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As this city continues to grow and prosper, we want to help spread the message to all about how wonderful this community is.
Charleston is about the people, community, water, land, history, heritage and the true southern warmth it brings with each and every day.
“The veterans of our military services have put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms that we enjoy. They have dedicated their lives to their country and deserve to be recognized for their commitment.” – Judd Gregg
Veterans Day is a day of reflection; a day we honor those that have given the ultimate gift of generosity by protecting our freedoms. It is a day of conversation to share stories of honor, strength and bravery. It is a day to just say thank you to those that have worn the uniform of courage.
In Charleston, the importance of our military in preparation, defense and homestead is so important to our culture that it is no surprise that the community has banded together to offer some wonderful opportunities to our active military and veterans as a way of saying a humbled and respectful thank you.
South Carolina Aquarium – On November 11, retired and active duty military personnel will receive free admission to the Aquarium. Their dependents will receive half-price admission. Valid military ID cards are required for military personnel and their dependents.
Patriots Point – FREE admission to all veterans on Wednesday, November 11.
Fort Moultrie – FREE admission for all on Veterans Day. Bring the whole family.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens – FREE general garden admission for All Veterans as well as Active Duty Military as their spouses and dependents.
Great Clips – FREE haircuts for Veterans on November 11.
Golden Corral – FREE Dinner for Veterans from 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM on November 11.
Outback Steakhouse – Active and retired military members will get a free Bloomin’ Onion and beverage by showing military ID on November 11. Also, they, and their families, get 15% off their bill from November 12 to December 31.
Applebee’s – Veterans and active duty military, show proof of service and get a free meal November 11. Drink not included.
IHOP – Free Red, White and Blue pancakes (glazed strawberries, blueberry compote and whipped cream) to veterans and active duty military on November 11, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Wild Wing Cafe – Veterans eat free all day on November 11. Any awesome salad, wild wrap, beefy burger or chicken sandwich.
Olive Garden – On November 11, veterans and active duty military get a free entrée from this list: cheese ravioli, spaghetti with meat sauce, lasagna, chicken parmigiana, garlic rosemary chicken, and unlimited soup, salad and bread sticks. Family members dining with the veteran or military member get 10% off their meals.
Hooters – All veterans and active duty military get a free entrée on November 11.
Little Caesar’s – Veterans and active duty military members receive a free $5 lunch combo, which includes four slices of deep dish pizza, and a 20-ounce Pepsi product on November 11 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Cracker Barrel – Veterans will receive a complimentary Double Chocolate Fudge Coca-Cola Cake dessert on November 11, and other guests can help support troops transitioning back to civilian life by purchasing the dessert or select items from the Old Country Store. 10% of the sales price of those items will be donated to the USO Transition 360 Alliance.
O’Charley’s – Free $9.99 meal to veterans on Monday, November 9. Free pie to veterans on Wednesday, November 11.
Bonefish Grill – Active and retired service members with valid military ID get free Bang Bang Shrimp on November 11.
Starbucks– Free tall brewed coffee for active duty service members, veterans and military spouses on November 11.
Ruby Tuesday – Veterans, active military and reserve get a free appetizer November 11.
South Carolina artist William Buggel has a career as long as your arm. Trained at USC in the 1960s, his work has been placed in dozens of exhibitions, garnered countless awards and honors, and been placed in the state museum. You would be hard pressed to find an artist more expert than Buggel: from knowing what works for him, to how a painting can take years or might require a very particular canvas.
Art aficionados will know his work very well, but everyone should take advantage of the opportunity to see his work at The Corrigan Gallery on 62 Queen Street.
It is spectacularly interesting. Buggel is an abstract artist, and thinks providing too much information takes away from the imagination of the viewer. You do not need much prompting to get imaginative with his shockingly innovative pieces. And yet, with Buggel’s work, what we are encourage to meditate on isn’t some alien place. His abstract yet intricate, complex, and textured work conjures up memories of home, of the land, of very familiar places.
On his larger “Red Ascending,” on display at this show, he explains some of the process he engages. This painting is “An experiment using new shapes but including some more familiar ones. The larger vertical and horizontal shapes are held in check by a line of small squares that are not quite evenly spaced, like some jazz phrasing.”
Of late, it seems a theme of his is movement past static things. The effect of passing man-made and natural objects through a car window, for example.
