For a late lunch, we headed over to Southend Brewery and Smokehouse on East Bay Street, where we had also dined on our previous trip. It has very good individual pizzas that are enough for most appetites. After lunch, we walked over to the City Market (also called the "Slaves Market" because slaves used to sell their wares there). The market is a popular place to wander and buy anything from cheap jewelry and cheesy souvenirs to expensive sweetgrass baskets made locally by a declining group of African-American crafters. A walk down Meeting and Tradd streets took us past many of the historic district's best sights. Along the way, we took a stroll down Queen Street to check out a few good restaurants. 82 Queen looked a little too fancy for a family place, so I made reservations for the evening at nearby Poogan's Porch. Claire decided to put on a show on the front porch of Poogan's; I guess it seemed like a stage. As we stood on the street watching and laughing, she pranced and danced around on the porch, holding her finger up to her cheek at one point kind of like Shirley Temple. It was closed, so no diners were disturbed during this escapade (so I don't want e-mails from the non-traveling with children groups - I know you are out there). At Whitepoint Gardens Claire had a ball chasing the hundred or so pigeons around and around. I think kids have this little light inside their heads that goes off when they come across birds and squirrels, and a little voice says "run, run, run." We ended with a nice dinner at Poogan's Porch, which specializes in low-country cuisine. We had reserved a spot on the porch, but because of high winds we moved inside. The dining areas were very cozy and quiet. I had shrimp and grits, a popular low-country concoction cooked in a variety of fashions. The main ingredients consist of shrimp, spicy ham, and of course grits. I am not a grit fan in general, but I must admit it was great. Claire behaved extremely well, perhaps because she was so exhausted from all the activities. I filmed her with the video camera (boy, I love these small digital models) as she nodded off to sleep, almost falling over in her mashed potatoes. After a little footage, I shoved the plate aside and rested her head on her arms while we finished eating. |
Monday, May 13, 2002 - Fish and Shirley Temple The South Carolina Aquarium was the main focus for the day. Luckily, I found out my Charleston-based cousin worked at the aquarium, and she sent us free passes for the visit. This saved us a nice sum. I have to admit I haven't been to all that many aquariums - according to my cousin this one isn't as large as several others in the eastern U.S. - but I was impressed. It is an education-oriented aquarium, much like the smaller ones on the North Carolina coast, but it is much better. The first sections include a look at fresh water life, including otters and birds, but the best part is the saltwater area. We watched divers feeding fish in a large tank (about 50 feet deep), as a large sea turtle, sharks, and fish swam by. We could view the tank from two different levels and several angles. Claire was a little frightened by the diver who swam up and waved to her, but eventually she was waving back. Two of the more attractive exhibits contained luminescent moon jellyfish and strange but beautiful Leafy and Weedy Sea Dragons (from around Australia). We also got to see staff feeding a rather aggressive eel by placing fish pieces on the end of a pole. Claire had a great time at the touch tank where kids could either handle or touch such creatures as urchins, horseshoe crabs, and starfish. Claire didn't care too much for the wiggly underbelly of the crab and didn't want to hold an urchin. Our entire visit, conducted at a fairly relaxed pace, took just over two hours. The place was packed with school kids. My cousin said it is a very busy time of year; you're telling me; almost everywhere we went, we ran into school groups. |
We left the beach in the early afternoon, checked into our new hotel, and rushed back out for our tour of the C.S.S. Hunley, the Confederate war machine that was the first submarine to sink a ship in battle. In 1995 divers located the Hunley about three miles off the Charleston coast. It was largely intact and contained the bodies of all nine crew members. The facility was offering tours only on the weekends, so Gina had the joy of visiting on Mother's Day. Boy, was she lucky. I had obtained tickets by phone a week ahead. The Hunley was held in a large tank at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center at the old naval shipyards. Once we got pointed in the right direction by using the instructions in a brochure, we just followed the signs. Unfortunately, the other exhibits were all out for the day at a lecture. I think they are mostly photographs of the contents. Two coffins, guarded by Confederate re-enactors, lined