Charleston

After Savannah, we had high hopes for Charleston, a city with perhaps an even stronger reputation as a tourist destination. It started well, a quiet night Wallydocking in the 'burbs, then an easy passage to the city's downtown parking garage, with ample space for visiting RVs, even big ones; then a most helpful tourist information center; and then the free shuttle circumnavigating the historic district. The thing is, although about the same age as Savannah, Charleston suffered damage in the Civil War, then more in a great fire, and then an earthquake [sic], all in the 19th century. (The plague of locusts and deaths of first-born males are yet to come.) Knowing all this, Charleston appeared rather younger to us, and thus of less interest. Of even less interest is its history as the cradle of American slavery. We are just not into slave markets and plantations and such, historic though they be. So Charleston turned out to be a short but tasty visit. Oh, it was my 75th birthday, too.

Our first stop was the Waterfront Park; note its splash fountain
for the kiddies; estimated depth: 9 inches

Extensive rules governing use

Not much more than ankle deep

Across the harbor, Fort Sumter..."Oh say can you see..." wait; no...

The aircraft carrier Yorktown, CV-10; second of the storied
Essex-class carriers; we considered visiting, but it now has an
angled flight deck and probably little of its WWII (the big one)
appearance, so we passed

Classic southern porch swing; several on the pier

The first of several buildings of interest

Tiny house

Street scene: Charleston has palms but few oaks and moss like
Savannah

Charleston's earliest settlers were slavers from Barbados, who
brought their building style with them

Interesting shutters

Among the slave market sites

Major tourist destination: the multi-colored row of houses

More slave market stuff; no apologies noted

Time out for a 75th birthday repas at the Amen St. seafood restaurant

An interesting basil/lime vodka cocktail, a sensible portion of
local oysters, an oyster shooter, a cup of she-crab soup...

And the best shrimp and grits ever

Another older building

Pretty alley

Possibly the world's only pink Gothic...Huguenot

Bigger Protestant church with leaning tower

Reminiscent of New Orleans

You mean it's haunted?

Bench for the half-assed

Tourist carriages passing in the day

In the vast old town market hall...where we found Clark Bars,
Necco Wafers, and other delicacies; impressive place

Another street scene

After a few hours of hyper-touristiness, we decided we'd gotten
the gist of it and were ready to move on; above, our last sight, a
replica of the Confederate submarine CSS Hunley; sank the
Union sloop-of-war Housatonic in 1864 off Charleston harbor,
although the explosion sank the Hunley too, with her crew of eight;
perhaps the only submarine to have sunk three times, the second
trial-run sinking also killing its inventor H. L. Hunley