The Holy City

This past weekend was the last one that Colby and I will spend together before I leave for Japan and he deploys, so we decided to make the absolute most of it.  We put all of our projects on the back burner and got out of the house to spend some quality time with each other and our city.

 Friday we headed to Middleton Place, the remains of an old rice plantation built in the mid-1700s.  Unfortunately, between the devastation of the Civil War and the massive 1886 earthquake, the main house is no longer standing, but the original owners of the plantation built two impressive flankers to the main building--one to house gentlemen guests and one for their library and music conservatory.  While the gentlemen's quarters were also destroyed in the earthquake, the old library still stands and was converted by the family in the late 1800s into their primary dwelling. Henry Middleton also began cultivating the land as a beautiful formal garden in 1741, and it is now America's oldest landscaped garden.

Saturday we got up early and headed into the city for our Charleston staycation.  At 9:30 we met up with Ed Grimball's walking tour and the next 3 hours were spent exploring the city and learning all sorts of fun new facts.  If anyone is planning a visit to Charleston, I highly recommend Ed's tour.  He's a native Charlestonian with a seemingly limitless supply of knowledge about his hometown, and his delivery is perfectly enthralling.

After the tour, I officially jumped off of the diet wagon with lunch at Joseph's.  The Perfect Grilled Cheese and beignets were certainly not low in calories, but oh, they were delicious!  Our post-lunch entertainment was a tour of the magnificent 24,000 square foot Calhoun Mansion.  According to Charleston lore, its original owner was the model that Margaret Mitchell used to create Rhett Butler, and its current owner is an antiques collector with enough prized possessions to fill the Smithsonian.

By this point in the day, we were getting more than a little worn down, so we hauled ourselves back to the car and headed to our home away from home, the John Rutledge House Inn.  John Rutledge was one of the original signers of the Constitution, and he built his beautiful home on Broad Street in 1763.  We checked into our room in the Ashley Carriage House, then after a short rest, went to the ballroom for the complimentary tea.  And they didn't do it halfway--tea consisted of beverages and a smorgasboard of desserts.  They served a chocolate and strawberry cake, cucumber sandwiches, orange almond cookies, and mini blueberry bundt cakes.  Delicious!  And certainly figure friendly...

Given that it was already after five when we gorged ourselves on tea, and we had dinner reservations at 8, we decided to go for a stroll around the neighborhood.  We found a number of homes that we wouldn't mind moving into should we suddenly have a windfall of disposable income, as well as the crumbling old city jail that appears to be in the beginning stages of a renovation.

After our walk, we donned our finery and headed back out into the evening for dinner at Circa 1886.  Unfortunately, we weren't too impressed with our entrees, though the service and atmosphere were impeccable and the chocolate souffle was to die for.  After our day of walking and eating, we were utterly exhausted by 10 pm, and fell into bed the minute we walked back into our room.

The next morning we were awoken at 9 o'clock for our scheduled breakfast delivery and once more, found ourselves faced with a mountain of food.  We took our time working through the pastries, cereals, fruit and more, then sadly packed our things and bid a fond adieu to our lovely room before heading back across the bridge to our own home.

It was such a lovely weekend, and I'm so glad we took the time to immerse ourselves in the city.  I hope it's something we do again many more times before we leave, and I know it's a weekend we'll both treasure in the months to come when there is so much distance between us.

Comments

[Same Sweet Girl]

That's great!!!!! I really need to do the same thing with my city! Thanks for sharing all the interesting info and pictures! :)

[Old Warrior]

I think Rutledge was also a key figure in the play "1776." We never ran out of interesting history to drag you off to when we were living in Virginia. I bet you will continue to discover fun stuff along the Carolina Coast.

[Kate P]

What a neat tour! Chocolate souffle sounds like a perfect ending to dinner, too.

Your legs look a mile long in that picture on the steps. Cuteness!!!

[Jessica]

Gorgeous pictures! OMG that house is incredible. I have to come visit. Amazing. Glad you guys got to spend time together before things change up.

[Brittany E.]

I have always always wanted to go to Charleston and I love historical homes and touring plantations. So jealous. And you must hardly be able to sit still since Japan is so close! Can't wait to hear all about it. Eat some good Japanese food for me!

[A Super Girl]

Mmmmm...chocolate souffle!

Safe travels to you both :-)

[Melissa C]

Have you all been to Pane e Vino yet? You need to go! Have a great trip to Japan!!