I left my job of seven years two weeks ago, and have been footloose and fancy free ever since. Haha, jk, I have a new job! But as it is a job that takes its employees to Charleston, South Carolina for a team meeting, I remain relatively footloose.
A fair amount of the trip consisted of bonding, as my team members and I are spread out across the country. We stayed on the Isle of Palms, about 25 miles from downtown Charleston, and right next to the ocean. By right next, I mean it took appx 60 seconds to walk to the ocean.
Where there were jellyfish! Jellyfish that I thought were dead, but then someone told me that nay, they were SUNNING THEMSELVES. However, I have just googled this, and it turns out that's a load of crap because jellyfish evaporate in the sun because they are 98% water.
Aside from amazing memories like hot tubbing next to the ocean at night and being able to see All the Stars (note: no one can actually see all the stars, but you know what I mean), I also went to downtown Charleston on the last 2 days. The first day, I had nought but an hour! One hour! Before all the museums closed. So I chose the Charleston Museum, as it apparently has the oldest collection in America.
After inquiring of the Charleston tourism center what, if anything, is open after 5, he directed me down King Street, where I found Blue Bicycle Books! Where I had this conversation with the person on duty:
me to bookstore guy: "So are you one of the thriving independent bookstores in Charleston?"
"We are THE thriving independent bookstore in Charleston."
"Ooooooh."
I bought Still Life With Woodpecker, 100% because that's the book Drew Barrymore's character reads every morning at the Hawaiian cafe she goes to in 50 First Dates, and I love the hell out of that movie.
That night the dudes in our company put their impressive cooking skillz on display and dumped a giant pile of seafood on the kitchen table.
The next day I went to two house museums and then cut myself off from all museumy things, because I am attempting to get better at self care and I was v. tired and would not in fact have fully enjoyed said museums. I did enjoy going to a cafe and drinking coffee/reading a David Sedaris book. But before that, the two house museums.
The first was the Joseph Manigault House, built in 1803 and constructed in the Federalist style. Joseph Manigault had a very nice face and also owned a lot of slaves. The tour guide (whose name was Samantha) really emphasized everything that would've been built/taken care of by enslaved people, as well as how awful their living conditions were, which I very very much appreciated. We also discussed how on trend the Manigault's mint green paint choice was.
They had a ticket deal where if you bought 2 house tours, you saved like $6, so yeah, like I'm not gonna take them up on that. The other house was the Heyward-Washington House, which I only photographed the "necessary" (outhouse) and spinnet of, but because my photo of the necessary sucks, here is the spinnet:
Oh! On my walk to the Heyward-Washington House (built in 1772 in the Georgian style and hosted Revolutionary War meetings), I stopped in at an old old church that had awesome box pews, so look!:
So old. Mmm.
After both house tours, I wandered around Charleston, stopped to take a selfie with a British soldier mannequin
and wound up at the Second Presbyterian Church's (1809) graveyard.
I don't want my interest in graveyards to be seen as morbid or goth or whatever, although think what you want to. I like them for a number of reasons, which include liking the past, feeling linked to people throughout time, and experiencing one of the only places where our culture allows us to be somber/sad. If I were sitting in a graveyard crying, people would leave me the hell alone and not feel that awkward about it. Of course I'm crying, I'm in a graveyard. I'm not saying I did this -- the only exclamations I made were apologies to dead people as I probably walked over them in my quest to read a tombstone -- but the fact remains I could have.
This was my second trip to Charleston. My first was excellent but involved much more pouting over walking up museum steps.
I would for sure go back again. I feel I've spent a fair amount of time there and barely grazed what it has to offer. I turned down going into at least 3 museums that I just randomly passed by. It's an old old city that's done a great job preserving its old things in a muggy climate, and it has kickass restaurants.
Also, having a new job is the best and they've given me time to go to BEA and sometimes life does a splendid 180 on you, and all you have to do is put in the work to make it happen. #wisewords #goodthingsalicehassaid
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| Here I am footloose as I dangle them in the water |
A fair amount of the trip consisted of bonding, as my team members and I are spread out across the country. We stayed on the Isle of Palms, about 25 miles from downtown Charleston, and right next to the ocean. By right next, I mean it took appx 60 seconds to walk to the ocean.
