Harbor. We chatted for a bit with a local fisherman, who gave us a rundown on the area’s angling, and his hopes for red drum, speckled trout, or flounder. Nice guy, though the fish had so far skunked him.
Immediately across the street was White Point Garden and the 20-foot tall granite Hobson monument commemorating the tragic 1952 sinking of the destroyer USS Hobson, cut in half and sunk after a collision with its sister aircraft carrier USS Wasp in a training exercise. The stones used in the platform come from the 38 home states of the 176 sailors who died.
We meandered the South of Broad area streets, admiring the mix of architectural styles: Charleston Single House, Georgian, Federal, and Victorian. A woman watering her flower boxes explained to us the quintessential single house, typically narrow on the street-facing facade and stretching deep into the property, often with an elevated piazza porch along one side. This single house design strategically thwarted the 18th century taxman, who based his assessment on how much space the house occupied on the street.
Passing the First Scots Presbyterian Church we noticed a sidewalk We’re Open sandwich board and moseyed inside to enjoy the majesty therein: gorgeous stained glass windows and the white iron altar-back with a dozen stars acknowledging the twelve original Scottish founding families. Beautiful place.
An obligatory stop at the Pineapple Fountain branded us tourists, as did the thirst-quenching duck-in to the Griffon Pub, the currency-plastered walls and ceiling reminding us of a long ago quench at the Salty Dawg Saloon in Homer, Alaska.
We ventured through the renowned Charleston City Market (uhh, not so much), scoped out a potential Friday fireworks-viewing Rooftop at the Vendue Hotel, and sampled Turkish dessert treats at Ephesus Mediterranean Delights (no website, just delightful deliciousness).
After wringing ourselves out back at the homestead for a couple of hours, we walked six blocks to Malagón, a Spanish Mercado Y Taperia. We sat accustomedly at the bar where Anna took brilliant care of us. Cured tuna belly with marcona almonds, pork stuffed mashed potato bombas with tomato & aioli, marinated skewers of lamb & paprika, octopus with potatoes, and skewers of grilled grouper. A chilled bottle of Spanish Blanco de Albillo. And for dessert, genuine housemade churros and steaming hot cortados. Doesn’t get much better.
Tomorrow we plan to rise early, quickstep down the road for coffee, then another mile to Liberty Square to catch the ferry to Fort Sumter.
This lovely town of Charleston has been nothing but a joy, and it’s only been a day. My oh my.
We’ll be in touch.
Drank a Punk IPA on the top of a hotel in Bangkok!
Indeed, they are everywhere!
I would still be walking from the Firenze train station to your first airbnb!!!!
I’m sooo sorry you had to suffer through the gelato tastings to find the One. Somebody had to do it!
I totally agree about the sangiovese grape. One of my favorite wines is a Super Tuscan. Mainly made with indigenous grapes blended with non-indigenous vines like Cab Sauv and merlot. One of the top wines in the world! And a bargain price.
In Nancy and your honor, I made a Tuscan chicken dish the other day. Except it didn’t look like the food you pictured….and didn’t taste like it, I’m sure!
Enjoying your trip with you!
Hey Jim, love that you’re following along, and appreciate your comments. The Tuscan wines are truly a joy, though we did enjoy a Puglian red this evening while in Vieste. Awesome town. You’d love it!! A festival tonight with music or comedy every night a stone’s throw away.
Ah, the Pantheon, one of my favorite buildings, especially considering its age.
Yes, we’ll be back in Florence in Wednesday and Thursday next week. We’ll tour the Pantheon then.
Okay! I will have the house tagliere board for two! For myself! And 2 glasses of wine??? You can’t fool me.
Just read an article about the area where Nancy’s family lived. An area known for its unique buildings with a purpose to evade taxes!
Trullo buildings in Alberobello! Also, now B and B’s. May your safe journeys continue!
Ahh, the Trulli of Alberobello. We won’t be lodging in one, but plan to spend a morning or afternoon visiting Alberobello. Thanks again for your comments, Jim. We head to Montecino and Montepulciano today. Puglia in a week.
We loved Dublin (actually ALL of Ireland!) but didn’t have enough time there.
The library was amazing as well as the Book of Kells but I see the books are all gone! Must be renovating.
Big fan of Jamie…..sooo jealous!
Totally agree on Guinness tour.
They’re restoring (un-dusting) the books in the library at Trinity College; only about 10% on display. It’ll be a several-year project.
Glenn, not surprisingly your lilting eloquence embellishes the accompanying pictorial fare and invites one to pour a wee dram with which to enjoy both!
My hope has been to capture the spirit and flavor of the places and people we encounter on our journey. I’m glad you’re enjoying it.
Wow, that all sounds so lovely, except for the driving part! That would make me so nervous.
I’m really not trying to dominate the comment section but………
Where you are brings back sooo many memories of Derry (wife, not place!). She, also, was my navigator and her job was to pick the ivy off the passenger side mirror because I was so close to those damned rock walls avoiding a lorry coming at me @ 100Km/hr on a 1 & 1/2 lane road!
