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Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Saturday in Charleston



I'm surprised it's taken me this long to make it over to Charleston for some exploring.


After finishing up a rather hellish week, getting out of town for a bit was certainly in order. Stumbling out of bed ridiculously early for a Saturday, throwing an overnight bag together, and whipping up a quick green smoothie (my current obsession; we'll chat about them soon, promise), we hit the road and headed for the coast.

Coffee was in order as soon as we got into the city, of course.


We found this absolutely adorable minimalist/modernist coffee shop, called Black Tap Coffee situated across from a park. 


The vibe of the shop was great- huge tables perfect to spread your work out on, a lot of natural light, and not much going on on the walls to distract you. The coffee was fantastic. The staff not only was very knowledgable about their products, but they were genuinely interested in coffee- something that I sincerely appreciate. I opted for an iced Japanese coffee, since I had never tried it before. Delicious. Very strong, but that was just what I needed for a day full of adventuring. I know if there was one in Columbia I would certainly post up there on the regular. 

After grabbing the coffees to go, we hit to the streets to see the sights. And oh did we see! The homes and shops we walked through in the historic district were absolutely delightful. Unfortunately I was too busy looking around to snap many pictures!


I think I need this porch in my life, no?

We kept walking past other shoppers and tourists, until we stumbled upon this sign.


It was situated right outside of a big open gate, leading to a shaded pathway. So, naturally we had to go in and take a peek. 


Turns out it was a very old graveyard dating back to the 1700's, tucked into the middle of the city.





Such a stunning place. I never thought I'd describe a graveyard as stunning, but the history that was woven throughout with wildflowers growing rampant made it a truly beautiful stroll.

We continued back onto the main street and kept walking, sipping, and chatting, hopefully wandering toward the water.


Found it!

All of the gorgeous plantation-style mansions situated along the water were certainly something to see! 

Eventually it was agreed upon that beverages were in order, so we continued our stroll right into the nearest pub, Mac's Place


As soon as we entered the front door, we realized that there was Midwest memorabilia  EVERYWHERE. Chicago Blackhawks flags, Colts signs, and even this gem of a scoreboard.


I'm wearing: Jacket (Last year) - Similar | Top | Necklace (Similar)

Katie's wearing: Top | Bag | Pants

Not only did the place look and feel like home, but it also tasted like home. The owner is from Chicago, and so he had a large stock of one of my favorite Midwest breweries, Goose Island, on tap. Certainly was not going to complain about that.

After a couple of libations, we left feeling warm despite the evening chill coming in from the water. 

On the continued quest for adventures, we shifted our sights to food. We ended up at A W Shucks for dinner, a delightful restaurant right in the heart of the city. The food was so delicious that I dove right in without snapping any pictures of it or my gorgeous cocktail. The staff was absolutely hilarious- overall a great dining experience. If you go, I definitely recommend the seafood casserole- its bangin'. 

Right up the road from A W Shucks (I still can't get over that name!) is Henry's House. An impeccable bar with a lot of different things to offer. The main floor is just your typical bar- nothing fancy. But, if you go up the stairs toward the back and go through the door on your left, you'll enter into the sleekest whiskey and bourbon room. There were just a few people sitting and sipping cold whiskey listening to a rather loud jazz band when we arrived. Overall a very unique atmosphere.


Dim lights, stone walls, and an awesome bass player.

I ordered a Breckenridge on the rocks, wanting to try something different. Also, when in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? 


The staff were very knowledgeable about the whiskey choices they had, and actually recommended it for me after I told them what I had tried and liked before.


After agreeing that the band had become a bit too loud, we grabbed our bevs and headed up to the rooftop. Really- Henry's has it all (including a dance room that we didn't make it into). The rooftop is lit up with string lights and an assortment of couches and chairs are scattered throughout, making the space very inviting for small and large groups alike. As we were heading out to our next destination, they even began to play a movie on the wall for those who were ready to snuggle up on one of their many couches!

However, as I've said- this was a day of adventure. Every day is perfect for snuggling, but some days you just need to explore. And explore we did!

 Ending up dancing the night away on Ann Street. 

It was a perfect day of adventuring, if you ask me :)

 
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