one wall to honor the crew. The bodies were actually held in a morgue behind the wall. They were trying to determine the origins, and possibly the identities of the crew, most of whom are unknown. Claire was a little afraid when the guard changed and the soldiers marched in her direction carrying their rifles. The actual tour of the Hunley lasted for a little over half an hour. One guide told us of the archaelogical work and how it has added to current knowledge of the famous sub. He described how they were analyzing the remains of the crew to determine their regions of origin (from their diet). All the while, we were able to view the Hunley from a catwalk above the tank. Another guide talked about the torpedo used by the Hunley and showed us the original spur that held the torpedo. Claire's favorite part was outside by the re-enactors. The center had a cut-away model of the Hunley. We could climb inside and see just what a tight and scary experience it must have been to plummet beneath the waves in this pioneer craft. Claire must have spent at least half an hour playing in the sub model with another little girl. We practically had to drag her out of the place, and as we left Claire said "bye, I love you submarine." And who says children that age have no appreciation for history? Admittedly, the model was the focus of her interest, not the real one. On the way back to the hotel we dropped by the Citadel campus to take a look. It was very quiet on this Sunday afternoon, except for a wedding just ending nearby. I walked around the parade ground for a few photos while Gina sat in the car under a shade tree and Claire dozed in the back. I didn't wake her to see the tanks and jet fighters on display. The campus is worth a drive through, but I bet it is a lot more interesting on Fridays when all the cadets march. Maybe Claire will want to go to school there one day........................just kidding. |
Mt. Pleasant is so convenient for visiting the Charleston beaches. Within about ten minutes of leaving the IHOP we were on the Isle of Palms. We parked at the county park and set out to find a spot in the sand. This is a fantastic location for day-trippers, especially if children are involved. Right between the parking lot and beach is a large restroom facility, along with changing rooms, sheltered picnic tables, and lots of showers. It even has a sand volleyball court and small playground. Claire loved the playground even more than the beach. Before long, the beach was packed, quite a contrast to October of 1999. We planted our umbrella and enjoyed a nice Mother's Day outing. Fittingly, my mother-in-law called while we enjoyed the sun. Boy, it was a hot day, and the sand came close to blistering my feet on a couple of occasions. Claire and I took a walk down to the nearby pier (private by the way), where she enjoyed walking in shallow pools of water.........until she got off-balance, stumbled, and tumbled into a deeper one. Her head didn't go under, but the poor little thing wanted me to pick her up and get her away from that water as quickly as possible. As I carried her trembling body back to Gina, Claire looked around to make sure the water wasn't following too closely. It was a major chore after that to get her within 100 yards of the ocean. It was a good thing we had a wide beach, or she may not have even come out to the sand. |
We drove the 10 minutes across the Cooper River to Mt. Pleasant to check into our room at Masters Inn. I didn't know what to expect of this place, since it was so cheap, but we knew from first-hand experience that the location was very convenient. Against our request, the hotel put us right in the midst of 10-15 construction workers. They like to frequent these lower-cost places and can create quite a bit of noise in the mornings. I always get an uneasy feeling - again from too many first-hand experiences - when I see several people walking around outside their rooms like they are too much at home, especially when several are carrying bottles of beer. The place was pretty run-down too; in fact, the plumbing and several other things did not function properly. Within an hour, we decided to move to another hotel. The Sleep Inn, just behind Masters Inn, had a room starting Sunday, so we reserved for the rest of the week. The one night at Masters Inn was uneventful; it was a Saturday night, so no one was rising early for work. We loved the Sleep Inn, which was very affordable at $71 per night. The hotel was new, with friendly and helpful staff, interior corridors (a major noise improvement), and a small breakfast every morning. It was even farther off the main road than Masters Inn, so it offered a very quiet place to sleep. Claire came to see the hotel as her second home that week. We were just across the road from Sticky Fingers, a great rib place with three Charleston/Mt. Pleasant locations, so we chose it for our first dinner. This is one of only two places in Charleston where I have dined more than once. Sticky Fingers is a good family place with a variety of dry and wet ribs. It offers a good contrast to all the low-country and seafood meals. Claire didn't care to try the ribs, but she enjoyed her hot dog, fries, and 2 ½ dill pickle spears. |
