We spent four full days in Charleston, SC. We had a good time. I can’t say it was fabulous, but it was good. What made it not be fabulous? I don’t know that I can pinpoint it exactly as it was more a combination of things and not one thing in particular.

• The Weather – The weather was much colder than the average temperatures for this time of year.  Most days were in the mid 40’s and cloudy with no sun in sight. While mid 40’s isn’t that cold, it felt brutally cold outside at times. I don’t know if it is because my expectations were that it was going to be warmer or if it was because the wind chill and the real feel made it feel significantly colder.  Either way, except for the last day (which was mid 50’s and sunny) it was pretty cold outside!
• The Bickering – The girls seemed to bicker more than we liked.  While they normally butt heads, especially at home, we want to see even less of it while we are on vacation.  And while we did our best to apply our guided principles parenting techniques from the book “One More Time”, the application of the process proved to be challenging.
• The Parking – One reserved spot came with the Airbnb rental.  The condo itself was great…newly renovated 2 bed/2 bath.  The location, price, and amenities were a perfect match for us.  The whole condo building was recently renovated so the parking spaces hadn’t been paved yet.  It was a park on a first come/first serve basis.  And while there were supposed to be enough spots for every unit, there clearly weren’t.  The first time we couldn’t find a spot, we contacted the owner and within minutes he responded back.  While we did an easy alternative with the help of the owner, the parking situation remained the same for the rest of the trip.  The morning after we parked in the alternative spot, the caps for the tires had been stolen. And the following morning, our car was blocked in by a truck doing renovation on the building next door.  So while we always ended up finding a spot, I know the parking situation was always on the back of Justin’s mind.
• The Duration – We stayed for four full days and designated two days for driving.  While four days initially didn’t seem like a lot, we ended up having more downtime than some other vacations.  This was in part due to the cold weather (i.e. we didn’t spend as much time as anticipated at the beaches).  While the downtime was good and allowed us to not rush through everything and even allowed for the girls to watch a movie two evenings and spend some time on sigh words, it also meant more time for bickering.
• The Food – The food!  The food was good!  I spent countless hours reviewing blogs, reviewing restaurant reviews, reviewing menus, and trying to secure reservations.  The food in Charleston is really really good and there are a lot of spectacular restaurants.  Honestly, I probably spent a minimum of 10 hours deciding where to eat!  While the food was great, it was southern.  Southern food (even the healhier options) are not that healthy….and when in the south, it is essential to do as the Southerners do!  For the most part, we only ate one meal out a day; yet, I still feel as though I ate my way through Charleston.

