This Time Around: Charleston
I’ve been meaning to put together a post about what we did on this particular Charleston trip. We really lucked out in terms of weather, like Jeff and I kept saying, “what did we do to make this turn around,” weather. The hourly forecast LEGIT showed rain starting the hour we arrived on Friday and finishing up around the time we left on Monday. I’m not saying it wouldn’t have been a great trip but certainly, if you’re leaving Pittsburgh for warmer weather, you want some decent weather! All that to say, we lucked out and generally didn’t get caught up in bad weather too many times!
This was an awesome trip to Charleston for a few reasons. Other than one wedding weekend away, Jeff and I haven’t been on a trip alone together since before deciding to build our house! We were overdue and I was so excited to see what new or different options Charleston had to offer us. I’ve highlighted my favorites previously, but here is what we did this time that we really loved. Also bear with me, all of these photos are from my iPhone!
WHERE WE STAYED:
The Restoration. Jeff had previously stayed at this hotel for work before but I hadn’t been. It was beautifully decorated and really unique, as well as being pretty easily accessible in terms of location. The rooftop pool was a nice touch on Sunday when I didn’t want to do much else and started to get super anxious about being away from the kiddos (anyone else as nuts as me?). We also had this amazing long hallway to get to our room, I love something a little different! The hotel also offers a free breakfast basket that’s delivered with biscuits or croissants, fruit, and coffee. We took advantage. Definitely a nice touch.
WHERE WE ATE:
167 Raw continues to be our absolute favorite meal. They’re moving to a bigger space on King Street this fall and I’m really interested to see how they scale. It’s admittedly pretty awesome now, they don’t take reservations and it’s all pretty quick, an awesome oyster bar.
We didn’t hit too many new places, but there’s nothing wrong with heading back where you love! Our first stop was Lewis BBQ and that never disappoints. We also had brunch at the Obstinate Daughter and it was just awesome. Darling Oyster Bar (can we take a second to admire their incredible branding?) and Leon’s Oyster Shop were both wonderful too. Can you tell we ate a ton of oysters? We had a super late reservation at FIG, but we were dying to try it. They had an appetizer that had house-made cottage cheese with grilled peaches and mints that we are trying to replicate – so light and amazing. We stopped by a few new-to-us bars, breweries and restaurants, Revelry Brewing and Bourbon n Bubbles, as well as a few we’ve visited: Minero (incredible wings!), Husk (you should absolutely visit their bar if you can’t get a reservation), and the Rarebit. We also swung by Bitty & Beau’s which I can’t get enough of. Their “reason” means so much to me. I couldn’t help but sob my eyes out because it’s just so amazing.
WHAT WE DID:
We are kind of insane when we travel because Jeff and I don’t get a lot of time to work out together. We arrived Friday and went on a run to Lewis BBQ, close to four miles, so when we arrived, we were the sweatiest humans ever. That was a common theme on this trip. We walked back and stopped by a few shops before we had to get ready for our dinner reservations at Darling Oyster.
Saturday morning we stopped by Miller’s All Day for coffee and then reserved bikes from the Restoration. We allotted over an hour to bike the “45 minutes” Google Maps was estimating to get to our reservation on Sullivan’s Island at the Obstinate Daughter. It took closer to an hour and twenty minutes and once again, we were so freaking sweaty. After brunch we spent the afternoon at Sullivan’s Island and enjoyed the beach. We stopped by Saltwater Cowboy’s on the way home and I really loved the casual, water-side vibe there! We biked home and it was a lot less stressful but wouldn’t recommend taking beach cruisers without gears over the bridge. It was a lot!
By Sunday morning I was pretty tired of eating and we took it easy with lots of walking and shopping. There is a Pink Chicken location there and that’s one of my absolute favorite children’s clothing brands we carry at Mac & Mia. We scooped up some gifts to bring home for the kids. We ate and drank all evening and ended our night at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream which was heavenly!
On Monday, Jeff dropped in to Holy City CrossFit and he really loved it! They get a ton of travelers and the owner actually took class with him. I’ll be sure to take class next time! I was hoping to squeeze in a Pure Barre class while I was down there but opted to sleep in instead : ). Jeff grabbed a breakfast burrito at Basic Kitchen and we took a long walk along the Battery before leaving town!
It’s always so great to visit our favorite city. It’s insane to say, but I follow so many people that live there that it feels like we’re visiting something totally familiar. I have enough “Internet friends” that it’s comforting to get recommendations directly from them and you don’t feel like as much of a tourist. There are always a few things we miss, we’d love to explore Mt. Pleasant a bit more, so we are hoping to get the kids down there for another trip soon. I think Georgia and Bodie would fit in just fine!
