136425 Fri Jun 13 14:02:50 -0700 2003 9 11 South 0 731896 Looking for any new advice. On anything! I have read every post mentioning Charleston in the thread, but still thought I may find out something new if I post my own request. I am planning a trip to Charleston July 3-5. We are staying near the Battery and will have a car but would much prefer to walk everywhere, or use minimal public transportation. We will eat out every meal, so all types of places are of interest. We will probably go to SNOB as our big meal. Is it still high quality? About seafood, we aren't too concerned with the Hymans debate etc. MD is for crabs & we are heading to FLA, so we would like to sample some other cuisines. Excuse the assumption, but it looks to me like my tastes are pretty close to Danna's, preferring fresh and different to heavy and continental. Also, since it will be a holiday weekend, any special tips? I am assuming that is huge tourist weekend, but have not seen anything mentioning it. Fri Jun 13 14:02:50 -0700 2003 0 foster 1 731921 I'll let others recommend restaurants, since I seldom eat out when I'm there (staying with relatives). But Charleston has a very good "trolley" system that covers the historic, semu-historic, and would-be historic areas of Charleston, I don't know whether they still operate this way, but you used to be able to buy a pass that let you get on and off the trolley at will and see what you wanted. Bike rentals are also an option, although the wise and considerate city fathers ran the guy who organized bike tours of the historic areas out of town - said that it caused too much congestion (as if the horses, trolleys, and ordinary traffic weren't congestion). Savannah manages it without any problems. There are endless places to eat, but if you have read any of my previous postings, you will know my attitude toward them. There are many which are quite good, even excellent, but not when they claim their dishes to be "Lowcountry." I've not been there for years B.S. (Before Spoleto), but The Wreck, over in Mt. Pleasant, was always very good for seafood, albeit a little hard to find. About 40 miles inland up I-26 is Sweatman's Barbecue, between Holly Hill and Eutawville, open only Friday and Saturday. If you like barbecue, this is the best in the state, if not the universe, but it does require a journey to get there. The bbq places in Charleston itself are a mixed bag - either chains (like Sticky Fingers) or one of the Bessingers (Not Maurice's, which is only in the central part of the state, and not very good anyway). Mon Jun 16 07:54:56 -0700 2003 731896 0 Sandy 1 731923 "Where the Ashley & the Cooper Rivers meet to form the Atlantic Ocean." I had about as much fun in Ch'ton as one person could possibly have. Being a history nut as well as a "chowhound" that city, along w/ New Orleans & Savannah are just about the pinnacle of enjoyment for me. There is a great (& pretty complete) walking tour brochure published by Charleston Publishing Company, 843/ 795.7662. I did the entire walk (w/ some side trips) in a full day--I was by myself & made a note to visit certain places more fully the next day when I had my "photographer" w/ me. By all means take a side trip to visit the Hunley. As for food, we enjoyed Hank's, Anson's, Circa 1886, & Jestine's. All were w/in walking distance of our hotel--like you I try to park & walk everywhere--and were probably more upscale than you are considering except for Jestine's. We were told by friends in the area that both SNOB & Poogan's Porch had slipped but can not speak first hand. Enjoy your stay. Mon Jun 16 08:44:10 -0700 2003 731896 0 Lan4Dawg 1 731925 On a quickie visit in April to visit my son and d.i.l., we ate at both Jestine's (lunch) and S.N.O.B. for dinner, and we all had marvelous meals. The food at S.N.O.B. was artfully prepared and most dishes had true low country roots. Jestine's fried chicken can't be beat, and their mac and cheese was to die for. How many fat grams were consumed? It was wonderful, but I'm glad I don't eat that way every day. Mon Jun 16 10:40:13 -0700 2003 731896 0 sudiepav 1 731926 Hi - Since you've read all the posts, I don't suppose I have anything new to say about restaurants, so a few general travel comments: You are smart to walk everywhere, parking is not that much fun in Chas and the meter witches are SO efficient. My friend used the trolley last summer, she said it was pretty easy. Are you planning to see the Aquarium? I was enthralled. Doing any home tours? They are usually pretty interesting. If you can deal w/ being totally tourist-y, the carriage rides give you a lot of historical info too. I've never been to Chas on the 4th, but I've been there 3 times during the Cooper River Bridge Run, for which people make hotel reservations the