Where Else But Charleston?

I'm back! And what a weekend getaway I had! For being on the top of my list of places to see in the United States, Charleston, SC did not disappoint! First of all, I need to give a shout out to Mary Catharine Doherty and Christa Tilley for being such great tour guides. Without them showing me all the great places and things to do in Charleston, I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much.

For starters, a city with history like Charleston has a special allure that is hard to find anywhere else in this country. If you are a history buff like me, seeing all of the historic sites like Battery Park (a very significant location during the Civil War) was really cool. But it isn't just the historical sites that make it special. You get a feeling that each and every home has a special story of its own to tell. History just oozes out of every nook and cranny of this city. Very Cool.

I was also very impressed with the nightlife of Charleston. With the variety of bars, clubs, and lounges, it was easy to find something to fit my mood. But what really surprised me was the amount of live music. Being from the Live Music Capital of the World, I will be the first to admit that I am pretty spoiled and often find myself complaining if I don't get enough. With a population of only about 125,000 people, I was shocked at how many places could cater to my addiction to live music. One band in particular, American Aquarium, caught my attention. I highly recommend checking them out in Austin when they come visit for SXSW. This is a video of them performing at the Pour House in Charleston!

But what really got me about Charleston in the food. If you don't already know this about me - I love food. Especially good food. And Charleston has some really, really good food. A lot of what I ate was southern staples like fried green tomatoes and poached eggs, all of which was new to me.

But if home cooking doesn't really strike your fancy, they have about every other kind of restaurant you can imagine. One of my favorites was a steakhouse where I had one of the most unique cuts of meat I had ever seen - a bone-in filet mignon. And if you have ever had a bone-in ribeye and compared it to a regular ribeye, you know what kind of flavor leaving the bone in can add. Adding that flavor to my favorite cut of meat made it absolutely heavenly.

I'm sure I missed a few things about Charleston that really make it great - So I highly recommend checking it out for yourself and experiencing everything it has to offer!

That is all for this weekend. Check back soon!