Although I have visited Charleston several times before while living in North Myrtle Beach and attending Coastal Carolina University I was extremely excited to be back and to have a full month to spend there.
My wonderful friend Jessie who I grew up with, playing softball on multiple leagues (the most memorable coached by our dynamic dads) and navigating the outskirts of small town popularity, has lived in Charleston for about 10 years. Not only was I excited to see Jessie but she also hooked me up with a place to stay in a finished garage of one of her friends right in Jessie’s neighborhood, i.e. tons of friend time to be had. I stayed with Chelsey and her dogs – Chelsey and I got along great and I totally fell in love with her 13 year old Maltese, Kaya, however, as much as I wanted Kaya and Benny to be friends, this did not pan out.
The weather in Charleston was not ideal for exploring for the first 2 weeks- it rained for 12 out of the first 15 days I was there. I am grateful that it was only rain, as much of the country was experiencing snow and freezing temperatures.
My first Saturday was freezing and rainy but I went out to The Harbinger Cafe to grab a cold brew coffee because the cafe was recommended by a friend. They have a super cute dining area that I would have loved to hang out in if it weren’t a pandemic.
The next weekend was sunny and 60 degrees and I headed out to explore ALL the beaches but first- coffee. I went to Brown Fox Coffee in Mount Pleasant which was the cutest yummiest coffee place! It’s a small shop where you order through a window. There was a large line which I took as a great sign that I was in for some good coffee. I got a hazelnut latte and it might be the beat I’ve ever had.
Coffee in hand I headed to Sullivan’s Island which was beautiful and remote with dunes lining the beach. I sat for a bit and enjoyed my coffee then headed north to Isle of Palms and sat on a blanket on the beach for a while; people watching near a private pier, talking to my mom, taking some pictures, journaling, and reading. I took a quick lunch breach at home then went in search of the well-known Folly Beach. Folly had a much more beach town feel as I was driving through- lot of tourist shops and food spots. I relaxed on the beach and read a bit more and played around with some headstands because- why not?!
Ok now for all my friend time with Jessie:
Jessie and I hung out as much as humanely possible in a months time. I went over for dinner my second night and got to meet her wonderful husband, Josh. Each time the three of us hung out we relaxed and had amazing conversation about politics, racism, gun control, assisted suicide, and gender identity to name a few. I love spending time with people who I can have deep conversations with while challenging and respecting each other.
Jessie and I also went on several after work walks, got in some ass kicking workouts in her garage, and she joined me on some of my neighborhood runs.
One Sunday we went downtown to walk around and explore. We walked along the battery and I got to see the gazebo where Jessie and Josh got married last March. I took pictures of the beautiful, classic Charleston homes with their funky front porch doors and gas burning porch lights. We went to the pineapple shaped fountain, got a coffee, then went to an adorable olive oil store where we tasted infused olive oils and balsamic vinegars. We walked through the City Market and browsed the displays- I got a couple beautiful handcrafted stickers for the cargo pack on my car and a Christmas Ornament from a local artist. From there headed to have a rooftop drink at Uptown Social which is the bar that the couple I met in Key West own. It didn’t work out for us to meet up but it was definitely a full circle moment.
I got to meet Jessie’s hilarious best friend Baillie and we all grabbed our softball gloves and played a game of catch (our dads were stoked). Josh and I realized we both grew up playing Spades so we obviously roped Jessie and Baillie into a foursome to play 2 different nights. We taught them Spades then they taught me Aquarius which was another fun game.
Throughout my time on Charleston we had planned to have “Oyster Day!” on my last weekend there which would include real clothes and an oyster crawl through Charleston with Jessie, Josh, and I. We started at Rappahannock Oyster Bar which had an industrial feel with lots of wood and exposed brick- I would definitely recommend checking it out. We had oysters and shrimp cocktail and they were delicious. Our next stops was Oyster House where we got to sit outside across from City Market and enjoy more oysters, mussels, and a lobster roll. Our third stop was Pearlz Oyster Bar which is divier and more of a local stop. It is also where I had my very first Oyster Shooter which is basically a shot that tastes like a Bloody Mary with an oyster in it….. interesting. Jessie’s friend Baillie joined us just in time for the oyster shooter. We wrapped up at Stones Throw Tavern where 2 more of Jessie and Josh’s friends met us and we sat outside on the patio and ate some more. It was such a fun day!
As for my running update, I increased my mileage from 2.1 to 3.1 miles on each of my runs and was able to run quite a bit through the neighborhoods surrounding where I was staying. There are tons of little ponds scattered throughout the neighborhood with signs warning of alligators- not something I see on my runs in Boston. I also started a 12 week running program my last week in Charleston with a Boston/San Diego based trainer, Get Well with Kel– there will be a lot more running to come!!
Where My Feet Are 