Some Charleston photos

[mnhtnbb]

My husband and I are here for the Spoleto Festival: third time we've come in the last four years.
I have my point and shoot with me on dog walks in the morning and when we're walking to/from Festival
performances. Here are a few that interested me this year:

Tiny house from about 150 or so years ago!

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A couple of garden tour photos of the same garden:

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One of many elaborate and interesting entrances.

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I've shot this frog sculpture in a garden before...

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but this year a car with this hood ornament was parked on the street outside the garden...

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What's a Charleston garden without some artillery...

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or gorgeous hydrangeas?

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This is my "if you could choose one to live in...which one would it be?" This house faces the Ashley River and is set back
from the street with a beautiful canopy of old trees.

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Looking up as the sun was setting...this is the spire of St. Michael's Church

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and some interesting architectural detail of an old building lit by last rays of the sun...

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All the stucco houses are over brick--done for earthquake reinforcement--we overheard one of the horse and carriage tour drivers telling people.

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And finally, for all the old car afficionados, this lovely Citroën 2CV spotted while out walking Snowy this morning.

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[liberal N proud]

1. We spent 3 days in Charleston last October

We stayed one street off East Battery, woke up early one morning and took sunrise pictures of the houses on East Battery.

[mnhtnbb]

4. We're staying in a cottage on the grounds of one of the big old houses--

where we've stayed on the other two recent visits--a couple of blocks off Murray. Snowy and I walk
to the White Point Gardens dog park at the corner of East Bay and Murray
every morning. Many of these photos I've taken with her along. She's pretty good at standing still,
unless another dog and human walk by.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. These are really beautiful, my dear mnhtnbb!

It's a gorgeous city and you have done a superlative job in showing us.

Thanks for sharing!

[Adsos Letter]

3. Charleston is such a beautiful city.

Every time we visit we combine it with a trip to Savannah. Two lovely old southern cities.

[mnhtnbb]

5. I have never been to Savannah.

Can't believe we've lived in North Carolina for almost 15 years and never gotten to Savannah.

[Adsos Letter]

10. When we get to Charleston I always get my hair cut at that little barber shop on Broad Street.

We probably had our best time in the South in North Carolina. Grandfather Mountain, Linville Falls, Guilford Court House, the whole BRP drive. Took a gorgeous drive one spring morning in May, from eastern Tenneessee (via Laurel Bloomery and Mountain City) and over the mountains to Linville Falls (via Blowing Rock and Grandfather Mountain).

Also really enjoyed Wilmington, and the Outer Banks. Even took a side trip to the Regulator battlefield at Alamance, which one of my history professors always insisted was the first battle of the American Revolution. As far as I'm concerned you live in a really gorgeous part of the country.

We are coming back to Williamsburg, VA, for a week in July to visit my wife's cousin. Really looking forward to it, as I've grown to love that side of the country.

Enjoyed the Charleston photos very much.

[mnhtnbb]

12. If you come again to NC Triangle area

my husband is always happy to take visitors on a little American history tour
he's put together as a result of having worked in Hillsborough for several years
when we first came to NC. He includes Bennett Place on his tour, which was the site of the largest
Confederate Troop surrender in the Civil War. http://www.nchistoricsites.org/bennett/
He's a big history buff--studied it at UC Berkeley--but
gave up history for medicine. For several years he joined some of his Georgia relatives
on the reenactment hike of the Overmountain route to the Battle of Kings Mountain:
they had relatives who participated in the Battle.

http://www.ovta.org/

[NV Whino]

6. I want the hood ornament!

Do you think their garden is full of frogs or something?

That first house is know as a shotgun house. Open the front and back door, and you can shoot a shotgun straight through it. Love the Citroën. We have a similar model here in the Napa Valley, although I haven't seen it for a while.

Splendid photos, and a nice vacation!

[mnhtnbb]

8. I have been told by a friend whose husband knows ALL about Citroens--and collects them--

that is known as a Charleston model of a 2CV. Who knew!

I couldn't believe they had it sitting out in the driveway and not garaged.

[NV Whino]

11. I think the one in the valley might be older

I don't remember it having the "folded" hood, but I can't find any photos without the folding. Anyway, it is the same color. I love Citroëns.

[mnhtnbb]

9. The last couple of times we were here we heard frogs in the evening.

Haven't really noticed them this time.

[Solly Mack]

7. Wonderful shots!

[SCantiGOP]

13. glad you enjoyed the Holy City

(Holy City name comes from the number of church steeples that appear on the skyline, since building heights are limited in the City.)

