The Southern Comforts of Charleston

On my flight from New York to Charleston I imagined a weekend filled with shots of SoCo and lime, jukeboxes with Sweet Home Alabama and talk of the War of Northern Aggression. As a "Yankee" I always feel a little out of place in the south, like I just don't get it. I was determined that this trip I would embrace southern hospitality and Charleston did not disappoint. We threw our stuff down at the apartment, grabbed our pink hottie whistle and headed to the Jersey Shore of South Carolina, Folly Beach. It's like a frat party on sand. It is not the best beach for a family trying to build sandcastles or to peacefully read the latest Nicholas Sparks novel. It is however the best beach for a bachelorette weekend!

Folly Beach

After our day of acting like we were in our 20's we needed to balance that out by acting like we were in our 50's. We booked a table at one of the best restaurants in Charleston, Magnolias. We traded in our Solo cups filled with warm beer for buckets of chilled champagne. Magnolias is classy in every sense of the word. My meal, flounder with parmesan, was impeccable. Our waiter was professional yet playful with a table of giggling women. It was well worth the price.

Downtown Charleston

In order to not feel like drunken slobs during our girls weekends we always try to incorporate something educational, whether it's a visit to an art museum or a tour of the city. This time we ended up taking a historical carriage ride through Charleston. We learned some interesting facts about Charleston's history and laughed at some inappropriate jokes about Strom Thurmond, South Carolina's Senator for 48 years. After the tour, we took our guide's recommendation for an evening on the rooftop bar of Henry's House. This place would be a home run for any first date, the string of white lights, the view of the city, and the subtle music in the background all contributed to the tranquil atmosphere. Our food had settled, we had a few more drinks and now it was time to kick this bachelorette party in high gear.

We headed to the Blind Tiger. We heard that there was a beautiful courtyard in the back but we never made it past the handsome fellow pouring drinks. We bellied right up to the bar and for the next 3 hours we drank, sung and laughed. Usually an influx of wedding reception goers would annoy me but it actually created a little bit of anticipation for the upcoming wedding. The bride, with her tiara, was congratulated with hugs, incredible stories of love, but mostly with shots of whiskey. It was the Sunday before Memorial Day and we were fortunate to have met two young men who were on leave from the US Army. They are stationed in Georgia and recently returned from Afghanistan. They packed up their saxophones and left Georgia without a clear destination in mind. The ended up in Charleston looking for a place where they could eat, drink and play a little music. They both had this infectious spirit that reminded us all to embrace our lives. A classic Sunday-Funday.

The Blind Tiger

This weekend was another example of what I love about traveling. It's not the places I see, the food nor the drinks, but the people. The people make the place. I'll probably forget the name of the restaurant where we ate. I will definitely forget the historical facts we learned about the city. Hopefully I'll forget the image of that elderly man in the speedo on Folly Beach, but I won't ever forget this Memorial Day. We didn't go to any parades or wave any flags, but we yelled our hearts out for two Army guys playing the saxophone.