His comments on his paintings give you a sense of how intellectual the project of painting is. Here is how he describes one of his smaller paintings, “Passing Gray-Urban View”:
“I spend most of my time in a very quiet country area and visit town a few times a month. I see things sometimes like time lapse photography-large buildings jammed up against pavement, gray bands (sidewalks and pavement), and red clay (brick buildings), along with the colors and rectangular shapes of human habitation.”
The Corrigan Gallery will continue to show Buggel’s work until November 30th.
As a staff writer for Charleston Daily, David McNamara has been spinning tales of adventures and yarns of fiction for over 15 years. Originally from Australia, his commitment, fortitude and passion (spanning innumerable budget backpacking odysseys) produced its own inevitability in November 2011 with the release of his first book titled “Loves, Kerbsides and Goodbyes”.
He has recently completed his eagerly awaited second travel narrative titled “Beat Zen and the Art of Dave” where he’s continually discovering new places and cultures, and meeting new people. As the playful title suggests, “Beat Zen and the Art of Dave” intertwines humorous anecdotes and travel lore with backpacking philosophy and Eastern spirituality to show that everyone’s journey is a travelogue of sorts. David explains his strong connection with Charleston in his latest book grew after he first visited the Lowcountry in 2011:
“I fell in love and in love with Charleston at the same time – so it’s an incredible connection. And it was right at the time that the genesis for “Beat Zen and the Art of Dave” found its own traction. Just before I arrived in the Holy City I was standing on a figurative and literal border in my life – symmetrically placed to see equally where I’d come from, where I was and where I was heading. There was a physical lyricism to match where I was in life. After five months travelling down the grand isthmus of Central America I was in Leticia in the southwest corner of Colombia. Nestled on the tri-border of Peru and Brazil, I was well beyond the end of the road (and right where I wanted to be) since Leticia is only accessible by boat or plane.”
“There I stood on the Rubicon’s edge of my journey. It took the form of the Rio Amazonas flowing like a giant causeway into Brazil and out into the Atlantic Ocean. Fresh from an ayahuasca ceremony with Jimmy, the local Medicine Man, I glimpsed an arcane conflation of things that seem to visit me on every overland adventure I undertake – usually involving my staring down at my feet or gazing across a vista, marveling at how I got there. I had every intention of jumping on a boat and heading downstream for 8-10 days to Manaus then onto Belem on the coast. But for the first time ever on a trip I decided to curb my insatiable onward desire. I was mindful about returning to Australia to help promote my first published book and wanted to return with some cash still in my pockets.”
“With this in mind I flew up to the US to jaunt up the east coast before catching my flight home. My second stop was Charleston where the magnanimous Couchsurfing community and seductive charms of the South ensnared me. I’ve always been mindful that all travelers indulge in the fantasy that they are on a quest of sorts – everyone searching for their own personal Shangri-La. The genesis of my new book was to highlight my fascination with the delusions, desires and detachments (however misguided or allied they might be) which impel backpackers away from what’s familiar. And although I remain somewhat skeptical that backpacking provides any “real life” answers, Charleston made me start to doubt everything – had I finally found my own Shangri-La? Subsequently I kept returning to Charleston where I fell in love and embarked on a 17,000 mile road trip across North America, which makes a majority of the later part of the book.”
At its essence “Beat Zen and the Art of Dave” is a wending meditation on the modern vagrant and wayfaring lifestyle. To be released in December and just in time for Xmas, David is now calling on everyone from iBackpacker to Beat Zen veteran to join the independent travel revolution and support his crowdfunding campaign by preordering a copy today. Money raised by the campaign will go directly to the design and printing cost of making your very own copy delivered direct to your door.
Getting around downtown Charleston, let’s face it, can have the tendency to take some of the charm out of your visit, whether you are just running a quick errand, having a night out on the town, or visiting for the first time. One of our goals here at Charleston Daily is to make your Charleston experiences as pleasant as possible, so we have put together a few getting around downtown tips and tricks that will hopefully make your next trip to the Peninsula stress free.
Let’s start off with what everyone gets aggravated with the most, regardless of whether or not you are a tourist or you have lived here for 20 years – parking.
Meters
•Time limit: Most have a two hour time limit, some are only one hour. If they are painted red, they are only 15 minutes. Most meters run from 9am – 6pm, but vary based on where they are located in the city (some start at 8am). Check the back if you are unsure.
Tip: Put a nickel or dime in first to make sure they are working! This way you don’t waste a quarter if it’s broken. Legally you are only supposed to stay for maximum allotted time for that meter, but hey it’s free. To report a broken meter call 843-724-7375 or take a quick moment and go online to the Citizen Support Center.
