As promised, today I'm sharing Part 1 my girlfriend getaway to Charleston, South Carolina! We stayed at Fulton Lane Inn, one of Charming Inns' five boutique hotels. As soon as we stepped inside the cool air conditioned room and were greeted with a welcome note and bottles of wine, we knew we were in for a grand ol' time.
Our room had two double beds and a huge bathroom to get ready in. Every day, a fabulous assortment of complimentary croissants, pastries, juices, fruits, granola, yogurt, coffee & tea was delivered to our room.
We couldn't have asked for a better location. Fulton Lane Inn is located right on King Street in the heart of the city, steps away from shops, restaurants, and parks. Our first day, we got familiar with our surroundings and walked to the nearby market, ate a traditional southern lunch at Barbara Jean's (where I fell madly in love with authentic cheesy grits), and frolicked along the picturesque waterfront.
Strangers were very kind about taking goofy photos of us all together. The lady in pink's dog, Mickey, wanted in on the fun!
Already one of my favorite memories from the trip: sitting on the edge of the dock, reading each other poetic passages from The Prince of Tides, our latest geographically appropriate book club selection. Pat Conroy's use of language is intoxicating...
"It was growing dark on this long southern evening and suddenly, at the exact point her finger had indicated, the moon lifted a forehead of stunning gold above the horizon, listed straight out of filigreed, light-intoxicated clouds that lay on the skyline in attendant veils.
Behind us, the sun was setting in a simultaneous congruent withdrawal and the river turned to flame in a quiet duel of gold... The new gold of moon astonishing and ascendant, the depleted gold of sunset extinguishing itself in the long westward slide, it was the old dance of days in the Carolina marshes, the breathtaking death of days before the eyes of children, until the sun vanished, its final signature a ribbon on bullion strung across the tops of water oaks.
The moon then rose quickly, rose like a bird from the water, from the trees, from the islands, and climbed straight up - gold, then yellow, then pale yellow, pale silver, silver-bright, then something miraculous, immaculate, and beyond silver, a color native only to southern nights.
We children sat transfixed before than moon our mother had called forth from the waters. When the moon had reached its depest silver, my sister, Savannah, though only three, cried aloud to our mother, to Luke and me, to the river and the moon, "Oh, Mama, do it again!" And I had my earliest memory."
Across the street from the waterfront, we meandered along the historical mansion row.
We thought about taking a horse drawn carriage tour, but since we happened to walk along beside one, overhearing most of the guide's fun facts, it was almost the same experience.
These palmetto lined streets are like something out of a story book. We kept trying to find the right word to describe Charleston's charm. Perhaps there are no words.
We made our way back to Fulton Lane Inn, just in time for their complimentary wine and cheese happy hour in the courtyard. Our dinner reservations were at The Ordinary, a fancy seafood and oyster hall, and we spent the later part of the night at Bin 152, an cozy husband-and-wife-owned wine bar, mere steps from our hotel. Per usual, we serenaded the late night patrons and bartenders in song.
OUR GIRLFRIEND GETAWAY IN CHARLESTON - PART 2
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