year before...every hotel in the city is full. Even then, Chas seems to handle it's tourist load well. I've never felt overwhelmed by crowds. Are you going to the beach at all, or are you saving that for FL? Isle of Palms is nice and Coconut Joe's (skip the food) has the most gorgeous beach bar and really good pina coladas w/ toasted coconut. And...to recap my prefered restaurants, Garibaldi's for the crispy flounder, McCrady's, Fish, Il Cortile de Re, Sermet. YOu can get a good smoothie across the street from Charleston Place, Kaminski's desserts suck, Poogan's..maybe for(a heavy) breakfast. Blossom is terrible...because of that I assume Magnolia(same ownership) is also. Sorry, never been to SNOB...I'm allergic to "southern w/ a twist", but since you aren't from here, you won't be jaded on it. I also have not been to Upstream, but last year when I was in Chas they were participating in the Julia Child 90th birthday thing, so I assume they are "pluged-in" to the national restaurant scene. That doesn't mean anyone there can cook, but it's a good sign, I suppose. Charleston is fabulous, bring lightweight clothes. Mon Jun 16 12:19:36 -0700 2003 731896 0 danna 2 731928 FYI -- Upstream closed about a year ago. And SNOBS is wonderful. If you want the best fried shrmp in the world, go to The Anchor Line on Folly Road. Mon Jun 16 12:26:45 -0700 2003 731926 0 David 3 731933 Wow the Julia Child dinner must have done them in. I looked at their menu in August of last year. Mon Jun 16 16:08:38 -0700 2003 731928 0 danna 2 731943 I go to Charleston every year for the 4th. We like to go there b/c it is not unusually crowded. You can easily walk to many good restaurants downtown. Anson's has a good reputation and food. There is a small place on King Street (I think) called Jestine's Kitchen which is good for lunch (southern cuisine). I personally don't care for Hyman's. My father, who has been in culinary arts for over 40 years swears by Saracens for Italian and 82 Queen for she-crab soup among other things. The Peninsula Grill (at the Planter's Inn) has a nationally acclaimed coconut cake to die for! Did NOT like the Trawler in Mt. Pleasant or Poogan's. Sticky Fingers is the Governor's favorite and is good casual lunch dining. Outside of downtown, The Mustard Seed on James Island is wonderful! Small but easy to get in and out. For drinks, there is still a Blind Tiger on Broad that is really laid back. General Info: The humidity can be unbearable, even for a SC girl such as myself! The coolest (temperature wise) thing to do is to take a boat tour from Patriot's Point. There is a dinner cruise that leaves from there. The food is good and you can be sailing around the harbor while the fireworks are going off! (Spiritline Cruises) If that sounds interesting, you need to reserve as soon as possible. I remember it being economical, too. The ghost tours and wicked Charleston nightly walking tours are a lot of fun. If you want to tour houses, museums and such, go to the visitor's bureau near downtown and you can get combined tickets for cheaper prices. If you are going to see only one house, see the Calhoun Mansion. My favorite places is Boone Hall Plantation where they filmed Alex Haley's Queen. Good Luck! You will enjoy your trip. I wouldn't go anywhere else for the 4th. Link: http://www.Charlestoncvb.com Tue Jun 17 10:09:37 -0700 2003 731926 0 Dixie*Sandi 2 731944 If you do drive and park downtown and decide to use one of those "honor" parking lots - you know, where you fold your money into little accordians and stuff it into the slot corresponding to your parking spot - do be diligent about paying. When we ate at SNOB, we parked at such a place, spent about 5 minutes folding our money to conform to the slot. When we returned to our car, we were thankful we had, for several cars which had parked about the same time we had were being towed or had been towed previously, leaving the owners puzzled and upset. Tue Jun 17 10:19:04 -0700 2003 731926 0 sudiepav 1 731931 I posted at the very end of March on our trip with 4 other couples to Charleston. We all loved the city and had some really good meals. Our only mistake was not staying in the Historic area - We were in Mt. Pleasant. But, that did afford us the opportunity to see their beautiful beaches, nice beachfront homes and have a wonderful seafood dinner at Branch Inlet. That is the place to eat your seafood and really experience the ocean air, etc. It was excellent. Also recommend having at least dessert at The Charleston Grill (?). Sorry, just check back at the very end of March, if you are interested. You'll have a great time. Probably very hot at this time. We also heard SNOB was excellent - we ate at the French Bistro place and it was good. Mon Jun 16 12:38:32 -0700 2003 731896 0 Chuck