•No change? No problem! The City of Charleston sells a SmartCard that works in all of the meters downtown. It is a prepaid card that can be bought and reloaded at the Visitor Center or at the City of Charleston Department of Revenue Collections – Parking Division on Lockwood Drive. One of the other perks of using this card is that you can refund the amount not used at the meter back onto the card at the end of your stay. The card costs a one time fee of $5. Cards are rechargeable and can hold up to $300 in value.
•Motorcycles and mopeds: You must adhere to the same parking rules as cars do, including in the garages! (The garage attendants will call parking enforcement on you.) You can double park at the meters. Up to 6 motorcycles or mopeds are allowed to occupy one meter space, as long as each vehicle stays within that space. Should your time expire before you return, each vehicle parked there will be subject to a ticket. However, where you get lucky is in the residential areas. There’s not really any place to put that residential sticker now is there? Hmm…
Pay and Display Parking Stations •For these, you go to the kiosk, input how long you will be there and it prints out a ticket for you to display on your dashboard. The only one we know of being in the Garden Theater lot near King Street and Burns Lane (366 King Street). This one is 24 hours. You can also find these kiosks at the Washout on Folly. The nice thing about these stations is that they take debit or credit cards, as well as cash. They do not accept the SmartCard.
Parking Garages
•These can get pricey pretty quickly, but sometimes a garage is your only option. You can park in the Visitor Center garage, with the entrance on Meeting Street, any time after 5pm for a flat rate of $4.00 as long as you leave by 8am the following day. For garage and other lot rates click here.
In need of an EV charging station? The following garages have them:
•Gaillard Garage
•Queen Street Garage
•Visitor Center Garage
Flat Rate Lots
•There are flat rate lots where you pay anywhere from $8 and up to park for the day. These rates vary depending on where they are in the city and what time of day it is as well. Now they have flat rate lots where you can pay for a short period of time, perfect for going out to dinner.
Residential Parking
•Most residential areas are 1 or 2 hours parking, but can go up to 4 hours. It all depends on what the sign says. Tip: Residential areas are all different…read the signs closely! Please be courteous when you are parking in residential areas. Just use some common sense. Would you want someone blocking your driveway, even if it was only for a few minutes
Free Parking (YAY!)
•There are handicap spaces on the streets scattered about; these spaces are free if you have a valid handicap license plate or tag.
•Upper King Street parking: Many businesses are now validating parking on Upper King Street. It never hurts to ask!
•Battery parking: Parking along the water side only at the Battery is free…if you are lucky enough to find a spot.
•Keep an eye out for the city’s annual free holiday parking vouchers. Historically these are issued at the end of November and run through December. Most of the parking garages participate in spreading this bit of holiday cheer.
•The best thing the city does for parking – meters are free on Sundays and official city holidays.
I’m Parked, What Now? You have a few options of getting around the city.
•Walk around! (My personal favorite!) Charleston is so beautiful and you will stumble upon so much just from walking and checking things out. I know walking isn’t for everybody, especially in our steamy Charleston summers. There are still options.
•Charleston Rickshaw Company or Charleston Pedicab: Either company will be happy to bike you wherever you need to go. Both companies are only $5.50 per person for every 10 minutes. They are super personable and knowledgeable about the city. •DASH: This is the Trolley Loop by CARTA runs through the Peninsula. It is a free service and stops at some of the major spots around the city.
•Scoop Charleston: This is one of our newest additions and are Charleston’s only fully electric transportation service. Not only are they great for the environment, they are great for the budget too, because they are absolutely free! (Just please be courteous and tip your driver!)
•Charleston Water Taxi: For only $10 you can go between the heart of downtown and Mt. Pleasant. That $10 gets you an all day pass on the Water Taxi that does a loop between Patriots Point, Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina, Waterfront Park, and the Aquarium Wharf. During peak season, it runs between 9am and 8pm daily. Off peak you can still catch it on Saturdays.
•Uber and other various taxi services: These will travel off of the Peninsula and run later than Scoop does.
So now that you are armed with this parking and transport knowledge, your next trip to downtown Charleston should be a breeze! Be sure to take advantage of every service our city offers. It’s here for you!
May your days be sunny, may the red lights always be green and may the parking gods smile down on you!
It is time once again to go on a little journey down the hidden corridors of Charleston, SC history. Today we are going to make a left off of Church Street as we veer off our southbound trajectory and explore the single lane alleyway known as Longitude Lane. Located just North of Strolls Lane and situated between Church and Meeting Street, this alley is designed with some of the most beautiful entrance ways and foliage in our city.
