Alexandra Charitan

Mar 2

Mar 2 Charleston

The main reason we went to Charleston in the beginning of February was because of a JetBlue deal that got us from JFK > Charleston for $96 roundtrip. My friend Francesca and I had been to Savannah in 2015, New Orleans in 2016 and we were eager to round out the Holy Trinity of Southern cities with Charleston. I had been told countless times that Charleston was "prettier than Savannah," by several different people, and I love Savannah so I had high hopes for its sister city.

We had a nearly-flawless four-day trip, but both of us agreed that Charleston was our least favorite of the three Southern cities we've visited together. That's not to say Charleston didn't have its charms, but it just felt a bit more polished and less unique than Savannah or New Orleans. Savannah has a Spanish moss-covered, slightly crumbling and overgrown quality to it, while New Orleans has a lock on culture—music, drinks, style—that we just didn't feel in Charleston.

I don't mean to go full Debbie Downer on Charleston, and it's sort of silly to compare it so harshly with other cities—the only reason I mention the comparison is that Charleston had always been brought up to me in such a way (especially whenever I'd mention Savannah). The main thing Charleston seems to get very right is their food. Thanks to Francesca's excellent planning, we basically never stopped eating—from thick-cut bacon and grits at Hominy Grill, to dinner at Husk (widely regarded as one of the best restaurants in the country) with multiple plates of fried green tomatoes in between.

We took two ghost tours, saw Rainbow Row, strolled through church graveyards, lusted after adorable row houses, met a super chill dog, browsed markets, bought Moon Pies for our co-workers, ate donuts, explored some more cemeteries, marveled at the amazing collection housed in the Calhoun Mansion, took a mini road trip (to a plantation, the Angel Oak and church ruins) and stuffed ourselves silly with fried chicken at Martha Lou's Kitchen (made by Martha Lou herself).

And then, right before we took a car to the airport, I finally fulfilled my life-long dream of eating a Charleston Chew in Charleston while (poorly) doing the Charleston.

Where we stayed:

Days Inn | Francis Marion Hotel - both excellent locations, but the Francis Marion was definitely worth the extra $$.

We rented a car from:

Enterprise (cheap, within walking distance of our hotel and they have after-hour returns).

Where we ate:

What we did:

Unitarian Church graveyard | Ghost tour | Haunted Jail tour | Calhoun Mansion tour