Where there were jellyfish! Jellyfish that I thought were dead, but then someone told me that nay, they were SUNNING THEMSELVES. However, I have just googled this, and it turns out that's a load of crap because jellyfish evaporate in the sun because they are 98% water.
Aside from amazing memories like hot tubbing next to the ocean at night and being able to see All the Stars (note: no one can actually see all the stars, but you know what I mean), I also went to downtown Charleston on the last 2 days. The first day, I had nought but an hour! One hour! Before all the museums closed. So I chose the Charleston Museum, as it apparently has the oldest collection in America.
 |
| And they put chamber pots in their restrooms like fun people! |
 |
| It's a canjo! |
After inquiring of the Charleston tourism center what, if anything, is open after 5, he directed me down King Street, where I found Blue Bicycle Books! Where I had this conversation with the person on duty:
me to bookstore guy: "So are you one of the thriving independent bookstores in Charleston?"
"We are THE thriving independent bookstore in Charleston."
"Ooooooh."
I bought Still Life With Woodpecker, 100% because that's the book Drew Barrymore's character reads every morning at the Hawaiian cafe she goes to in 50 First Dates, and I love the hell out of that movie.
That night the dudes in our company put their impressive cooking skillz on display and dumped a giant pile of seafood on the kitchen table.
 |
| It was awesome. |
The next day I went to two house museums and then cut myself off from all museumy things, because I am attempting to get better at self care and I was v. tired and would not in fact have fully enjoyed said museums. I did enjoy going to a cafe and drinking coffee/reading a David Sedaris book. But before that, the two house museums.
The first was the Joseph Manigault House, built in 1803 and constructed in the Federalist style. Joseph Manigault had a very nice face and also owned a lot of slaves. The tour guide (whose name was Samantha) really emphasized everything that would've been built/taken care of by enslaved people, as well as how awful their living conditions were, which I very very much appreciated. We also discussed how on trend the Manigault's mint green paint choice was.
 |
| Gorgeous Manigault House |
They had a ticket deal where if you bought 2 house tours, you saved like $6, so yeah, like I'm not gonna take them up on that. The other house was the Heyward-Washington House, which I only photographed the "necessary" (outhouse) and spinnet of, but because my photo of the necessary sucks, here is the spinnet:
 |
| I got to get closer to it than normal because I was the only one on the tour. Also the tour guide and I bonded over Tim Burton. |
Oh! On my walk to the Heyward-Washington House (built in 1772 in the Georgian style and hosted Revolutionary War meetings), I stopped in at an old old church that had awesome box pews, so look!:
 |
| boxes! |
After both house tours, I wandered around Charleston, stopped to take a selfie with a British soldier mannequin
and wound up at the Second Presbyterian Church's (1809) graveyard.
I don't want my interest in graveyards to be seen as morbid or goth or whatever, although think what you want to. I like them for a number of reasons, which include liking the past, feeling linked to people throughout time, and experiencing one of the only places where our culture allows us to be somber/sad. If I were sitting in a graveyard crying, people would leave me the hell alone and not feel that awkward about it. Of course I'm crying, I'm in a graveyard. I'm not saying I did this -- the only exclamations I made were apologies to dead people as I probably walked over them in my quest to read a tombstone -- but the fact remains I could have.
This was my second trip to Charleston. My first was excellent but involved much more pouting over walking up museum steps.
 |
| There were a lot. I was tired. |
I would for sure go back again. I feel I've spent a fair amount of time there and barely grazed what it has to offer. I turned down going into at least 3 museums that I just randomly passed by. It's an old old city that's done a great job preserving its old things in a muggy climate, and it has kickass restaurants.
Also, having a new job is the best and they've given me time to go to BEA and sometimes life does a splendid 180 on you, and all you have to do is put in the work to make it happen. #wisewords #goodthingsalicehassaid
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