As we neared the huge visitor center, where every tourist should stop, we talked about where to eat lunch. Claire made a statement that would warm the cockles of any parent's heart: "I don't like McDonalds." We picked up a few brochures, restaurant ads, a walking tour guide, and coupons at the visitor center and headed out for the day. For lunch, we walked down King Street and stopped at Groucho's, a sandwich shop that seemed popular. I didn't care for it. Gina said her ham sandwich was ok after she had them warm the meat, but my roast beef sandwich didn't have much taste and seemed microwaved. I would never eat there again. Claire did enjoy her pickle (she loves 'em!) and salad. Claire was a little restless after the long drive and managed to turn her chair over. She wasn't hurt, but I cut my finger trying to catch her. Hey, we were prepared for anything, as you have to be with kids. I slipped into one of her stylish Sesame Street band-aids and was ready to go. |
Charleston - 2002 - A Family Trip Part 1 |
Charleston is one of my favorite places in the whole country. You can easily take in the main sights during a three to four day trip, but you can also find enough to keep you busy for a couple of weeks. It has mounds of history, great food for a city of its size (nary a fast food joint in sight), beautiful architecture, great parks, nice sandy beaches, and loads of class. It doesn't have a big reputation as a place for little kids, but I had a different impression from my first visit, so we took our daughter this time. How can you go wrong with parks, beaches, an aquarium, plantations complete with alligators and petting farms, boat rides, carriage rides, and all kinds of activity? You know what? I was right. We spent 8 days in Charleston, and our little three-year old was not ready to come home. |
Saturday, May 11, 2002 - Charleston, Here We Come Oh it was so nice to know I didn't have to go to work for a week! My wife, 3-year old daughter (Claire), and I left home on Saturday morning about 7:45 and reached Charleston five hours later. Claire has always been a great traveler (thank you travel gods). She played nicely in her car seat for most of the trip and slept a little. We made sure to point out all the billboards on the drive in, telling her about things she would see during our week-long vacation. "Look, there's the aircraft carrier, look there's an alligator." |
As we neared the huge visitor center, where every tourist should stop, we talked about where to eat lunch. Claire made a statement that would warm the cockles of any parent's heart: "I don't like McDonalds." We picked up a few brochures, restaurant ads, a walking tour guide, and coupons at the visitor center and headed out for the day. For lunch, we walked down King Street and stopped at Groucho's, a sandwich shop that seemed popular. I didn't care for it. Gina said her ham sandwich was ok after she had them warm the meat, but my roast beef sandwich didn't have much taste and seemed microwaved. I would never eat there again. Claire did enjoy her pickle (she loves 'em!) and salad. Claire was a little restless after the long drive and managed to turn her chair over. She wasn't hurt, but I cut my finger trying to catch her. Hey, we were prepared for anything, as you have to be with kids. I slipped into one of her stylish Sesame Street band-aids and was ready to go. |
We caught a bus to the City Market and walked into the historic district, ending up at Waterfront Park. This large green space, peaceful when we visited on an early October morning once, was teaming with people. Kids were splashing in all the large fountains, some in only their underwear, and sightseers and locals abounded. We even saw a Confederate re-enactor headed from who-knows-where. The park's large boardwalk provides superb views of the harbor. We must have spent 1½ hours there. With all that water and room to roam, Claire was in heaven. A couple of ladies asked if they could photograph Claire; one was a portrait artist. I thought we would have to drag Claire away from the park, but I enticed her away finally by suggesting that we go see more water. A 15-minute walk around the windy waterfront brought us to Whitepoint Gardens on the Battery. To me this is the epitome of Charleston. A nice park lined with Civil War cannon, some of the city's finest homes, and the confluence of the Ashley and Cooper Rivers. Try to imagine the Civil War days when the park brimmed with earthern batteries. Charlestonians like to say that the two rivers join to form the harbor, which forms the ocean, which forms the whole world (or something like that). I roamed around to take photos and capture a little video on my new Mini-DV camcorder while Gina maintained control of Claire (well sort of uncontrolled control). A quick 10-minute walk up Meeting Street brought us to a bus stop at City Hall, where we caught a ride back to our car. |
