Here we are again, at one of my favorite places: San Francisco International Airport. Do yourself a favor next time you’re there: leave early, check out the museum quality displays, and take yourselves out to dinner. We enjoyed a display from our past that involved the history of radio, complete with lovely radio designs. Oh, the memories! Am I showing my age? Oh, well..
Twenty-four hours ago, at 10:00 PM, my sister and I were boarding a plane at SFO, bound for Charleston. . Yep, a red eye. There was no sleep last night. We flew to Washington Dulles then had a two-hour layover before getting on a smaller plane for the hour and a half trek to Charleston. We landed at 10:00 AM local time. Did we sleep on the plane? No..
We were in Charleston! My last trip here was in 2013, on one water-soaked day in May. A friend and I were on a repositioning cruise which began in Ft Lauderdale and ended in Montreal. Our one day in Charleston was spent on a trolley because the weather was stormy. The wind and rain were so fierce and debilitating that we weren’t able to see much of the city. It was disappointing.
I loved what I saw. I vowed to return.
From the time we got off the plane, we were delighted to find sunny, warm weather and were charmed by the hospitality of the Southern folk we met. The taxi-shuttle driver got us to our destination swiftly and efficiently, adding a layer of knowledge about the city and its history. We’re staying at the Francis Marion Hotel in the historical district. This landmark hotel is housed in an architecturally restored building and is gorgeous, with beautiful public rooms that give an authentic feel of time gone by, while adding all the modern conveniences necessary for the running of a first-class establishment. We checked in early but surprisingly enough the staff was able to get us into our room, thanks to the kindness of the desk clerk who could tell that we were in desperate need of some sleep.
We unpacked but decided not to collapse in our beds; instead, we took a stroll to examine some of the street life of the city. We were also hungry, in need of some good Southern food! We found both.
One of the ladies at the desk recommended the Low Country Bistro, where we chose a selection of small plates, including green fried tomatoes, hushpuppies and crab cakes, finishing it all off with Grandma’s bourbon pecan pie. Our adult beverage of choice? Mojitos!
Welcome to Charleston!
We are here to take a Road Scholar tour #20644, Charleston to St Augustine, a Southern Coastal Journey, and we met our traveling companions over dinner at the hotel. You can look up the tour online to get an idea of where we’re going and what we’ll be doing or just read along and discover the area with us. We’ll be traveling for twelve days. The 21 people on the tour seem hardy and well-traveled, with a few eccentrics thrown in for good measure – not the two sisters, of course.
We’ll start off with the morning breakfast-buffet, followed by an in-depth study of the history of Charleston. Stay tuned!