Come with me as we explore Longitude Lane
We begin with a strong pillar filled with moss providing a bright green welcoming appeal. The bring green moss has a haunting and welcoming feel as you turn off the main road and walk down this cobblestone road.
Careful, the cobblestone can be tricky to walk on.
You will soon be swept away in the beautiful entrance ways of the private residences.
The light blue shutters as color and life to your walk.
Don’t get lost, this curved diversion is leads to a private driveway.
Another chillingly beautiful doorway
Maybe this one is more to your liking.
Number 7 is one of our personal favorites
No Charleston alley would be complete without Palmetto
Sometimes plant life can be the perfect compliment to a fenced in entrance.
What a spectacular garage.
We hope you enjoyed this stroll. We hope you take time to divert from your walk down the historic Charleston roads and take some quiet time through Longitude Lane.
I have had the immense pleasure of working with a varied group of artists these past few weeks at Threshold Repertory Theatre on A Wrinkle in Time. My fellow cast mates and I have all been tasked with bringing the words to life, a challenge regardless of genre. However, science fiction and fantasy are quite a different obstacle for the miracle workers of any and all theatre productions: the designers.
Most plays have established parameters within which the designers work. There are always challenges, to be sure, but there are givens due to the nature of the play: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, for instance, is one way or another going to be set on Big Daddy’s plantation. Even if the director made the choice to move the play from the 50s, the costumes would all be uniform in time. Lighting and sound also tend to favor realism for that kind of show.
Now, take A Wrinkle in Time: a well known children’s book by Madeline L’Engle adapted into a play by John Glore. Three kids go through space in time to fight evil and win back their father, with the help of three former stars. There isn’t exactly an aesthetic principle for that.
So I decided to reach out to the designers, our directors, and stage manager about the process of putting together a piece of sci fi for the stage.
“Sci-fi requires big imaginations from the actor, designer and audience member. I feel we all too often get stuck ‘playing adult’ and have forgotten how to see the world from a child’s eyes. A sci-fi production allows us to reconnect with our inner child who sees endless possibility,” says Kristen Bushey, a veteran costume designer in the Charleston area, with over 50 productions under her belt as a designer.
She faced the particular challenge of designing distinct and fantastic looks that could easily and quickly be shed for another, as several of the actors were double, triple, and quadruple casted. “This limited the possibilities of makeup and wig design–a very important element of many sci-fi based productions. Therefore, the costume design itself had to be spectacular (no pressure).” Though I may be a bit biased, I believe she definitely accomplished that goal, with stunning and varied character pieces, that range from Victorian to gypsy to sheepdog.
Shawn McIntosh, the scenic designer for A Wrinkle in Time and assistant technical director for Threshold, also had his hands full creating a set that could, with limited effort, be transformed from a typical American kitchen to various alien planets. The main features of the set are a raked platform center stage, which serves a variety of purposes, and rotating walls made of colored flats with four sides. The ‘tesser affect’ side of the flats are described by Shawn as “the convergence of light and sound,” and feature whirls of color that really increase the sense of dislocation felt by the main characters.
The man wearing the most hats for this production is Mike Kordeck, who is the technical director for Threshold, and for A Wrinkle in Time, was the director, light, and sound designer. One tool of the theatre trade that has rapidly increased in popularity that Mike utilized is the use of projections–images, text, and short videos projected on a scrim or other material. CGI in film is one of the main ways science fiction elements are executed–projections are are the live theatre equivalent, effectively elevating the scenery when used appropriately, although projections usually fall under lighting design.
On directing this piece, Mike said, “One of the first things that went through my mind was how to bring this fantastic story to life. I had a lot of ideas running through my head; most of which have come to fruition. I would love to mention some–but don’t want to ruin it for you when you see it.”
Courtney Daniels, the executive Director at Threshold, assisted Mike in directing the play. She believes A Wrinkle In Time “offers more than just a sci-fi story. It offers audiences the chance to use their imagination and tap into spaces they haven’t used since childhood. It also centers on themes of family, friendships, and a sense of identity and the importance of all these factors in one’s life.”
From the first few days of rehearsal, A Wrinkle in Time has been a wonderful undertaking, fraught with challenges and alive with laughter. Alex Skipper, the company stage manager for Threshold, summed up our experience quite well, “I just want people to appreciate this show for the magic that it is. There was a lot of dedicated, talented people from cast and crew who have worked on this show and it truly is a piece of theatre magic. It’s taken a lot of time and dedication to put on a show, in a 99 seat black box theatre, that travels to 9 different locations in a hour and a half. It is a labor of love, that’s for sure.”