My wife and I also attended Spoleto this past weekend, and except for the two years that I was wrapped up in a job that didn't allow me to take any time off, I have attended every Spoleto since the first one in 1977.

I live in Columbia, but Charleston is the saving grace for this deep red Tea Party insane asylum. Two elections ago an openly gay woman came within 2 points of upsetting the incumbent GOP Congressman - that wouldn't happen anywhere else in this state.

Hope you had some good food while you were there and will come back next year.

[mnhtnbb]

14. Wow! That's quite a record!

We only got around to coming to Spoleto for the first time in 2012...then 2013...last year
we didn't come because we made a trip to Europe to coincide with our youngest son being in Berlin
on a Fulbright scholarship. We have enjoyed this year, but not sure we'll do more than three or four
days the next time. We've been here for 8-10 days on each previous trip. It's hot and humid! We
stay in a cottage on the grounds of a big house in the historic district and walk to most of the
performances, although we've used the bike taxis more this year. The cottage has a full kitchen--except
dishwasher--so we can fix meals here. We had a very nice lunch at Slightly North of Broad (SNOB); we
were disappointed in our brunch at Magnolia's. We enjoyed dinner at Circa 1886. We have one more meal
"out" with lunch scheduled at Brasserie Gigi tomorrow...home on Saturday.

[dgibby]

15. Great photos!

Kinda makes me "homesick" for the Lowcountry. I retired from the Navy Hospital in North Charleston in '91, moved back to Virginia 4 years ago. Couldn't handle the heat and humidity anymore.

Have you ever been to Beaufort (S.C.)? I was stationed there too, and think it's even prettier than Charleston. If you can, treat yourself to a side trip there. Well worth the drive.

[mnhtnbb]

16. I have not been to Beaufort. I have a neighbor (in Chapel Hill) who is from there

and maybe we'll get to see it one day. It's not going to happen on this trip!

[rppper]

20. My first duty station was charleston.

Rode Boomers and fast boats out of there from late sept89-92....Hugo wrecked it 12 days after we arrived! Lol. Downtown is beautiful indeed.

[dgibby]

32. I was there then.

Rode out Hugo at the Naval Hospital. NOT my idea of fun. We lost main power, backup power, water, couldn't flush the toilets, no AC, couldn't open the windows (which was probably good, considering how many of us wanted to jump), wind was blowing rain through the walls, windows in the lobby and pharmacy blew out, we took in 2 nursing homes from low lying areas, an entire psych facility, all there staff personnel, all our staff personnel, and our family members.

If I never see another hurricaine, it will be too soon! So glad to be back in the mountains of Va. We did get a Derracho and had an earthquake, and, of course, the occasional forest fire, as my home town is situated in the George Washington National Forest, but none of that even came close to Hugo.

[rppper]

33. Me and a couple of other e nothing's...

Rose it out in an old barracks building that was being refurbished....roof came off around ten....we put some mattresses in the open bay showers and stayed there for the next few days. I'll never forget The eye going over us....dead silence...no crickets, birds...anything....just the sound of the eye wall approaching....

[Mustellus]

17. Yes, the city that General Sherman wanted to burn....

Charleston was the center of antebellum sedition, and holds the distinction of having seceded from the Union twice. Once before the Missouri Compromise, and again to start the Civil War. Fort Sumter is in Charleston harbor.

When two Navy frigates entered Charleston harbor with the news of the Missouri Compromise, the first secession attempt collapsed. And when Sherman's army approached from the land side, the good citizens of Charleston hurriedly surrendered to the blockading naval flotilla, thereby preserving their city as a tourist attraction.

Almost a million deaths in the Civil War, and countless millions died in slavery, much of it planned and carried out behind those lovely mansion doors.

Sorry to post a downer... but when I walked those streets a few years ago, I couldn't share the enjoyment...

[mnhtnbb]

18. From this city came two of the most celebrated abolition activists: the Grimke sisters.

http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/slavery-and-anti-slavery/essays/angelina-and-sarah-grimke-abolitionist-sisters


I'm sorry you have trouble seeing past the past. It must be difficult for you to travel most places, given
the focus on power, economic and political dominance, struggle, and war throughout the world over time.

I'm from the make love, not war generation myself. So here's a flower to wear in your hair, as a peace offering.

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[mnhtnbb]

25. PS: I apologize for the size of the flower photo. For some reason, photobucket kept

giving me an error--retry--message when I tried to size it down. I finally gave up and posted
the original photo.