We drove the 10 minutes across the Cooper River to Mt. Pleasant to check into our room at Masters Inn. I didn't know what to expect of this place, since it was so cheap, but we knew from first-hand experience that the location was very convenient. Against our request, the hotel put us right in the midst of 10-15 construction workers. They like to frequent these lower-cost places and can create quite a bit of noise in the mornings. I always get an uneasy feeling - again from too many first-hand experiences - when I see several people walking around outside their rooms like they are too much at home, especially when several are carrying bottles of beer. The place was pretty run-down too; in fact, the plumbing and several other things did not function properly. Within an hour, we decided to move to another hotel. The Sleep Inn, just behind Masters Inn, had a room starting Sunday, so we reserved for the rest of the week. The one night at Masters Inn was uneventful; it was a Saturday night, so no one was rising early for work. We loved the Sleep Inn, which was very affordable at $71 per night. The hotel was new, with friendly and helpful staff, interior corridors (a major noise improvement), and a small breakfast every morning. It was even farther off the main road than Masters Inn, so it offered a very quiet place to sleep. Claire came to see the hotel as her second home that week. We were just across the road from Sticky Fingers, a great rib place with three Charleston/Mt. Pleasant locations, so we chose it for our first dinner. This is one of only two places in Charleston where I have dined more than once. Sticky Fingers is a good family place with a variety of dry and wet ribs. It offers a good contrast to all the low-country and seafood meals. Claire didn't care to try the ribs, but she enjoyed her hot dog, fries, and 2 ½ dill pickle spears. |
Sunday, May 12, 2002 - Mother's Day at the Beach We loaded the car (in preparation to switch hotels) and headed out to IHOP for breakfast. Claire had pancakes and was ready to roll for the day. I was just simply ready to roll after pancakes and a massive omelet. |
Mt. Pleasant is so convenient for visiting the Charleston beaches. Within about ten minutes of leaving the IHOP we were on the Isle of Palms. We parked at the county park and set out to find a spot in the sand. This is a fantastic location for day-trippers, especially if children are involved. Right between the parking lot and beach is a large restroom facility, along with changing rooms, sheltered picnic tables, and lots of showers. It even has a sand volleyball court and small playground. Claire loved the playground even more than the beach. Before long, the beach was packed, quite a contrast to October of 1999. We planted our umbrella and enjoyed a nice Mother's Day outing. Fittingly, my mother-in-law called while we enjoyed the sun. Boy, it was a hot day, and the sand came close to blistering my feet on a couple of occasions. Claire and I took a walk down to the nearby pier (private by the way), where she enjoyed walking in shallow pools of water.........until she got off-balance, stumbled, and tumbled into a deeper one. Her head didn't go under, but the poor little thing wanted me to pick her up and get her away from that water as quickly as possible. As I carried her trembling body back to Gina, Claire looked around to make sure the water wasn't following too closely. It was a major chore after that to get her within 100 yards of the ocean. It was a good thing we had a wide beach, or she may not have even come out to the sand. |
Claire did go exploring for crabs in a few nearby holes. I even got her to walk with me up the beach once or twice.......far.....away.....from the water. She tried to jump and grab the string of a man's kite, and he came over and let her hold it for a while. We enjoyed watching pelicans sail and dive for fish, air force jets from the nearby base flying overhead, and cargo ships leaving the harbor. |