A Wrinkle In Time runs weekends from October 30th-November 22nd, with 8:00 pm shows Friday and Saturday and 3:00 pm shows Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are available online at charlestontheatre.com.
Sitting on a screened porch on James Island, I sip my tea and absorb the sound of the rain. Despite flood warnings and jet lag waking me up at four, I am in heaven. I am also, for the first time since moving to Lesotho, Africa sixteen months earlier, incredibly homesick.
I am not a native Charlestonian—I wear my Northern New Englander status with pride—but the five years I called Charleston home were some of the best of my life and the friends I made are truly family. It is that familial bond that induced the forty hour trip from a small, rural village in southern Africa back to the Holy City; one of my family was getting married and I found that despite it costing my annual stipend, I had to come. Everything about being in Charleston feels connected and right.
It was during my life in Charleston that I committed to living and serving abroad for 27 months in the Peace Corps. I loved my job as Program Manager for South Carolina Maritime Foundation and Spirit of South Carolina, however, even before that door closed, I was mentally headed abroad. I was dreaming of the challenges I imagined would come from living in a new culture and language, from saying goodbye to what I know and love, to expanding my worldview.
The shocking part of Peace Corps for me is that it has not been that challenging. My prior jobs seem to have prepared me so well for what is tagged as “the toughest job you’ll ever love,” that while I love it, it is nowhere near the most difficult job I have had.
I have become skilled in the local language, Sesotho. I am friends with many of my villagers and am truly a sister to the four boys in my host family. I can carry water in a bucket on my head and I only miss electricity when it rains enough consecutive days that my small solar panel cannot charge my phone. While I am thrilled when a Peace Corps workshop brings me to a hotel where I can take a traditional bath or shower, I do not miss them while bathing in three cups of water in my hut. Similarly, eating a cheeseburger or finding broccoli at the vegetable store in the district’s main town are exciting, but when I do not have them, I do not miss them.
And maybe that is what makes me so happy in Lesotho and Peace Corps. All those years of working on the ocean taught me to accept the weather we are given and to adapt to and work with it. Now, I embrace what I have and only realize I miss things when I face them again.
So, sitting alone on James Island, listening to the music of the rain, I am ecstatic that I am not also listening for the telltale sound of my thatch roof leaking. I am eager for the moment my friends will awake and we will make breakfast, interacting as if I had never moved half a world away. While I am here, I will soak up the love of wonderful friends and as much Lowcountry seafood as I can manage. I will recharge my stores of support from this incredible family we built.
Then, I will return home to Lesotho, where as soon as I enter the district’s main town, people will start greeting me from afar, yelling, “Ausi Thato!” or Sister Thato—Thato being my Sesotho name, it means God’s Will and was given to me by my host mother as it is God’s Will that I am here now. When I return to my village, the older villagers will greet me happily before accusing me of hiding myself. The children will ask to play ball, read books, or play cards with me. My brothers will visit and ask to see all the photos I took in America. I will unpack, resettle into my hut, and think, “Ahh, it is great to be home, I missed this so much!”
While my love for Charleston and my people there will remain, my homesickness will have disappeared as quickly as it came.
In the days and weeks that follow, I will walk to and from my various work sites, my heart bursting with love for the people and mountain vistas that fill my world. I will continue to be in awe that life brought me here. Because of my absence, villagers will have started to realize that I have less than a year left here. The will fret and claim I must live here forever. I will teach children life skills, weigh infants, work with HIV positive teens, and build the organization capacity of the Community Care Coalition I work with. Everything about being in Lesotho will feel connected and right.
You can read more about Beth’s experiences as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Lesotho, Africa at Beth Spencer Blog. Some of our favorites are
I have a vision to help as many people as possible. Of course I was doing that in my own way with Inspirational Boots, but I always felt there was more I could do. I’ve always loved to travel and experience new things, but I had gotten stuck in a rut, a routine that didn’t bring fire to my soul. I decided to pursue my bucket list item of going out of the country.
After much deliberation of where in the world I wanted to go, I decided on a trip to England and Ireland for a 10 day excursion. Then a friend suggested that I go to India. India? Yes, I know that I have many of the same beliefs as many Indian people do, but why would I have to go there? I mean, I help people with their own spiritual paths. I’m spiritual enough, right? Also, you hear of such terrible things happening to women there, which is mind boggling for such a spiritual place. So why even chance it long term? After a couple days and some research, I decided a short stop in India would be fine on my way down to Sri Lanka.
