Charleston was my first stop in a regional city and it was a great change of pace. That’s not to say its a shanty ghost town or anything, but taking a break from sky scrapers and pedestrian malls was refreshing.
Located in the lower half of South Carolina, Charleston is a seaside town but even spending a weekend there, you get a sense that it is an up and coming city with plenty of construction and works going on whilst still maintaining it’s boutique charm. Named after King Charles II, it came at no surprise that most of the action was on King Street. Spanning all the way from Downtown to the waterfront harbour, King Street displays the more commercial side of Charleston, however down a tree covered alleyway lies Gateway Walk; a garden path that connects four of the cities oldest churches (yeah there’s more than four) as well as a cemetery that dates back to the 1800s.
Around town, Charleston is abuzz on weekends with markets and street vendors peddling just about everything from fresh produce and hand-made crafts to dog-wear which seems to be big in the South. Nostalgia is also present in the streets as horse-draw carriages lead tours around the most historical parts of town, including Rainbow Row as these waterfront houses have been up for over 100 years. Further inland, houses littered with porch front swings and American flags line the streets in a Stepford like fashion, as it becomes more apparent that the two main demographics of Charleston are the retired middle class and students.
As you heard further downtown, closer to where I was staying, the city starts to show a bit more soul with hole in wall eateries and boutique fashion spots which never look too busy, but this is all apart of the charm of Charleston. Although just for the weekend, my first taste of the South was full of flavour, and whilst it may not have been too diverse it was fun to see America in a more intimate manner.
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