Classic Trip - E Toll Odyssey - Columbia In Addition To Charelston, Southward Carolina 2001

Stay amongst me, the expert materials starts below later on nosotros instruct out Columbia...

It took us 2 days to drive downwards hither from Pittsburgh. Of course, nosotros took the scenic route downwards the Ohio River during a driving pelting storm, narrowly avoiding an ominous funnel cloud inwards Virginia before spending the nighttime inwards Hickory, North Carolina (I highly recommend the Comfort Suites there, past times the way). It was a much to a greater extent than pleasant drive the 2nd 24-hour interval into Columbia.

First of all, I don't recommend taking your South Carolina opor-garai at the halt of August. Unfortunately, I didn't conduct keep a alternative because this whole trip was predicated past times the require to live inwards Columbia for the lastly calendar week inwards August because of a conference I had to attend. It is rattling hot in addition to humid, oppressively so, at this fourth dimension of the year.

That's non to say that Columbia is a bad identify to visit. It's a pretty town, rattling southern, situated on the lovely banks of the Congaree River. In whatsoever other season, it's a swell identify to be.

Our lodging would live at the Whitney Hotel, most ane mile northeast of downtown. I wishing to a greater extent than hotels could live similar this one. Our suite had 2 bedrooms in addition to 2 bathrooms separated past times a large living room. There was a balcony, a dining area, a full-sized kitchen (with full-sized stove in addition to refrigerator), in addition to my favorite feature, a dissever laundry room amongst washer in addition to dryer inwards our suite. Plus pool, cable TV (two!), A/C, phone, in addition to dataport. Our price? $79 per night...including a full, hot breakfast.

Although accessible rooms are available, nosotros stayed inwards a regular room amongst no sick effects other than the narrow bath door. If you lot conduct keep a broad chair, brand certain to instruct an accessible room.

Now comes some other bad betoken most Columbia, peculiarly if you lot can't drive, or conduct keep access to, a car. Public transportation hither is atrocious. For some reason, the buses are run past times the local gas and electrical utility. They evidently don't accept their mandate rattling seriously. Buses are oftentimes broken down, conduct keep no markings on them (to allow you lot know who they are or where they are going), in addition to getting information most routes in addition to schedules is only most impossible.

There are 2 accessible trolley routes that connect the downtown expanse amongst the 2 most pop hang-out areas (the Vista in addition to Five Points). They furnish decent service at a expert cost (25-50cents) but alone run a brace of hours inwards the afternoon in addition to and thus in ane trial to a greater extent than during the evening.

We had a rental car. My married adult woman would driblet me off at my conference inwards the morning time in addition to and thus play tourist amongst Tim during the day.

We arrived on a Sunday. I checked into my conference in addition to and thus nosotros checked into the hotel. After a drive to a greater extent than or less town to demonstrate my married adult woman where everything was, nosotros had dinner in addition to and thus settled downwards for the night.

Monday morning. The bad affair is instantly I'm dorsum at run in addition to conduct keep to wake upwards early. My married adult woman in addition to Tim driblet me off in addition to caput to the Riverbanks Zoo. They tell me it was a rattling overnice zoo amongst lots of neat animals in addition to expert accessibility. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 lot of it is nether structure due to an expansion there. I should live top-notch inwards a twelvemonth or so.

I spent my luncheon pause taking inwards the McKissick Museum of Art at the University of South Carolina (home of the Gamecocks...boy, does that brand for some interesting schoolhouse clothes. Think most it.). It's an interesting in addition to gratis museum, if a flake small, located on the historic Horshoe of USC. This is the original part of the campus that dates dorsum hundreds of years.

That even out nosotros had dinner at the New Orleans Riverfront Restaurant. The sentiment was spectacular in addition to the nutrient wasn't thus bad, but we've had improve New Orleans agency nutrient dorsum home.

Tuesday, the married adult woman in addition to youngster puttered to a greater extent than or less town looking for things to create in addition to shops to visit. We met at lunch. We visited the Columbia Museum of Art in addition to had sandwiches across the street at Rising High Bakery.

The museum has a pretty extraordinary collection of fine art in addition to slice of furniture dating dorsum to the 1400's. The galleries are arranged to a greater extent than or less fourth dimension periods including a swell collection of original Tiffany glass, original Remington sculptures, in addition to paintings from Dutch masters to contemporary Americans. I alone had an lx minutes in addition to a one-half here. I wished I had much to a greater extent than time.

The Rising High Bakery had swell sandwiches amongst some pretty pitiable service at the counter. Hmmm.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia

Akhenaton06 nether CC-BY-SA license 

After lunch, the married adult woman in addition to youngster returned to the museum in addition to I drudged on amongst the conference. That even out nosotros had a wonderful steak dinner at the Longhorn Restaurant inwards the Vista area. This expanse is total of restaurants, clubs, in addition to shops. It feels much to a greater extent than lively than the actual downtown expanse where nosotros were earlier. After dinner, nosotros took inwards some alive jazz at a little festival to a greater extent than or less the corner. This was a overnice evening.