We went to Connemara National Park, climbed up most of the way, and went to visit the great love story that Kylemore Abbey represents.
The walled garden was amazing, too.
I have watched the very perplexing movie “The Banshees of Inisherin”
I agree, Galway is awesome!! We did indeed have a brew or two @ Monroe’s!
Keep your comments coming, my friend. We love having you along for the ride.
I love vicariously eating and sight-seeing with you two! And I’m glad I’m not splitting the bill!
Asheville and the Blue ridge Parkway were the some of the highlights on my trips around there. We, also, skipped the Biltmore tour. $50-head to see someone else’s ostentatiousness!
And I now have to put Curate on my list…..love me some Spanish tapas!
No doubt, our joy of good food has us reevaluating the dining budget! 😉
Have been hearing a lot lately about Charleston’s foodie scene!!!
I want a raclette burger and order me the trout with crawfish at Vern’s!
And be careful driving out there. Might get a little wet!
Stepping out of Vern’s last night it was dumping!! Thankfully they loaned us an umbrella for the short walk home, but with sandals . . . pretty sloppy. And yes, both of those food items were incredible.
Excellent post! I love how the architecture helps avoid the taxman… brilliant!
What a fun day!!! And then, to a Spanish restaurant serving some of my favorite tapas and vino!!
A new post after just 24 hours? You spoil us, and set a high bar for the detailed story-telling of your adventures! If the rest of your trip is half as enjoyable as your first day out to be, you’re in for a treat. Love you both and enjoy the humidity (and everything else, of course).
Hola to you two!!
A word of caution, kinda. Watch out for Travis Decker in Leavenworth!
Not that I have vast knowledge for packing for long trips, I would think taking along some “tradeable” clothing you can bargain with! Like a nice BBB shirt in exchange for a nice Italian sweater! And save room for souvenirs and fun stuff! No one will care if you wear the same shirt three days in a row, except Nancy!!
Also, I can partner with you about losing family. It certainly speeds up as we get older.
Yeah, definitely one of the downsides of aging!
What a great surprise it was to have you and Nancy swing by Green Lake, looking forward to hosting you both in Tucson next year! I had forgotten to mention during our conversation that there are two new Matador restaurants in S. Carolina if you are feeling nostalgic. Thanks again and safe travels, already excited to follow along!
Thanks for the heads up re. the Matadors. I see it’s actually a restaurant with a separate “Mezcaleria by Matador” next door. It’s 1.5 miles from our AirBnB. We’ll definitely go there. Glad to know you’ll be following along on our travels. Take care.
Wow! I bet you’re both getting excited for your continuing adventures. Love reading about them. We miss you guys!
So excited! Already loving our “vacationing” in our hometown, and chomping at the bit to truly hit the road. Miss you two, as well. Glad you’re following along. Hope your summer’s starting off great.
Whooohoo! You’re on your way! 👏🏼🌟
Looks like you two are loving and living life well. Love the narratives and the photos
Thanks, Sandy. Yes, life’s awesome.
(And Kirkland is just so cool, as I’m sure you remember.)
We love Kirkland, especially Isarn Thai 🤤🤤🤤 One of my favorite Thai restaurants! It looks like your adventures are off to a great start. Enjoy your time with family and friends!
Thanks, Kelsey. Isarn Thai is one of our daughter Kylene’s favorites, as well.
Hope you and Scott are enjoying your early summer.
Godspeed my friends. See you soon, hopefully it will involve libations and excellent conversation. Miss you guys!
So very excited for you two and looking forward to being on your adventure with you! I must be on your roster twice as I received 2 email notifications. Enjoy every minute and I hope to see you at one of your visits to BB!
Jealous…can’t wait to see and hear all about it
Bon voyage, and we’ll see you in Asheville!
I could not be more excited for you both! Have an amazing time in WA (wish I was joining for graduation) and on your stateside portion of this adventure. Can’t wait to see you in the Burgh in a few months. Cheers to new adventures!
Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge and experience, Best of luck Glenn and Nancy. Safe travels🙏🌺
Thanks, Al. Glad you’ll be following our adventure.
OMG this sounds absolutely amazing!!!!!!
Thanks, Lisa. See you soon!
Hello Nancy and Glenn!
What an exercise in travel planning and what a tremendously exciting and interesting journey it will be.
From reading your update, I’m not clear on the exact date you will be departing the US and/or Mexico and when you are scheduled to return. Could you confirm, please.
Are you going to be measured for your dress Gordon kilt while in Edinburgh?
Looking forward to ‘sharing ‘ your adventure.
Love, Angela
Safe travel and dr8nk a few for me!
Thanks, Michele. See you at the shop in a couple of weeks.
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I think I already signed up but…maybe not? Anyway, should be signed up now
You’re golden.
Add me to mailing list pls!
You’re good to go.