Today my mom and I started our three-day road trip
extravaganza from Tampa to Boston. We started out at 5:55 am with the car
loaded to the brim.
It was really early, but I was really excited to start! The
first leg of the journey was from Tampa, FL to Charleston, SC. About an hour
and a half in, we stopped at a Starbucks for coffee, tea and breakfast. I got
the turkey bacon, egg white and cheese sandwich, which was very good! It kind of
tasted like a healthy Croque Madame. Close to Orlando, we saw hot air balloons
and a hidden mickey!
My mom and I took turns driving, about four hours each. We
ended up listening to the radio, Pandora, and Stuff You Missed In History Class
(one of the best podcasts around). We also played the Alphabet Game, where you
have to find a word for each letter, in order, from billboards, signs and
bumper stickers. The hardest letters are Q, X, are Z.
On one such billboard, there was an ad for a restaurant
called
Skippers’ Fish Camp Oyster Bar & Grill in Darien, GA. As it was
around lunchtime, we decided to stop in for lunch. We found Darien to be an
adorable little town and Skipper’s to be really good. It had a restaurant and
an oyster bar. We went to the restaurant and sat by a window. I had the shrimp
and grits, which was very good with cheese and bacon. Mom had a shrimp salad
hoagie with cole slaw and the most amazing sweet potato casserole. It was very
sweet, and almost tasted like dessert. I will try to replicate it for this
year’s Thanksgiving.
Skipper’s also had a really nice view from their dock.
After more driving, playing the Alphabet game and learning
about the murderous exploits of Prince Sado of Korea, we finally made into
South Carolina at around 2:00 pm.
My family used to vacation in Folly Beach, and I have some
great memories from Folly and Charleston. Charleston itself is one of the
beautiful cities in the United States. The houses and market make you feel that
you are walking back through time. We stayed at the
Doubletree on Church
Street, a block away from the Old Market. The room was really nice and
spacious, and we got warm chocolate chip walnut cookies as we checked in.
After freshening up, Mom and I wandered through the Old
Market, Broad Street and the Battery. The Old Market has been redone, so it has
an indoor section with permanent shops and the outside section. At the market
we got earrings, scarves and a candle. I also got fresh lemonade from a cute
lemonade stand.
We then went on Broad Street, looking at restaurants for
dinner, and there is a plethora of choices. We passed Rainbow Row, a famous
section of E. Bay Street where the houses are painted different colors. I love
these houses with the ironwork on the gates, trees, and gas lanterns. I wish
that I could live there . . . Maybe one day.
Our last stop before dinner was the Battery and a walk
through Waterfront Park. More beautiful antebellum houses and a great walk by
Charleston Harbor, what could be better? With the breeze, the weather was
beautiful and the humidity was not too bad. We could also see Fort Sumter in
the distance, a must-go for any Civil War enthusiast. Waterfront Park was also
beautiful with a tree-covered walkway and cute little courtyards with benches.
For dinner, we decided to go to
Pearlz Oyster Bar on Broad
Street. We sat at a community table and as it was still happy hour, Mom ordered
a glass of wine and we got a dozen oysters. They were delicious!
Instead of ordering dinner right away, we decided to take
our time and chat, and split a Caesar Salad. How restaurants make lettuce,
cheese, croutons and dressing taste so good is beyond me. The salad disappeared
really fast.
For dinner, I got linguine with shrimp and Mom got a fried soft
shell crab with an arugula salad. As everything else at Pearlz, they were
fantastic. I would definitely recommend it to anyone going to Charleston. I
want to go there again to try everything else on the menu.
Before finding somewhere for dessert, we went walking around
the area. On the drive back from Boston, I want to stay in Charleston for more
than one night, what do you think Dad?
After working up a bit of an appetite for dessert, we went
to
Kaminsky’s Baking Co.. Which is basically a restaurant just for dessert and
drinks. Mom got an iced latte while I just got an ice water. For dessert, we
split warm berry cobbler with ice cream on top. Berry cobbler just screams
summer to me, and this was a perfect
start to summer. The cakes in the display case looked delicious and the
portions are huge. This is another place that I would recommend and go back to
(I seem to be saying this a lot).
We then went back to the hotel to go to bed because we had
to get up at 6 am to start the drive from Charleston to Washington, D.C.. I
cannot wait to come back to Charleston and explore more. Everyone there is so
friendly and I could spend days walking through the little alleyways and taking
historical tours.
Thanks for reading and I will see you tomorrow with the
second leg of our journey from Charleston to D.C.!
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