Thursday, the married adult woman in addition to youngster said they'd seen in addition to done everything they could hollo upwards of inwards Columbia in addition to said accept the machine to the conference, we'll only chill at the hotel. That evening, nosotros took inwards some modest league baseball game every bit the Capitol City Bombers took on the Columbus Red Sticks.

There was hardly whatsoever fans inwards attendance, perhaps 100 people tops. As you lot tin see, I was able to commandeer some actually cool seats. It was a blast, but a flake buggy later on dark. (The squad has since moved away...I wonder why - Ed)

Thursday, married adult woman in addition to youngster are pretty bored now. They tried to accept a long walk during the day, but the August oestrus inwards Columbia only saps your energy. The air conditioner at the hotel was better. I'm pretty bored past times the conference.

We walk over to the Five Points expanse (kind of a grungier Vista) a few blocks S of the hotel for pizza.

Friday. It's finally over. The conference ends at 11:30. While Columbia is pretty, it's also pretty lean on things for visitors to do. Three days hither would live great, v is stretching it a bit. Well, instantly it's on to our ultimate, in addition to much to a greater extent than exciting, destination...Charleston.

Ah, the conference is over. Time to rejoin my household unit of measurement on our vacation.

While I spent the lastly 3 hours counting the minutes until the lastly speaker nigh up, my married adult woman in addition to Tim were packing the bags at Columbia's Whitney Hotel.

You know...why create they fifty-fifty bother to conduct keep a speaker for the lastly morning time of a conference? People are only attached to the prison theatre cellular telephone phones...trying to bump upwards a flight...looking for an excuse to duck out early...arranging a ride to the airport...all nosotros withdraw heed of the mortal upwards from is "blah, blah, blah." Wouldn't it live improve only to halt it the 24-hour interval before...the lastly total day?

Oh well, it's finally 11:30 in addition to I'm zooming dorsum to the Whitney. The household unit of measurement is already inwards the foyer amongst the bags. We toss 'em into the machine in addition to off nosotros go.

It's a xc infinitesimal drive over to Charleston in addition to I'm inwards a dissimilar world. Columbia's a fine metropolis but it tin live a flake staid, Blue Planet transit is terrible, in addition to there's only non a whole lot to create over a total week. Charleston has a fine transit system, hundreds of top-notch historical sites, swell restaurants in addition to bars, in addition to a joyful, fun atmosphere.

See our outset trip to Charleston here.

Again, every bit inwards our lastly trip here, nosotros remain at the Quality Suites. Unfortunately, the character of the hotel had gone downwards markedly from our lastly trip. To reckon what I mean, you lot tin banking concern gibe out this review that I wrote for Epinions - http://www.epinions.com/content_41189346948 .

This even out nosotros conduct keep some other swell dinner at the Southend Brewery in addition to Smokehouse.

Afterward, nosotros walked over to the part of the Original Charleston Walks in addition to saw what variety of tour was beingness offered this evening (last fourth dimension nosotros actually enjoyed the Ghost Walk). This time, our journeying into Charleston's rich tapestry of history would live focusing on the pirates who had lived, plundered, in addition to died here.

A Former Pirate Brothel, Now the Oldest Building inwards Charelston

As amongst all their tours, this grouping meets at the beautiful gas-lit commons side past times side to its office. Our guide takes us out the dorsum entrance of the commons every bit nosotros chop-chop instruct to the outset stop, an fine art gallery that is the oldest edifice inwards Charleston (circa 1695-?) where pirates drank in addition to caroused inwards the brothel.

Also along the tour is the edifice (now a individual residence) where pirates where tried in addition to sentenced, the topographic point on the battery where their tarred corpses were hung every bit a alarm to others, in addition to spots to a greater extent than or less town where Edward Teach (Bluebeard) showed upwards from fourth dimension to time.
All the walking tours are wheelchair accessible in addition to I highly recommend them for an intimate await into this fascinating city.

Last fourth dimension nosotros were here, nosotros visited Fort Sumter inwards the bay, the recipient of the outset shot fired inwards the Civil War. This fourth dimension nosotros visited the other halt of the trajectory, Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island.

It's much quieter hither in addition to you lot tin accept inwards many of the batteries that comprised the shoreline providing shore-based defenses for over a hundred years. There are spots where a wheelchair could instruct to the upper grade but the thick ramparts volition block all but the rattling hardy from getting a sentiment across to Fort Sumter. There is a rattling interesting template inwards the visitor's pump showing only how cramped it was inwards the Confederate submarine Hunley. The submarine itself has been constitute in addition to recovered since our lastly trip in addition to instantly has its ain museum.

Patio Dining at Slightly Up The Creek

Our lastly even out hither in addition to nosotros conduct keep a superb dinner amongst shrimp-boat views direct out of Forrest Gump every bit nosotros dined at Slightly Up The Creek, situated along the banks of Shem Creek inwards Mt. Pleasant. As these pictures show, nosotros had ane lastly sunset pause on us for our odyssey.

Then is was over.  The next morning, later on 17 days on the road...two countries, 8 states, in addition to every bit good many miles to count... we turned inwards our trusty rental machine at the Charleston drome in addition to flew home.

-Darryl
Copyright 2001 - Darryl Musick