adventures, travels, + places far far away

charleston, south carolina | aug. 2021

we spent the weekend in the lush, sticky, jungled, jeweled low country and couldn’t have loved it more. it’s the sort of place that felt like an escape to Spanish moss-covered backroads with halos of trees creating a secret garden sky, with a thick balm of humidity that hung in the air, and the feeling like the city itself had lived many, many lifetimes in it’s tumultuous and beautiful bones. part of me (a rather large part of me?) wanted to super not subtly inquire how to secure myself a cantaloupe-colored lane house with a wrap-around porch on each floor. dreeeeeams, ya’ll.

a few things before heading to charleston:
we road tripped from virginia, and i would highly recommend renting a car if you’re flying. unless you’re staying directly in the historic district, the city sprawls and most of the beaches + islands lay at least 30 miles outside of charleston proper. you’re pretty much guaranteed a lovely drive no matter where you’re headed to, so it’s a win-win.

this city does food. like, really really does it, and in a way that’s not pretentious or pretending to be anything it’s not. most menus we came across erred minimally, with a general ‘this is what we do and we do it very well’ nudge. we buddied up to many servers and bartenders and let them steer our meal choices, which i wholeheartedly suggest you do, too.

it’s probably because i’m from minnesota and am generally not used to sweltering internally and externally, but charleston IS HOT. hotter than hot, like the sort of hot that had me profusely, visibly sweating from roughly 9am until the sun went down. i would also encourage you to give up any illusion that your hair/makeup will stay in tact in any shape or form, because it would be laughably cute to think that your concealer won’t be sliding towards your shoulders by lunch. (that being said, it truly doesn’t matter because you’ll be too busy having the best time!!)

we were there for just over 2 days, and we packed a LOT in. the only thing i would have loved to do was stay longer.

eat

• obstinate daughter on sullivan’s island : worth the trek from charleston proper, the interior of obstinate daughter is strung up like the inside of an 18th century ship, with the addition of a modern, brightly lit bar. the menu rotates to spotlight seasonal ingredients - i ordered the orecchiette with lamb nudja, fresno chili, corn, and lime, and was a very happy gal.

• chasing sage has a vegetable-driven menu woven with southern classics. 10/10 recommend ordering the carrot spritz to sip, and starting your meal with the sourdough, pickled okra, and tomato jam spread. move on to the peaches with yogurt and dukkah, corn dumplings, and short ribs with charred cucumber.

• lewis barbecue is a stop what you’re doing, cancel any other imminent plans, and beeline for a picnic table outside kind of place. i’m not suggesting, moreso KINDLY YELLING at you to eat here during your stay. they don’t take reservations (a blessing, honestly) - the barbecue is served cafeteria tray-style; pick your meats, your sides, your pickle accompaniments, and grab a local beer while you weave through the line. we loved the pulled pork, texas hot guts, brisket, collard greens, and slaw so much. like, so, so much.

• xiao bao biscuit is another tiny gem that we made our way to by means of a traveling-dinner situation. it was our last stop for the night, and even though we were getting a little stuffed and a little booze-sleepy, the fried rice special and lamb meatballs were literally life-changing. please, please, please give this spot a try.

• little palm bar + swim club is a 1960’s brigitte bardot-vibe pool bar attached to the ryder hotel. i was reaaaally digging the dusty peach and mint plush seating + banana leaf wallpaper situation from my seat at the bar, and the cocktails matched the mood perfectly. truly felt like i was whisked away somewhere else entirely sipping the ‘talking bird’ (gin, toasted coconut, celery juice, seltzer.) it was the sort of mood i’d like to embrace every weekend from now until forever.

• leon’s oyster shop sort of looks like it might be a dive - they nestled the restaurant into an old gas station - but it’s definitely a king street institution (they’re james beard nominees and boast world-famous grilled oysters.) we found a spot at the bar, which i’d argue is better than a table in the dining room, as we got to watch the bustle and coordinated chaos of the bartenders while very contentedly sipping frozen gin and tonics and orange wine. if you’re a little oyster-shy (why so slimy? what if it fights back on the way down?) do yourself the absolute favor and order the - yes - world famous grilled oysters. we made a meal from that, the brussel sprouts, hushpuppies, and a cup of soft serve and were happy as clams/oysters. if you’re waiting for a table at leon’s, pop into little jack’s tavern next door for a bevvie and fries.

do

• staying on-theme with food, king street is great for wandering, and you’ll dig the neighborhood feel

• take yourself on a walking tour of rainbow row (kinda sorta what they’re known for, and truly stunning architecture that dates back to the 1700’s.) if you’re driving, park anywhere in the historic district

• patriots point naval + maritime museum takes you on a suuuuper fascinating self-guided tour of a WW2 era naval ship (the kitchen set up + ‘makes 10,000 chocolate chip cookies’ recipe for the sailors really got me.) afterward, take a quick helicopter ride over the bay - this was such a cool way to see the city, and you can check off ‘get my buns into a helicopter’ off your bucket list if that’s your jam

• beaches, duh. we dipped our toes in the water off sullivan’s island and kiawah island and both were sandy, uncrowded, and perfect

• golf on kiawah island, if that’s your thing, or really, just find an excuse to drive around kiawah island because it is stunnnnninnnnnng. it’s also fun to play the ‘let’s pretend we live there’ peeping tour of the $20 million dollar homes that dot the island. if you do happen to grab a tee time at the resort, nibble on the fish tacos at the ryder cup bar and soak up the ocean views after