Charming Charleston

BikcrBuck's Georgolina adventure yielded another first: Charleston. It's been on the "must visit" list for decades and was worth the wait.

I started at the Charles Towne Landing park, which is an elegantly understated work of art. It sets a very high bar for historical presentation of events for which there is precious physical evidence available. For example, this replica of the first boat to land in Charles Towne is perfect in detail and user friendly to the max.

The grounds are on the actual site of the first landing, where the original settlement was built.

I didn't stick around long, but felt my visit was a helpful first impression of how Charleston honors its past.

The photos of downtown Charleston speak for themselves.  I especially enjoyed the small but thoroughly informative Slave Mart Museum. The docent there had also read They Knew My Name (in Canada the title is, The Book of Negroes) and an engaging discussion ensued.

Charleston is first, foremost and totally a port city. Many things I saw remind me of Honolulu (on steroids.)

The Ravenel Bridge is the big beautiful icon that connects Charleston and Mt. Pleasant, the residential and recreational sibling.

BB rode the well planned bike way over the bridge and back to Mt. Pleasant, adding a few more km's to the Georgolina pot.

The ubiquitous golf course is splendid.

Mt. Pleasant's miniaturized Fishermans' Wharf

The USS Yorktown (CVA 10) rivals San Digeo's USS Midway.

The Charleston visit was enriched by a visit with John and Martina Yearwood, classmates from Aiken Sr. High School.  We've seen one another at a couple of class reunions and each time we pick up right where we left off. They proudly reported that Charleston has just been named the Most Polite City on Earth. Or at least North America. Whatever. Everyone here really is polite, and it wears off on the tourists as well.  

There remains a bit of unfinished business for the Buckster here in Georgolina so stay tuned. Meanwhile, what do you make of this highway sign?

Well, everybody's got to be somewhere.