My husband and I in Nassau at Fort Fincastle

Several months ago my parents and I walked along Waterfront Park in Charleston, enjoying the views of the harbor and the historic homes.  Children played in and by the water fountains.  We walked towards the dock, planning to sit on the swings to enjoy the view and to visit.  For the first time since moving here, the Carnival Cruise Ship was in port.  With its bright colors and red fin smokestack it looked glaringly out of place.  The ship was larger than I expected.  I had seen the billboards debating the effect of the cruise ships on the area but I had not seen the ship in port before.

            My parents and I complained and grumbled a little about the giant colorful ship docked alongside the historical city, then I remembered I had a scheduled vacation on that ship in a few months.  I fell silent.  A large tanker sailed into harbor and deeper along the river, loaded with crates to offload.  Charleston is a port city and many ships pass through the harbor daily, bringing in goods from all over the world.   These tankers dock deeper down the river.  The cruise ship docks in the middle of the tourist area of the city, just down from the City Market.  I visited downtown several times before and after that day without seeing any cruise ships in port.

            Months later my husband and I arrived at port early in the morning, ready for our cruise.  Embarking early, we found the process easy.  In almost no time we were sitting on a back deck, nearly alone, sipping lemonade and enjoying the view of the Ravenel Bridge.  We were able to walk around the ship, enjoying views of Sullivan’s Island, the ocean and the skyline of the city with all the church steeples reaching into the clouds.  Just before launch time we moved to the front of the ship, leaning on a rail.  A few people were waiting on the city dock to see us off.  It was a chilly day, but sunny.  At 5:00, departure time, the ship blew its horn once.  It was so loud I ducked, nearly diving to the floor to the amusement of everyone around me.  The ship slowly pulled from the dock, backed up along the shore until it was lined up with the deeper channel, we turned and headed out to sea.  The passengers were festive, but the wind was brisk and cold.  Quickly we entered a fog and lost sight of land before we had pulled away.  Most passengers quickly tired of the cold wind and moved back inside, but my husband and I enjoyed the thrill of the wind in our faces as we sailed off. 

A quiet place to enjoy our meals,  in Charleston and during the cruise

            Our cruise had begun, and we enjoyed a wonderful 5 days, docking twice in the Bahamas.  We walked around Nassau and rode a moped around Freeport.  Our last day we woke in our homeport and quickly found our favorite deck for coffee and our last moments to enjoy the views.  The sun was barely up.  The fog was thick and all we could see of the Ravenel Bridge was the light at the very top triangle.   As the sun rose and brightened the fog burned off.  The water was golden in the morning sun.  Sea birds skimmed just above the sea, their wings dragging golden ripples across the smooth water.  Dolphins surfaced and dove.  The harbor was breathtaking.  The trip had been great, the ports beautiful, but how wonderful that it was our home port that took my breath away!

Last night, leaving Freeport

            The cruise ship held 2200 passengers during our trip.  The ship had 10 levels, and we were able to explore all but the bottom 3.  Our room was small, with no window, but it was very comfortable.  The only times we felt crowded were when we walked along the promenade deck during the evening.  This was the deck with the casinos and bars, and everyone seemed to be there at night.  We usually hung out on our favorite back deck, looking at the stars and the ocean.  Truly each person on the ship had a different vacation, from the dancing, drinking and gambling group to the families eating and shopping, those that visited the spa and gym, and then us.  We walked the ship during the day, sat and enjoyed views, toured on our own at the ports and enjoyed the excellent dining.  I am glad we went.

 Getting around town on a moped gave us freedom to explore away from crowds

Nature preserve, this is how the Bahamas looked before development        

    As to the controversy about the ships docking in Charleston, I am unsure.  In Nassau the dock was full of giant floating hotels, and these ships could be seen from all scenic spots.  In Freeport the ships docked in an industrial area, and tourists had to take taxis or rent mopeds, as we did.  The effect on the town seemed less obvious.  The water was clear and beautiful in both ports.  There is a lot to read about the cruise ships and I have just started.  Some people are concerned about the black smoke that comes from the generators when the ship is in port.  I can understand that.  Some people do not want the type of tourist they think cruise ships bring into town.  At a City Council meeting this type of tourist was described as “Heavy-drinking, balloon hat, flip flop, fanny pack wearers.”  Is this a cultural judgment on certain types of people?  Many of the tourists on the ship only made it to the shops in each of the ports.  As sad as that is from a travel point of view, they spent money in the port, good for the local economy.  And for every fanny pack wearer shopping, there were others that explored the restaurants, beaches and other attractions.  Travelers are a diverse group, even those on cruise ships.

