The flight to Charleston, South Carolina went pretty much as expected. I had a middle seat, and wasn’t able to get much sleep. Despite a departure from Seattle at 11p.m. arriving in Atlanta for my layover at 6a.m. (all times local) that middle seat just wasn’t very comfortable. Add to this the fact my bag, which was under the seat in front of me, took up more space than normal because the exit row seat in front of me had some sort of device under the seat preventing me from putting my bag in all the way, preventing my feet from finding a comfortable position, etc. Enough about that.
So I landed in Charleston, South Carolina for my brother’s wedding at 11:00 or so on Saturday morning. It had been a long night, and it would be another long night ahead of me. Instead of doing the sensible thing and finding family members in order to lie down in a hotel bed for a few hours, I took the tourist route. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to Charleston, South Carolina again, so I wanted to see something while there.
I went to the taxi stand at the airport, and found a few locals, well, namely the person running the taxi stand, a driver, and some guy that was just hanging around. I talked with them for several minutes, and it was decided I would be taken to The Market
I was dropped off at “the market” which is an open air market, much like Pike Place Market in Seattle. It’s a multi-block long corridor that is now housed in a series of permanent buildings that completely open up. Many of the vendors appear be permanent fixtures of the market, many crafts and local wares on offer. If you are in Charleston, I do recommend it, but wouldn’t designate it as “must see” (especially coming from Seattle).
I then strolled a few blocks and stumbled upon Fort Sumter. How had I missed this? I knew this historic location was in the Carolinas, but wasn’t exactly sure of where. Turns out, it is just off the coast of Charleston.
.
.
.
.
.
This was a major score, at least in my mind. I love history, and while I’m not a major Civil War buff, it is an important chapter. I drive my wife nuts when we take road trips because I like to take the detours to all the historic sites and landmarks.
.
.
.
.
.
I managed to get to the ferry just in time, literally. The next sailing was an hour and a half later, which would not have afforded me time to get to the wedding.
You might recall last year when my family went to the Olympic Peninsula, as one of the stops we took was at Fort Flagler. Fort Sumter reminded me of Fort Flagler, only older, smaller, and on an island. It was awesome.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
I wish I had a real camera with me, I only had my phone, and it was running out of battery life quickly. I was only able to manage a few shots before concern for battery life took over. I did manage, however, to get a picture of August’s Flat Stanley at fort Sumter.
If you’re ever in Charleston, South Carolina, spend the money to take the ferry to Fort Sumter. It’s right next to the aquarium. It’s much more interesting than the open air market. I don’t want to take away from the market and its own historical significance, but it’s just not nearly as impressive.