Charleston, SC: Humidity, History, and a Whole Lotta Shrimp
okay, so. charleston. i’m still peeling the humidity off my skin, honestly. i just checked and it’s clinging to everything like a lovesick octopus - there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. i was supposed to be here for, like, five days, scouting locations for a potential indie film about… well, it doesn’t matter. let’s just say it involves a lot of antique maps and a very grumpy cat. didn’t pan out. but hey, at least i got to wander around, right?
first thing you notice? the colors. like, seriously. every house is a different shade of pastel, and they’re all dripping with wisteria. it’s aggressively charming. i spent a good hour just staring at one house on *Rainbow Row - you can check it out on TripAdvisor here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60874-d117878-Reviews-Rainbow_Row-Charleston_South_Carolina.html. i swear, the hydrangeas were practically glowing.
food. oh god, the food. i’m pretty sure i gained five pounds just breathing in the air. shrimp and grits everywhere. i tried it at Husk - apparently, it’s a big deal. someone told me that the chef sources everything locally, which is… nice? I’m not sure I can tell the difference between locally sourced shrimp and regular shrimp, but it tasted good. I also stumbled upon this tiny little oyster bar on Shem Creek - Yelp says it’s got the best oysters in town: https://www.yelp.com/biz/shem-creek-oyster-bar-charleston. Drunk advice: get the chargrilled oysters. Trust me.
“Honey, you’re gonna sweat. You’re gonna sweat a lot. And the mosquitos? They’ll carry you away.” - A woman selling sweetgrass baskets on the market.
Speaking of the market… Charleston City Market is a sensory overload. Sweetgrass baskets, t-shirts with questionable slogans, and enough pralines to sink a battleship. It’s touristy, sure, but it’s also… kind of fun? I bought a ridiculously overpriced magnet. Don’t judge me.
I spent a day wandering around Fort Sumter. It’s… sobering. A lot of history crammed into a small space. I overheard a tour guide saying something about how the fort is still technically a military installation. Who knew? You can find tour info here: https://www.nps.gov/fosu/index.htm. It’s a good way to escape the humidity for a few hours, at least.
“Don’t go down to the Battery at night. Things… happen.” - A barista at a coffee shop (who looked like she’d seen some things).
if you get bored, savannah and columbia are just a short drive away. i considered popping over to savannah, but honestly, i was too exhausted. the humidity just drains you. i’m pretty sure my hair has permanently adopted a frizz. I also checked out a few vintage shops - Charleston has a surprisingly good scene. I found this amazing 1970s dress at The Sparrow’s Nest, but it didn’t fit. Tragic. You can browse their inventory online: https://www.thesparrowsnestvintage.com/.
I heard that the ghost tours are pretty intense. Apparently, Charleston is loaded* with ghosts. I didn’t do one myself, but I did feel a weird vibe in a few places. Maybe it was just the humidity. Or maybe it was a grumpy colonial ghost judging my fashion choices. Either way, it was an experience. Definitely bring bug spray. And a fan. And maybe a therapist.
okay, i’m going to go lie down in a dark room. Charleston was… a lot. But in a good way? Sort of. Maybe. I need a nap.
You might also be interested in:
- https://votoris.com/post/foshan-where-kung-fu-and-factories-collide
- https://votoris.com/post/da-nang-where-the-heat-sings-and-the-retro-cafes-whisper-secrets
- https://votoris.com/post/amsterdam-a-messy-sleepdeprived-street-artists-diary
- https://votoris.com/post/seoul-state-of-mind-dodging-rain-and-finding-kimchi-soul
- https://votoris.com/post/bangkok-through-shutter-eyes-a-photogs-messy-milk-run