Quote is from A Look at Charleston’s Cruise Ship Controversy, by Paul Motter.  Fox News.  Nov 1, 2011.

Poe and Sullivan's Island by Shelley Hopkins

"The island is a very singular one. It consists of little else than the sea sand, and is about three miles long.  Its breadth at no point exceeds a quarter of a mile.  It is separated from the mainland by a scarcely perceptible creek, oozing its way through a wilderness of reeds and slime, a favorite resort of the marsh-hen.  The vegetation, as might be supposed, is scant, or at least dwarfish.  No trees of any magnitude are to be seen.  Near the western extremity, where Fort Moultrie stands, and where are some miserable frame buildings, tenanted, during the summer, by the fugitives from Charleston dust and fever, may be found, indeed, the bristly palmetto; but the whole island, with the exception of this western point, and a line of hard, white beach on the sea coast, is covered with a dense undergrowth of the sweet myrtle so much prized by the horticulturists of England.”

This is how Edgar Allen Poe describes Sullivan’s Island in the story “The Gold Bug.”   His description doesn’t make me want to visit, but I have to remember that Poe was stationed on Ft. Moultrie, on Sullivan’s Island in the early 1800’s.  Beach islands were different places then.  What we consider a vacation spot was a place hard to get to, hard to live in, and basically undesirable.  It is a completely different place now, full of vacation homes and expensive property.  Unlike many beach towns, it isn’t over developed, but still retains its beach town feel.  My favorite walks have been along the beach from the main street to the fort.  I also love walking in town, looking at the beach homes, exploring Ft. Moultrie, and eating seafood at my favorite restaurant, Sullivan’s.   I love the entire island visit, from crossing the drawbridge to parking along the side streets and following the different pathways to the ocean. 

The island is small, only 3 miles long, so really I can park anywhere and walk easily to the beach.  One warm Saturday in January my kids and I parked behind the visitors center for Ft. Moultrie and walked all over the town.  First we walked to the pier behind the visitor’s center and watched a few boats gliding along the inter-coastal waterway.   I was tickled to see a man navigating his boat while talking on his cell phone.  Wherever we are we still bring our bad habits.  I took a few pictures of the boats moored to the docks, and of the marsh grasses with the sunshine reflecting off the water. 

We decided to walk towards the commercial part of town in search of lunch, and so we followed the sidewalk by the beautiful homes.  One house had several trees in pots in the front yard.  The trees were lemon and orange trees, very tiny but with full sized ripe fruit.  It was odd to see a spindly looking little tree sticking up out of a pot holding up large ripe oranges.  Another house was for sale, and I eagerly checked the reduced price, still beyond what I could pay.  We passed a series of apartments, one unit had the door wide open and we could hear loud music and a cheerful party going on, the next unit had a hammock hung under the porch, making a most inviting scene although I guess the hammock would not be a great place to relax as long as the neighboring party was going on.  I passed many houses with hammocks in the front yards, hung from porches or trees.  I yearned to live in those houses, resting in the hammock and feeling the cool ocean breeze from only a block or two away.  My son reminded me that we were on a busy road, and every tourist in town would be driving or walking past these houses all summer long.  The idea of peace and restfulness seemed more of an image than a reality. 

The sun was out and the temperature was warm for January, but the breezes brought in cool air.  We chose to leave the sidewalk, turn right and follow a neighborhood street to the last row of houses.  Every so often a public access to the beach is placed between houses and we were quickly walking beside the water.  The air was chillier, but we didn’t mind.  We passed many people also walking on the beach with sweatshirts and jackets, even gloves and hats.  Maybe it was because we had been walking for a while but their choice of winter wear seemed excessive.  We walked along the beach until we judged we were close to the main street and the restaurants, then we returned to the town.  Crossing the main street we continued towards our destination, Poe’s Tavern.   We were not the only ones interested, the street was full of cars, all the parking lots were full, and the restaurant looked crowded. 

We sat outside on picnic tables and ordered our food.  I wanted the regular cheeseburger, so I ordered the Gold Bug.  Laura loves different foods, and especially anything from the sea, so she ordered a hamburger with a crab cake on it, the Annabelle Lee.  Joseph likes spicy chicken so he ordered the black cat, a burger covered with drunken chili.  We became cold sitting there in the sun because of the cold breeze, but even so we enjoyed our meal.  The burgers were the best I have had in a long time.  Laura loves Edgar Allen Poe, and never turns down a chance to quote him, so when her food got cold due to the wind, she had to say, “A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling my beautiful Annabelle Lee.”