We left the beach in the early afternoon, checked into our new hotel, and rushed back out for our tour of the C.S.S. Hunley, the Confederate war machine that was the first submarine to sink a ship in battle. In 1995 divers located the Hunley about three miles off the Charleston coast. It was largely intact and contained the bodies of all nine crew members. The facility was offering tours only on the weekends, so Gina had the joy of visiting on Mother's Day. Boy, was she lucky. I had obtained tickets by phone a week ahead. The Hunley was held in a large tank at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center at the old naval shipyards. Once we got pointed in the right direction by using the instructions in a brochure, we just followed the signs. Unfortunately, the other exhibits were all out for the day at a lecture. I think they are mostly photographs of the contents. Two coffins, guarded by Confederate re-enactors, lined one wall to honor the crew. The bodies were actually held in a morgue behind the wall. They were trying to determine the origins, and possibly the identities of the crew, most of whom are unknown. Claire was a little afraid when the guard changed and the soldiers marched in her direction carrying their rifles. The actual tour of the Hunley lasted for a little over half an hour. One guide told us of the archaelogical work and how it has added to current knowledge of the famous sub. He described how they were analyzing the remains of the crew to determine their regions of origin (from their diet). All the while, we were able to view the Hunley from a catwalk above the tank. Another guide talked about the torpedo used by the Hunley and showed us the original spur that held the torpedo. Claire's favorite part was outside by the re-enactors. The center had a cut-away model of the Hunley. We could climb inside and see just what a tight and scary experience it must have been to plummet beneath the waves in this pioneer craft. Claire must have spent at least half an hour playing in the sub model with another little girl. We practically had to drag her out of the place, and as we left Claire said "bye, I love you submarine." And who says children that age have no appreciation for history? Admittedly, the model was the focus of her interest, not the real one. On the way back to the hotel we dropped by the Citadel campus to take a look. It was very quiet on this Sunday afternoon, except for a wedding just ending nearby. I walked around the parade ground for a few photos while Gina sat in the car under a shade tree and Claire dozed in the back. I didn't wake her to see the tanks and jet fighters on display. The campus is worth a drive through, but I bet it is a lot more interesting on Fridays when all the cadets march. Maybe Claire will want to go to school there one day........................just kidding. |
We arrived back at the hotel just in time to learn that they baked cookies late each afternoon. Claire wanted some badly, especially since we had eaten no lunch. She and I went down to check, but they weren't out yet. Claire did not want to leave without the cookies, and when she saw two other people walk up to the desk, she said "they ate my cookies." The nice desk person was saddened to see Claire's disappointment, so she said she would make sure Claire got some. When we came down to leave, she handed us four cookies the last from the batch. Claire let me have half a cookie. Gina was lucky and had a whole one. Claire took the rest for herself, not a great idea before dinner. We dined at the Trawler, a large restaurant located on Shem Creek, a small boat inlet between Mt. Pleasant and Sullivan's Island. You don't hear a lot of good reports about the restaurants along Shem Creek, an inlet lined with shrimp boats. They tend to draw large crowds and are known to be kind of touristy. Still, it is a pleasant place to dine, especially outside. We got tables out on the deck, where we could watch the sunset and the fishing boats coming and going on the waterway. This was perfect for Claire. We took turns taking her for walks along the water to see the boats until our meal was served. We had to make sure to hold her hand and warn her about the water because at many spots there were no rails to keep her from falling into it. We both thought the flounder was very good because of the batter, as were the scallops. I thought the shrimp were average, and the she-crab soup was not very good. Some type of spice overpowered the crab flavor. I entertained Claire back at the hotel by giving her all the dozens of tourist brochures we had picked up along the way. She spread them out on the bed and looked through them all. I called my mother to wish her a happy Mother's Day (I don't think anyone was happy we chose that weekend to go off on vacation) and turned in for another night's sleep. |