People asked me how long I’d be gone. “At least a year,” I’d respond, thinking that sounded somewhat reasonable and not so crazy, but then they’d ask, “Why are you going?” and “Where are you planning on going?” This trip was to learn more about myself and spiritual beliefs and the healing arts. I was determined to find a shaman or guru along the way. And as for what was on the non-existent agenda? All I knew was I’d start in Ireland and somehow work my way over to Sri Lanka. Not having an itinerary made me definitely sound crazy to people. Yeah, I quit the best job I ever had and sold or gave away most everything I owned to go. Sounds more like an early mid-life crisis than a spiritual journey. I had received my Doctorate of Divinity and Spiritual Counseling in February, but it’s one thing to read books and write thousands of words, and an entirely different thing to actually live it.
At first I was anxious after I told people what I was doing. Many thoughts went through my mind. They will think that I’m somehow crazier than I was before. I am so loved and needed here. How could I leave my family and friends behind to actually do something for me? The closer I got to the date, the more mixed emotions I experienced. What are you doing? How can you give up everything here, and for what? Your life is happy and comfortable here. Charleston is your home. My ego tried very hard to keep me in my comfort zone. On the other hand, the sense of adventure of really not knowing what to expect and the feeling deep down in my soul that I needed to go overseas kept me up at night in anticipation.
The best advice I received prior to my trip was to have no expectation of what or how things would or should be. It would take away from all the opportunities and lessons that awaited me on this journey. If I expected to see things as they were in America, I was in for a rude awakening!
Killarney, Ireland – Castle
So I decided to start in Ireland. That was safe. I had a friend I could stay with and they speak well enough English, albeit with a very lovely thick accent. I wouldn’t have to give up my comfort zone completely just yet. So I stayed in County Kerry for three weeks, traveling the countryside helping my friend Michael with his deliveries of timber and drink. It seemed as if he knew everyone, so I got a fantastic introduction to the people. And that ended up being my favorite part – being immersed in the culture, learning some words of their language and seeing the sights, in that order. My experiences in Ireland shaped how I experienced each country thereafter.
After Ireland came a three week journey through Europe on the train. I highly recommend this economical way to travel through Europe. The people that you meet and the sights you see through your window are simply amazing – much better than trying to drive and look around. So I went to Italy first, and on day one I walked at least six miles…that’s kilometers for the non-American crowd. I also climbed up a “hill” of 255 steps to look over the city of Romeo and Juliet, Verona. Now I don’t have to tell you how lazy Americans can be. We certainly don’t walk as much as the Europeans (and certainly not like the Indians!), but my motto when I came on this trip was “Why not?” When in Verona, right…or something like that. And it was breathtaking —literally—and completely worth looking like a pathetic American losing her breath as she climbed each step.
Next was Germany, where the food was amazing! So much so that I decided to walk with my pack over two miles for breakfast. Yeah, that would never happen in America. I would hop in my car and go around the corner…”I’ll have a number 2 please with a sweet tea…nope, their sweet tea sucks…Dr. Pepper.” All this walking and actually getting real food was working great for my waistline.
Amsterdam rooftops
On the train to Belgium and the Netherlands, I got to knock off another bucket list item – see a Formula 1 race…and even though my team would have made podium if they had not blown a tyre on the last lap, I was still pleased to be able to walk on the track afterwards. The Netherlands was beautiful! Very laid back – the only drawback was there were barely any forests. I saw a fantastically laid out transportation system of trams, buses, motorbikes, cars and bicycles.
It was a bit overwhelming at first seeing all the bicycles! Finally, I overcame my hesitation and ended up loving seeing Amsterdam with a breeze on my face. Note to readers: I highly (pun intended) suggest that you avoid eating the special muffins directly before proceeding to bike back home, especially if it’s raining. Even with a GPS, you will lose yourself and end up on the complete opposite end of town. Just sayin’.
Paris was my last stop in Europe, and not because I’ve always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower. It was where I was hopping on a plane to Asia. I’ve never been a fan of big cities, and this certainly qualified for that list. When I got off the train, my first stop was Notre Dame and then I ate some [insert some adjective that hasn’t been discovered yet] French food. My food baby was in a serious coma. And then I was hooked after having a front row seat to a Chopin concert that was played at the oldest church in Paris. And don’t get me started about the art! If you want to experience the height of culture, book a flight to Paris. You will not be disappointed. My last hours in Europe were spent knocking off another bucket list item: Giverny Gardens – the home of my favorite artist, Claude Monet. I was floating on cloud 99…nope, not a typo.