Edgar Allen Poe was stationed at Ft. Moultrie from 1827 – 1828.  He later located several of his short stories on Sullivan’s Island including the Gold Bug.  We chatted about his life while walking, and wondered what his family and friends would have thought to see a restaurant and the town library named after him. Poe wrote poetry to be musical, even rhythmic, which was not the style of the time.  He felt the poem was the “rhythmical creation of beauty,” but his critics were not impressed, and saw his poetry as nonsense jingles.

When we walked through the town library, the Edgar Allen Poe Library, we saw prints representing The Raven, and The gold Bug. Almost every corner of this tiny building had something honoring the author on the walls.  His critics may not have been impressed, but today his poetry is extremely popular.  The library was housed in a building that had been a battery for Ft. Moultrie, and it is very small and claustrophobic.  While we were talking to the librarian a mother and her daughter pedaled their bikes into the library parking lot, took their books out of the child’s front handlebar basket and walked in to exchange them for next weeks reading material.  This may be a vacation spot, but it is also a small town with regular residents, and nothing feels more normal than biking to the library every week to collect books. 

The kids and I really enjoyed our Poe discovery day, walking on the beach and eating some excellent hamburgers.  By the time we returned to our car we were cold and tired, but ready to return over and over. 

This last picture was taken on Ft. Moultrie.

Favorite Restaurant #1 by Shelley Hopkins

We are fortunate to live in the land of great eating and wonderful restaurants.  I don’t think we have had a bad dining experience from any restaurant in the Charleston area, and I can’t say that about any other place we have lived.  Last weekend we ate at what is now my favorite place, an old gas station, sort of.  The restaurant, called Fuel, is in a building that started out as an old gas station, but now serves Caribbean themed food. We sat at our tables in the outside dining area, and relaxed while the sun shone and the fans cooled.  It seems that more of the restaurant is outdoors than in, and I like that. If all the tables are full, patrons can wait in the outdoor living room, sitting on couches and enjoying the almost tropical mood.  Diners can relax and chat, traffic is barely heard or noticed.  The patio is a quiet outdoor living space.  The flowers, the building, the dogs and laughing people made me feel like I was in Central America.

We ordered appetizers, hoe cakes.  These little corn meal cakes that used to be cooked on a hoe over a fire in the fields are now gourmet foods, spicy and wonderful.  Next we ordered our main dishes.  I chose Braised Pork Tacos with fried plantains.  Plantains are a type of banana that has to be cooked, and are commonly found in Central America.  I love them.  My son ate the jerk chicken sandwich, and my daughter enjoyed a chorizo burger.  My husband had a goat cheese salad, which he enjoyed.  I found the cheese to be too rich for me, but the salad toned it down.   The food choices were plentiful, the atmosphere was relaxing, and every bite of food had great flavor.   Anytime I can eat outside and not suffer heat stroke I am very happy, and the dining area was both shaded and cooled by fans.  The bathrooms were original from the gas station days, with graffiti on the walls.  I almost looked for a key on a stick to return to the attendant.  Luckily they were cleaned better than old gas station bathrooms.   Fuel has been featured on Diners, Drive Inns and Dives, and although I have not seen that episode I can see why this place was chosen.

Apparently many people take their dogs with them to eat around here.  I think this is strange.  Do these people go take the dog for a walk, and while out strolling say to themselves, “lets go out to eat, I’m sure Fido will love it too.”  Somehow I think the dogs are not as happy as the rest of us, while we are enjoying our black bean burgers and pulled pork tacos the dogs are sitting under the tables smelling all this food and not getting to eat any delicious scraps.  This weekend a very smart group of people had taken their dogs out, volunteers from an animal shelter.  Every dog was wearing a vest that was embroidered with “adopt me” and the humans kept wandering around the outdoor patio with these adorable little family seeking animals.  Almost every restaurant that has an outdoor section has dogs here in Charleston.  

I am looking forward to sharing this restaurant with my visiting family and friends.  I like the outdoor feel, the friendliness of the staff and the wonderful creative food.  But I will not be sharing this place with my dog, I am not interested in keeping up with my animal friend while relaxing on the patio, and I am not sharing my meal, not one bite.  I am too greedy for that!  For more restaurant suggestions in the Charleston area check out my other blog.