Monday, May 13, 2002 - Fish and Shirley Temple The South Carolina Aquarium was the main focus for the day. Luckily, I found out my Charleston-based cousin worked at the aquarium, and she sent us free passes for the visit. This saved us a nice sum. I have to admit I haven't been to all that many aquariums - according to my cousin this one isn't as large as several others in the eastern U.S. - but I was impressed. It is an education-oriented aquarium, much like the smaller ones on the North Carolina coast, but it is much better. The first sections include a look at fresh water life, including otters and birds, but the best part is the saltwater area. We watched divers feeding fish in a large tank (about 50 feet deep), as a large sea turtle, sharks, and fish swam by. We could view the tank from two different levels and several angles. Claire was a little frightened by the diver who swam up and waved to her, but eventually she was waving back. Two of the more attractive exhibits contained luminescent moon jellyfish and strange but beautiful Leafy and Weedy Sea Dragons (from around Australia). We also got to see staff feeding a rather aggressive eel by placing fish pieces on the end of a pole. Claire had a great time at the touch tank where kids could either handle or touch such creatures as urchins, horseshoe crabs, and starfish. Claire didn't care too much for the wiggly underbelly of the crab and didn't want to hold an urchin. Our entire visit, conducted at a fairly relaxed pace, took just over two hours. The place was packed with school kids. My cousin said it is a very busy time of year; you're telling me; almost everywhere we went, we ran into school groups. |
The aquarium is part of a large complex that includes shops, viewing platforms (where you can get good views of the river), an IMAX theater, and a small Fort Sumter museum. We stepped into the museum for a short visit (it was free). The exhibit mostly details the situation leading up to war and houses a handful of artifacts, a few of which directly relate to Fort Sumter. This is also one of two departure points for tour boats to Ft. Sumter, the only way to see it. The other is at Patriot Point. |
For a late lunch, we headed over to Southend Brewery and Smokehouse on East Bay Street, where we had also dined on our previous trip. It has very good individual pizzas that are enough for most appetites. After lunch, we walked over to the City Market (also called the "Slaves Market" because slaves used to sell their wares there). The market is a popular place to wander and buy anything from cheap jewelry and cheesy souvenirs to expensive sweetgrass baskets made locally by a declining group of African-American crafters. A walk down Meeting and Tradd streets took us past many of the historic district's best sights. Along the way, we took a stroll down Queen Street to check out a few good restaurants. 82 Queen looked a little too fancy for a family place, so I made reservations for the evening at nearby Poogan's Porch. Claire decided to put on a show on the front porch of Poogan's; I guess it seemed like a stage. As we stood on the street watching and laughing, she pranced and danced around on the porch, holding her finger up to her cheek at one point kind of like Shirley Temple. It was closed, so no diners were disturbed during this escapade (so I don't want e-mails from the non-traveling with children groups - I know you are out there). At Whitepoint Gardens Claire had a ball chasing the hundred or so pigeons around and around. I think kids have this little light inside their heads that goes off when they come across birds and squirrels, and a little voice says "run, run, run." We ended with a nice dinner at Poogan's Porch, which specializes in low-country cuisine. We had reserved a spot on the porch, but because of high winds we moved inside. The dining areas were very cozy and quiet. I had shrimp and grits, a popular low-country concoction cooked in a variety of fashions. The main ingredients consist of shrimp, spicy ham, and of course grits. I am not a grit fan in general, but I must admit it was great. Claire behaved extremely well, perhaps because she was so exhausted from all the activities. I filmed her with the video camera (boy, I love these small digital models) as she nodded off to sleep, almost falling over in her mashed potatoes. After a little footage, I shoved the plate aside and rested her head on her arms while we finished eating. |
Before long, the beach was packed, quite a contrast to October of 1999. We planted our umbrella and enjoyed a nice Mother's Day outing. Fittingly, my mother-in-law called while we enjoyed the sun. Boy, it was a hot day, and the sand came close to blistering my feet on a couple of occasions. Claire and I took a walk down to the nearby pier (private by the way), where she enjoyed walking in shallow pools of water.........until she got off-balance, stumbled, and tumbled into a deeper one. Her head didn't go under, but the poor little thing wanted me to pick her up and get her away from that water as quickly as possible. As I carried her trembling body back to Gina, Claire looked around to make sure the water wasn't following too closely. It was a major chore after that to get her within 100 yards of the ocean. It was a good thing we had a wide beach, or she may not have even come out to the sand. |
The One-eyed Traveler |
This page was last updated on: September 8,
2002
Text and photos copyright 1984-2002 Dan Woodlief |
