Lee and I visited Charleston, South Carolina once before, perhaps 15 years ago. We liked it so much, we decided to return. This time we saw different houses and different areas of the city, so it was a new adventure all over again.
I am going to start with a photo I took awhile back, between New Orleans and Pensacola, at a rest stop. It's so cute, I wanted to share it - a father and son sharing lunch at a picnic table.
Here's another photo that got lost in the shuffle, from Perdido Key. The little trawler, fourth from the left, has yet to grow up! So cute! A children's book could be written about this one.
Okay, now that I have all that cuteness out of my system, back to Charleston. The historic areas in Charleston are very quaint. Those neighborhoods are very much like the older neighborhoods of Philadelphia. One gentleman reminded me that the three most important cities on the eastern seaboard during the colonial period were Boston, Philadelphia, and Charleston, so the three cities do have much in common.
It turns out that Charleston has a law that says people are not allowed to take photos of private property. That means exteriors, interiors, porches, gardens, or driveways. Such a pain. How does one share? I have a couple that I took surreptitiously, which I hope won't bother anyone, since they are of buildings not likely to be toured. I did the best I could under the circumstances. Of course, had I not read the brochure....
There are some more public buildings, those which are unoccupied but open to visitors for tours, of which people can take photos of the exterior spaces, but not the interiors. We visited two. The first was the Nathaniel Russell house, ca. 1808. It has been fully restored to its original grandeur, which is considerable. This home is recognized "as one of America's most important neoclassical dwellings" (this from the brochure). The interior is more colorful, bright, and shiny than you might imagine, considering the time period. But conservationists peeled away layers and layers of wall-coverings and paint to reveal the original colors. Below are the photos I could legally capture, of the exterior and garden.
Interesting fact: all the doors inside the house were faux-painted to look like mahogany.
As you may know, Charleston is known for its beautiful gardens. The last time we were here, we took a tour of "hidden gardens", and it was definitely worthwhile. Behind many of the homes are tiny gardens that are intimate and beautiful beyond belief. Here are a few garden scenes at the Nathaniel-Russell house:
Guess what was in this garden?? Oregon grapes!! This plant was first collected by Meriweather Lewis and the type specimen is housed in the Lewis and Clark herbarium of the Academy of Natural Sciences. I saw it in Oregon, but it had no fruit at the time of year we were there.
The next home we visited was the Aiken-Rhett House, ca. 1820. This home was lived in by the Rhett family until 1975, and many of their furnishings remain in the house. The last of the family made few changes, and the house is much as it was in the 19th century. It is especially interesting that the Historic Charleston Foundation has chosen not to restore this house to its former glory, but to conserve it as it is. It is not in good condition, and colors have changed with time, but its structure is more like that of homes of the 19th century, with stairwells that are used only by slaves, with hardware used to call slaves when there services were required, and so on. Most homes in Charleston were updated through time to accommodate modern lifestyles. Not so with this home.
The two full porches, or piazzas as they are called in Charleston, are common. Piazzas were a practical feature, used to channel breezes from the off the bay in the days before air conditioning was invented.
I took the photo above to show the unfinished building at the back of the house. This was the horse stable. Some of the slaves lived on the second floor above the stables. On the other side of a central courtyard is a matching building that served as kitchen and laundry room, which also had a second floor with rooms where the slaves lived. Patches of original paint are still present on the walls, indicating the rooms were once colorfully painted, not whitewashed as had long been assumed.
The last time we were in Charleston, we visited a home in which the Reverend John Bachman lived. He and John James Audubon were good friends, and in fact Bachman helped Audubon with his work on the mammals of North America (The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, 1846-1854.)
Across the street was a quiet park, dating from the same period as the house.
We learned something interesting about Charleston. It has had a tumultuous history. To begin with, it was attacked by the British towards the end of the Revolutionary War. Towards the end of the Civil War, the southern end of Charleston was bombarded by Union Troops, and many homes were destroyed. In 1886 Charleston was hit by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake, which left some buildings in crumbles and others badly damaged. In 1938, five tornadoes hit Charleston in a single morning. And finally in 1989 Charleston suffered a direct hit by Hurricane Hugo. This city has had its share of troubles! But the people pick themselves up and the city rises to impress yet again.
Lee and I had dinner one night at Hyman's, which supposedly has the best seafood in the south, according to
Southern Living, the last nine years in a row. It's a very casual place, with a long line in the street at dinner time. The food was good, but I wouldn't call it gourmet. The best part is that each table has little plaques of who ate at that table. Kevin Costner, John McCain, and Sandra Bullock ate at our table. Too funny! These little plaques are good for conversation.
Due to the recommendation of a colleague we decided to visit the South Carolina Aquarium on the Charleston waterfront. It's small, but has some nice exhibits, with a focus on the biodiversity of the rivers, lakes, marshes, estuaries, and other waterways of South Carolina. The first was a live bald eagle, whom I assume has some disability that prevents it from being released to the wild. What a beautiful creature, and only five feet away. It's always sad to see such a magnificent creature in a cage, but it would probably not survive in the wild.
I am not going to try to name the following species. Just enjoy their diversity.
The fish below was thought to be extinct for over 100 years, but was recently found again.
A feather-gilled salamander, about 2 feet long! Big fella. If you look under his gills, you will see a tiny hand, so small it doesn't really serve a purpose.
These guys had beautiful gold rings around their eyes. This photo cries out for a caption. Anyone?
The twin of the albino alligator at the California Academy of Science?
A baby alligator, although this one is twice as big as the ones we saw at Wakulla Springs. Cute nonetheless. Do you see the light-colored bands around it?
Here we have three species of venomous snakes, all in the same terrarium, and all very much alive.
Love this one:
The boy in the foreground is an accurate indicator of scale:
I don't like to have my own photo taken, but I succumbed to the charms of this handsome fellow:
Fi
