CHARLESTON: THE BIG SWEET GRASS BASKET
BY CLAY
LARROY
The
purposes of traveling
are different for different people. There are some people who travel for the
sake of pleasure. The people that are heavily burdened either at their domestic
front or at their offices move too far off places for relieving their worries
and anxieties. The poets and writers make a trip to distant places for
collection of facts for their writings. Businessmen also visit various places
to enquire as to whether there are scopes for expansion of their business.
Travelling provides the benefit of sightseeing and gives pleasure to the
visitor. In addition, it gives a scope to an individual to have firsthand
knowledge of variegated people inhabiting the world. When you want to
plan a vacation contact me!
Look
at the article below for a mesmerizing viewpoint on Charleston.
Enjoying
Charleston on a budget
The
historic South Carolina city of Charleston, once American's wealthiest city, is
easy to explore and enjoy on a tight budget.
By BRUCE SMITH
The Associated Press
The sun goes down
over the history-rich city of Charleston, South Carolina, as seen from
Waterfront Park.
CHARLESTON, S.C. — In colonial times, Charleston was America's
wealthiest city. Three centuries later it still has an upscale cachet with
houses on its historic Battery fetching eight figures and shopping and
restaurants rivaling much larger cities.
But you don't need deep pockets to enjoy this town of pastel
buildings, narrow alleys and quaint, secluded gardens. Indeed, you can
experience much of Charleston, which has a reputation for being the nation's
most polite city, for a pittance.
Where to start: It's hard to see Charleston from your car because you'll
likely get confused in a tangle of one-way streets. Most folks arrive by car
and your first stop should be the Visitor Center on Meeting Street, which is
built in an old railroad warehouse and open daily except Thanksgiving,
Christmas and New Years Day. For basic information, visitwww.charlestoncity.info or www.charlestoncvb.com.
Here a high-tech video floor offers multimedia displays of
attractions. You can also get brochures, maps and make lodging reservations.
With map in hand, you have two options for getting around. You can
drive and find a parking garage farther down the peninsula — the city lies
between the Ashley and the Cooper rivers which locals like to say form the
Atlantic Ocean. Look for directional signs because the garages are sometimes
hard to see from the street. Charleston has won awards for designing its
garages using shutters and architectural elements making them blend with the
streetscape.
Your other, and perhaps best option, is to park by the Visitor
Center and board a green DASH trolley bus there. For $5 you can ride all day,
and children younger than 6 ride free. There are four routes through the
peninsula and you can change buses, making it easy to get to most places of
interest; www.ridecarta.com.
Touring the town: The best way to get to know, and love
Charleston, is walking. There are any number of fine walking tour guides. You
can order "Charleston: A Historic Walking Tour" published by Images
of America at Amazon.com at
a discount before you arrive and get acquainted early. "Seeing
Charleston" by Ron Anton Rocz and published by the local Joggling Board
Press provides the perspective of a photographer; www.jogglingboardpress.com.
Spend time wandering historic streets and alleys.
If your budget doesn't permit a guidebook, many homes and
buildings have historical markers. Be sure to wander through the oak-shrouded
campus of the College of Charleston and stroll the antiques district on lower
King Street to do some window shopping.
At the end of the peninsula is White Point Garden, also known as
The Battery, with its mossy oaks, monuments and cannon. It's one of the best
places to catch the sea breeze on sultry days.
Free faves: After visiting the Battery, wander back up East Bay Street
to the city's picturesque Waterfront Park on the Cooper River. Here markers
explain the growth of the city and there is a pier where you can pass some time
swinging in porch swings. The park has grassy areas for picnics, shaded nooks
for reading and a large fountain where youngsters can cool off on hot days for
free. Be sure to pack bathing suits for the kids. The park is especially lovely
in the evening, with the moon rising over the river and harbor beyond.
From the park, it's just a short walk to the popular open air City
Market, where you can see, and if budget permits, buy, everything from
Charleston refrigerator magnets to paintings by local artists and jewelry
(former President Bill Clinton was seen buying turquoise jewelry from a stand
after a campaign stop two Christmases ago).
Here you also see black artisans weaving sweet grass baskets, the
same baskets their ancestors crafted for centuries on South Carolina's sea
island. Watching the weaving is free. Buying the smaller baskets runs $20 to
$30 with larger, more ornate baskets, costing well over $100. But that may not
seem too expensive considering the long hours the weavers put into their
creations.
REFERENCE
SITES:
I am southern - from the great state of South Carolina. They say, 'You can take the girl out of the South, but you can't take the South out of the girl.' And it's true.
Ainsley Earhardt
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