I was lucky enough to have my parents fly out to Nebraska to visit me a few months ago, but it's an awfully long way to come just to see the sights of the mid-west. I know they both enjoy lounging around on the beach so a flight to a coastal city was a must, but I wanted them to go somewhere other than the usual California or Florida.
After a little help from "Google" I stumbled upon Charleston, a city in the South Eastern state of South Carolina. It seemed to have everything I thought they'd like, sun, sea and sand. Purely for scientific reasons I needed to fly down there myself, just to make sure I'd made the right recommendation.
Charleston didn't disappoint from the outset, miles of sandy beaches, great seafood restaurants, copious quantities of sun, and a relaxed atmosphere. It's always nice to have some seafood in a sea side city, especially after spending the best part of twelve months in land locked Nebraska, where I assume fish must travel for days before it gets to the restaurants of downtown Omaha.
One of the places I wanted to visit during my trip to Charleston was the French Quarter. As you travel around the U.S you read about many "French Quarters" in many cities, unfortunately when you actually get there and look around you soon realise they're about as french as spag bol!
Walking around the cobbled streets of Charleston's French Quarter you could easily be forgiven for thinking you're in Europe. Some of the buildings in this part of the city date from as far back as 1712, which by American standards is when the dinosaurs were still roaming the Earth.
Having these quaint old structures surround you is very refreshing. Americans have a tendency to knock buildings down and replace them with monotonous prefabricated monstrosities, before they can develop any real heritage. I'm not against all forms of redevelopment but some things are worth holding onto, and new isn't always better.
Several things really stood out to me during my stay in South Carolina. I'd never seen skies so blue anywhere, I don't know wether it had anything to do with it's geographical location, but as you can see on the pictures above it has a vibrancy all to itself.
The seafood was some of the best I'd ever eaten, maybe even better than the seafood I'd had in Seattle, and that was pretty damn amazing.
But I'd have to say the most memorable thing about my visit was the quality of the sunsets. The red, pink, and blues in the sky were simply breathtaking. The two twilight shots were taken down by the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, a magnificent structure which always seemed to have people running or walking across it, or even people just gawping at it.
Looking for a beach holiday in America with a bit more of a European feel? Something far removed from chain restaurants and soulless out of town shopping malls? A city who's history started a little earlier than the 1950's and still has the buildings to prove it?
Then look no further: Charleston is the place for you.
On another note, I do believe that's one of the few times I've given out actual consumer advice, and not a rant in sight?
Don't worry normal service will resume in the next few weeks...
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