[Mira]

19. I my paper there are daily reviews

Reviews of the wonderful offerings at the Spoleto festival, until now it never ever occurred to me I might go. Maybe next year. They did a special dance version of Tennessee Williams' "Streetcar" and a very sparse stage version of young love "Romeo and Juliet".
Your photos are magnificently showing the charm of the moneyed part of the deep South.
I can never decide which I like better: Charleston or Savannah. Each time the one I'm visiting wins.

Most of all, in spite of that I'm a bit tired of flower photos, do I love the flower you posted in the South of the thread, and the sentiment attached. That choked me up a bit.
Kindness is so important, and you showed such a lovely example of it.

Thank you for this wonderful sharing of your trip.

[mnhtnbb]

23. Mira, our favorite performances this time were the Scottish Ballet performance of Streetcar

and the Romeo and Juliet.

They gave Blanche a back story in the ballet: a young husband who has an affair
with a gay lover and then kills himself. She turns to prostitution (to try and hold on
to the family plantation), then heads for New Orleans and the original story from the
play resumes. Of course the dead husband creates lots of haunting memories for
Blanche--and the opportunity for some marvelous pas de deux. We really enjoyed it.

This is the second time we've seen a marvelous Shakespeare production at Spoleto--but
we only started coming in 2012. We heard people tonight--sitting behind us--talking about
the production of A Midsummer Night's Dream from two years ago. It was so creative!

I looked in to getting here on the train. We might do it next time, since it only takes about an hour
more than our drive time from Chapel Hill. We were slowed down by two horrible accidents on 95 this
time--one fatal--and I really hate flying any more.

[Mira]

27. Dear neighbor,

it so tickles me that you saw both of these performances I only got to read about. I could not, and still can't, imagine how gratitude for the kindness of strangers can be expressed in dance
I'm thinking of figuring a way to be there next time. Though, i must proudly say, we do have a real city of the Arts in Winston-Salem. And a lot of the happenings are either 3 blocks from my house at the NC School of the Arts or 1 mile from downtown at the Steven's Center.
The train, from High Point for me, is a wonder.
When I first came here to the US as a twenty year old, I took it to NYCity. Often. Walked the pavements - stayed with an old German lady distant relative in the German district. She was high up in a building somewhere, and had one light bulb. She carried it to which ever room she was in, and there were not many.
I think, when I'm in that train, I still see the holes from the gun battles in the outside walls. Coming from the wonders of fast modern European trains where the conductor comes on and apologizes if they run 2 minutes behind and pledges to make it up, strolling through the American East Coast country side in the only damn train they have is a marvelous adventure.
Attitude is everything.

[Adsos Letter]

21. There is something about the sky on your side of the continent

We noticed it when we drove up the coast from Savannah to Williamsburg. I can only describe it as having a kind of silvery quality to it. I can see it especially well in photo #10, the one of St. Michael's Church steeple. We noticed it more on cloudier days than clear.

I can't describe it any better than that but it is certainly different from what we get on the West Coast of California, and quite lovely.

[mnhtnbb]

26. In North Carolina they call it Carolina blue sky.

I lived in Southern California--San Diego area--from 1965-69 and then L.A. area from 1969-1988.
There definitely was nothing like the blue sky we have in Chapel Hill--or at the beach in NC--when/where
I lived in California.

[NCarolinawoman]

22. The epitome of charm.

Secret gardens, surprises in all the nooks and crannies of the yards.

I was worried about Charleston when Hurricane Hugo hit. I know there was a bit of destruction, but someone told me that through the years the natives of old Charleston were always building "sturdy" with thoughts of hurricanes on their minds.

What's with those steps!? LOL

[mnhtnbb]

24. The steps are strange, aren't they? I think it's a kind of ivy that is trained to grow

across them. It's a rather popular stair treatment; I saw it on more than one set of front steps.

[Mira]

28. I'm in awe of those steps.

Never saw them before, and when I run across them, which I aim to do, I will study them.
I don't have steps at the moment. But I know how to lay brick

[PADemD]

29. Have you ever toured Boone Hall Plantation?

Their driveway, with Spanish moss hanging from oak trees, is breath taking.

[mnhtnbb]

30. No, we haven't done that one. We did some low country plantations--years ago--

on our first trip to Charleston. It does not look familiar.

[PADemD]

31. Their driveway is so beautiful, it has been used in movies.

Spanish moss hangs from 300-year-old oak trees lining the driveway. If you Google Images Boone Hall Plantation, you can see for yourself; but it's better in person.