Notre Dame
And so I got on my train and arrived at the airport just 90 minutes before my international flight was to take off. I would not recommend this to anyone unless you are working on your endurance for the Bridge Run. To make matters worse, I had to check a bag. And the check-in counter was—I kid you not—the absolute furthest away from where the train dropped me. A true test of my patience, I assure you. Spoiler – I made it just in time to get to the gate and board. Everything in the right time.
After a 13 hour flight, including a layover in Oman, I arrived safely in Kathmandu. Now, I will note here that you thought that the TSA was bad in America. Well, your bags and you get checked no less than two times coming and going. It’s been as high as four times for me. You must go through security again at each connecting flight as well. Getting patted down and asked if you have pepper spray or mace because of your gender and skin having “no color” will become second nature. By the way, you won’t need it.
I will not lie; every country I visited was a jar to my senses, but none like Kathmandu. It’s not the fact that the earthquakes damaged and destroyed homes and temples, resulting in over 9,000 deaths only in April. I had nothing to compare it to in America. The poverty and pollution was mind boggling, but the welcoming smiles seemed to be more so out of place. How could anyone find happiness in a place like this? Overnight it made me grateful for what I did and did not have.
Virindavan, India
My first day I went outside the capital to a village where most of the homes were leveled. I’m talking about one foot thick brick and stone walls, which one would think were safe, that had fallen to the ground. All that was there was a slab for the front porch. These people had received no support and were living in tents made of cloth and tarps and metal sheeting, much like the shanty towns after the Great Depression.
But still everyone welcomed me with open arms and smiles. Makes you rethink about being upset after sitting in afternoon traffic after a downpour in Charleston.
I had volunteered my time to teach at the local school. There were about 200 children from preschool to 10th grade with open hearts, each class wanting me to teach each session. I sang the American national anthem and they wanted to learn it, so we taught each other our national anthems. They also taught me Napali dance, which is a huge part of their culture.
They had the Teej Festival celebrating women (which festivals happen more often there than you getting away with jaywalking). Women get dressed up in red, green or yellow saris, sing about their woes (the only time they are able to express them), and dance the day and night away. It is only slated for two days on the calendar, but many times it’s celebrated upwards to a month ahead. The women know how to party! They would dance for hours with little breaks while I would be sitting down fanning my sweating self. I’m sure I don’t have to mention that it is hot there. And their version of an AC is a fan, if you’re lucky.
The temples in Nepal ranged from the simple to the extremely ornate. The time and effort put into them can be wholly appreciated from the big to the small. The most visited section of temples are in Durbar Square. I did not know what it looked like before the earthquake, but I was amazed all the same. It was not until I noticed pictures posted in front of some of the most damaged or even destroyed temples that I realized the impact and my heart broke. In my month’s stay in the capital, I visited all the major temples as well as some outside of the city. The spiritual vibe is like no other when you take your time to notice the carvings and intricate gold and even glass inlays in and on those structures. It’s beyond amazing.
I also had the opportunity to see a jhakri, the local name for a shaman who is the medicine man in the villages where there are no hospitals to rush to. I had him work on a personal issue with my knee I’ve had most of my life. Not surprising to me, he helped it immensely, causing the swelling to go down after two sessions equaling maybe 20 minutes. Completely amazing! Unfortunately, he spoke mumbled Napali at best, so there was no way to request of him to share his methods.
Now I have currently found myself in Vrindavan, finally immersed in the spiritual life of India after taking three months to arrive. And of course deterring from my original plans, I am anticipating being here for some time. Very possibly longer than my original guesstimate of a year. I am finding the simplicity of life here is nothing I would trade for anything back in the States. Mornings of rushing to get ready for the workday have now been consumed with loving awareness and setting the intention of the day while drinking a cup of chai. Afternoons of going to the movies has been replaced with hours of walking around saying mantras and greeting the brijwasis, the local people. Evenings eating and drinking with friends now are full of visiting temples and holy sites and participating in ceremonies for various Hindu gods and goddesses (there are over 330 million to choose from). 🙂
Kathmandu children
And when shall I arrive in Sri Lanka, you ask? I’ll get down there eventually. As for teachers? I find them every day. Every person and even animals teach you something if you pay attention. The basics of being a human being shine through to show you love and compassion for every living thing, even if you feel you have nothing to give. What? You don’t speak their language? I only knew English and German before coming on this trip and how to say hello or thank you in the European countries. You don’t need to be fluent before diving in. I find that simply smiling conveys the love that is the basis for who we are at a soul level. That simple gesture says that I think you matter to take the energy to acknowledge you as another soul.