WHERE WE ATE

• Hominy Grill – Hominy Grill is a hot breakfast spot.  It also happened to be a 5 minute walk from our condo.  We beat the crowds and arrived by 8:45.  I ordered the special, which was a shrimp and hominy omelet with a tomato gravy and a side of home fries. I normally don’t eat shrimp for breakfast and don’t know that I will start. With every bite, it grew on me more and more.  I definitely enjoyed it.  Justin had the country biscuit (2 eggs over easy, cheddar grits, and biscuits with gravy).  He said his was delicious too!  Avery and Harper split the pancakes and Emerson ordered an egg and bacon biscuit sandwich, eating around the biscuit.  The place was packed with people waiting when we left at 9:45. I would definitely go back here again!
• Butcher and Bee – Butcher and Bee is rated 4.5 stars on tripadvisor.  It is moderately priced and a hot breakfast and lunch spot. We went for an early dinner!  Our dinner reservations were at 5:30.  We made it to the restaruant at 4:50.  We decided to walk there since it was less than 2 miles from our aribnb.  What we did not know, is that much of that walk was through some not so great neighborhoods. We saw an old man with blood dripping down his face who appeared to have just been beaten up.  We saw an undercover drug “bust”.  And we received a lot of looks!  So while my intentions were to take our time and explore King Street, we were definitely on the wrong side of the tracks.  Once we made it to the restaurant, we decided going inside might be wise.  We got an uber home for $10.  The food was really good….it was tapas style and Justin and I shared everything….hummus and pita, bacon wrapped dates, falafel, squash pancake, lamb kabob, mixed green salad, and a crusty baguette with seasoned olive oil for dipping.  It was all delicious.  The bacon wrapped dates and the green salad…so yummy…I could go for those again right now! They had a kids menu, but it was a little too healthy for the girls liking. The grilled chicken was not a hit.  Emerson ate some salad and pita, bread, and French fries along with Avery and Emerson.
• Slightly North of Broad (SNOB) – Turns out I had been here before…the last time I was in Charleston for a work event with co-workers for dinner. We had a 2:30 reservation.  The place was packed and we had to wait until 2:45 before we were seated.  Justin ordered the famous shrimp and grits and I had the special, which was swordfish with kale, rice, a few potatoes, with a sunflower puree. It was delicious although I think the sunflower puree actually took away from the dish more than it added to it. And there was corn bread…I ate a lot a lot of cornbread.  They had a kids menu…Emerson ordered the grilled cheese with a side salad.  She doesn’t really like grilled cheese that is made with a lot of butter panini style so she attempted to pick out the cheese.  Avery and Harper shared a plain bowl of pasta.  When Harper devoured her half in less than two minutes and asked for more, I ordered another to the tune of $8 a bowl….for just plain pasta!
• Kitchen & Craftsman Tap House – We stopped in here shortly after 3:00 after our horse drawn carriage ride.  The beer selection is extensive…12 pages of beer!  The food was better than average bar food but I think it fell slightly short of what it could have been.  I think they are trying to be somewhat of an upscale bar based on the menu choices and presentation.  Avery’s pizza was very good as were the potatoes that came with the burgers.  The burgers themselves were slightly overcooked and weren’t made with the best quality ground beef. The beer selection was great though.  I had a local flight plus one more local beer.  Justin had three beers.  We had fun…and this spot was exactly what we needed for that afternoon.
• Poogan’s Porch – While this place had openings, they had no openings for a party of five. We walked by this restaurant the previous day and I noticed that this restaurant was right next to several of the restaurants that were on my restaurant “list”.  I figured we would check out the situation if we were by the restaurant since there would be other options nearby.  There were people waiting….lots of people waiting!  When I asked if there was availability for a party of five, she said the wait was already longer than when the place closed (which was about 80 minutes away).  In the same breath, she said that there was seating available at the communal table at the bar.  We jumped on it!  We got seated right away and we took up half the table!  We ordered the fried green tomatoes…I felt like we had too!  The only other time I had fried green tomatoes was at Tuscorara Mill and they were barely fried.  The ones at Poogans were delicious, but they were definitely heavily fried.  I enjoyed every bite but I likely won’t rush to order fried green tomatoes anytime soon.  Justin and I both ordered the pulled pork benedict.  I ordered homefries on the side and Justin ordered the grits.  It was very good too, but I didn’t love the barbecue pork….I think I just wanted to order outside my norm.  I probably should have ordered the salad with fried chicken.  They are known for their fried chicken and it was delicious.  One of the kids items we ordered was chicken tenders and Emerson and Harper devoured the fried chicken.  Oh yeah…and we ate more biscuits!!
• King Street Cookies – This was a quick stop in on the last day as a way to break up the final part of our walk home.  They had every cookie under the sun at this place.  Ironically, Emerson and Harper ordered a slushee and Avery ordered ice cream.  I took one for the team and ordered a chocolate chip cookie!
• Carmellas – We stopped at this dessert and drink bar one evening after we ate a late lunch at the bar.  Since this was technically dinner, we let the girls go all out.  They all chose gelato, while I chose a coffee and a slice a chocolate cake and Justin had gelato and a real drink. My cake was good…certainly not to die for…I probably should have saved the calories for something else!
• Christopher Artisan Chocolatier – We stopped by here about an hour before closing on Thursday. The place was busy and the amount of fresh treats remaining were limited, but the girls still managed to find something they all liked.  I passed on dessert this time; I think if more items were still available, it would have been harder to pass up.  I did enjoy a cup of coffee though.

What other restaurants were on my list that we didn’t visit: Husk, High Cotton, 82 Queen, The Macintosh, 5 Church Charleston, Toast, and Jenis Splendid Ice Cream. I mean you can only eat so much in one trip!

WHAT WE DID

• Boone Plantation – I don’t think I have ever been on a Plantation before.  I had heard that there were better plantations in Charleston; however, this one had the famous Avenue of The Oaks….as well as several scenes where The Notebook, my favorite movie, was filmed.  I had to see it!  It is crazy to think about life on a planation…both from the perspective of a wealthy white person as well as a slave.
• Patriots Point – We toured the U.S.S. Yorktown, an aircraft carrier, and a submarine.  As I grow older, I appreciate history more and more.  Thinking about what life was like back then during World War II just blows my mind away.  There was also a destroyer; however, I think the girls had reached their limit so we opted not to explore it.  There was also a Vietnam Memorial that Justin explored while I took the girls back to the car.  He said it was amazing.  I found a groupon online so we spent half as much on tickets from the regular price of admission, which was another added bonus.  I think overall Justin and I enjoyed it a little more than the girls.  Emerson said only boys would like it…since only boys like planes!
• Isle of Palms – We went here Thursday morning after the cold weather and precipitation left a coat of icing in Charleston!  Several of the entrances to the beach were closed off for safety reasons.  While it was cold, the girls had fun playing on the beach.  Avery didn’t let her clothes get in the way of building a sandcastle.
• Horse Drawn Carriage Ride – This was totally worth the money.  The architecture in Charleston is beautiful.  The town is so rich with American history dating back to the 1700’s and it is amazing that our country fruitfully and lavishly existed without so many of the modern day amenities that we have in today’s world. Honestly, it amazes me!
• Downtown Charleston – We went into historic downtown Charleston three times.  We walked and explored often with no destination in mind.  We strolled by College of Charleston, Marion Square, The Market, Charleston Waterfront, and along King Street and other parts of the town. Harper wore her new hippie hairband the entire trip, along with her many bracelets.  Avery fell and hurt the same knee over and over again…thus the rolled up pant leg.  I came into contact with my own Noah Calhoun:).  We had some downtime in the condo too. The girls enjoyed their Christmas gift! Overall, it was a good trip.  But I am glad to be home…and I think Justin would agree.  My body needs a break, a refresh – some downtime, healthier food, and real workouts.  And as much as I hate to say it, a break from my kids!