Crazy About Charleston, SC

I think Charleston is wonderful! After spending three days there in the glorious sunshine and drinking in the 90 degree temps, I'm not very pleased to be back to the cold, rainy weather of Pittsburgh! Here are some of my favorite things from my trip!

I don't really know what it is about a bridge that takes my breath away, but on Sunday evening when I hit the Arthur Ravenal Jr Bridge that connects Mount Pleasant and Drum Island, I was completely blown away!

This particular bridge has got to be one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. This bridge opened in July of 2005 and has the designation of being the longest cable stayed bridge in North America.

There are two large triangular, white cable peaks, the largest spanning an impressive 576 feet into the air. This is an 8 lane bridge with a pedestrian and bicycle path along the north bound side of the bridge. I will confess to driving across this bridge just because I could with no particular reason for even crossing it. I will tell you that it's more stunning and awesome when you're driving into the peaks than it is standing on the ground!

The homes in Charleston are distinctly different than the homes in the North. Driving through parts of Charleston, you can definitely imagine the "Gone With The Wind" era. It's not hard to picture women in ball gowns, with parasols sipping sweet tea on the "veranda".

I love the use of color, the attention to detail, and the obvious nature of the south in the homes.

This is "The Spirit of South Carolina". The Spirit of South Carolina is a two-masted pilot schooner modeled after the Frances Elizabeth, a vessel that was originally built by the Samuel J. Pregnall & Bros. Shipyard in Charleston in 1879. Plans for the Frances Elizabeth were found at the Smithsonian Institution.

The Spirit of South Carolina was built in downtown Charleston’s Ansonborough Field. Upon completion the vessel was towed across the street into the port terminal compound using a custom-engineered cradle and was lowered into the water.

Overall she is 140 feet long, with 3 sails. The highest sail is 125 feet high.

... And of course, what would a road trip be without a little bit of shopping? This is the brand new Mount Pleasant Town Center which is home to 65 brand new stores! What more could a girl ask for? It's all here... Old Navy, Loft, Victoria's Secret, Banana Republic.... The only thing missing is a shoe store!