And I’ve seen a plethora of loving souls on this journey so far.
Sometimes you need that feel at home, shake the hand of your bartender, share a story and relax kind of bar and grill experience and other times you want an excellent customer service and fine cooked meal dining excursion. What if you could have both?
The Original Ms. Rose’s Fine Food & Cocktails offers the marriage of two. If you ask the locals, its just good old-fashioned Ms. Roses. From a 60 inch TV to one of the finest fried chicken, smoked meatloaf meals with horseradish slaw or grilled corn on the cob you will find in the neighborhood, Ms. Rose’s has created the culture of the 50’s family diner on the outside to a truly fine dining experience without the cost on the inside.
If you enter with an appetite, you must start with the honey soy whole wings and homemade biscuit. The wings are not your playground reject wings, but rich thick meaty wings with a perfect blend of marinade and the honey soy is truly a sweet and savory coating. The homemade biscuit will melt as it slides down your throat in a roller coaster ride of carb delight.
You are hard pressed to make a poor selection with your choice of entrees, but we would like to make a few personal recommendations to help aid in your decision.
The smoked meatloaf is a thick homemade slice of meatloaf oozing in smoky meaty tenderness, topped with horseradish slaw and BBQ sauce and complimented with a nice side. We recommend the street vendor corn or the seasoned fries with a side of avocado sauce. In fact, you should get a side of the avocado sauce no matter what you get. It goes with everything.
The Rose’s Fried Chicken for most is two meals. Be careful as you will need some assistance getting up because you may be very full, but satisfied. The chicken is buttermilk marinated and complimented with a side of Tabasco honey sauce and mac and cheese.
The Grilled Hanger Steak is grilled to perfection with garlic fondue, broccoli rabe, roasted new potatoes and blackberry jus.
We must give a warm complimentary thumbs up to their fish and chips. They even give the true Irish cook a run for their money.
Ms. Rose’s staff will make you a mean burger with options including bleu cheese, pimento cheese, fried egg and caramelized onions. On Monday, their specialty burgers are half price for dinner.
The staff from host to server is incredibly gracious putting customer service first and always meeting all your needs with a smile.
Go for the unique diner ambiance, stay for the incredible food, warm staff and friendly community feel.
You may have recently gone into Jack’s Cafe or past by and noticed something different. Actually, quite a few things have changed. The look, menu, art, chef, baker and the owner, but one thing has remained; the warm southern appeal of this diner situated between the College of Charleston and King Street on George.
The new owner, a former Boston man and now thirty year resident of Charleston, sat down with us for a few minutes to talk about some of the changes and how he found his way into owning Jack’s Cafe.
The first thing I learned that as a diner owner, he did not drink coffee. That broke down a major stereotype for me as I enjoyed my second cup of java. I was eager to learn of the new and exciting changes that has transformed this dining fixture that has filled the bellies of students, tourists and locals for decades.
Now open seven days a week, Jack’s serves up breakfast from open to close, lunch from 11:00 AM – 3:30 PM and fresh baked goods and ice cream treats to complete the experience.
As I looked for a traditional breakfast favorite to order, I as taken back by the Kitchen Sink Grits. I am a sucker for a unique menu item not found anywhere else. I inquired. This meal, and I say meal, includes grits, cheddar cheese, peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, sausage, bacon, ham and topped with a fried egg. Oh my, did that hit a spot.
Whether you want a hangover cure or a rich hearty meal, this is your item of choice. The top layer is the fried egg and then a healthy portion of vegetables and finally penetrating protein. The first few bites were refreshing and then the meat added that zesty kick.
The create your own omelet gives the particular customer just what they want. You select a cheese, vegetables and meat and it includes home fries or grits and bread. I did sneak a few of the potatoes. They were sauteed with just the right amount of spice.
The chef was scooped up from Homily Grill so he brings a nice resume to the table and it showed in the final product.
Overall, Jack’s Cafe provides a winning combination. Spacious seating, excellent service (especially on the refills), fantastic prices, a warm intimate diner setting and food packed with flavor and diverse range.
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“The veterans of our military services have put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms that we enjoy. They have dedicated their lives to their country and deserve to be recognized for their commitment.” – Judd Gregg
South Carolina Aquarium – On November 11, retired and active duty military personnel will receive free admission to the Aquarium. Their dependents will receive half-price admission. Valid military ID cards are required for military personnel and their dependents.
