Glimpses of Charleston

A local's eye view

Street/Park Scenes

This house on Tradd Street has been around a long time (it was built in 1880). But it's getting a new perspective on the street. It's being raised to help it better deal with flood water that is becoming more prevalent in Charleston. 
This beautiful entrance to an antebellum (c. 1850) house on King Street glows in late afternoon sun
This view of part of the Charleston skyline contains two of the major steeples in town -- St. Michael's Church on the right and the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist on the left. The Cathedral's steeple (actually called a "spire") was added in 2010 (although the building opened in 1907), making it almost 250 years younger than St. Michael's. 
Charleston is full of tributes to its history. This monument celebrates the completion of the landfill which forms the Low Battery and upon which sits Murray Boulevard. 
This wonder combination of Flower Lady baskets, a blooming crepe myrtle, Spanish moss, a magnificent live oak tree and a beautiful fountain is along the elegant iron fence in front of the Federal Courthouse at the Four Corners of Law. Classic Charleston.
Joe Riley Waterfront Park provides some of the best water views in Charleston. Or just sit on these benches and relax.
This beautiful church steeple belongs to the Citadel Square Baptist Church.  Begun in 1854, it was first called the Fourth Baptist Church -- simply because it was the fourth baptist church built in Charleston. But just a year later, in 1855, it merged with one of the three baptist churches that preceded it -- resulting in there only being three in Charleston. So rather than being the fourth with an asterisk, they changed the name to reflect the new church's location. 
Charleston loves its old trees about as much as it loves its old houses. This live oak is well tended to and adds character to Legare Street. 
A beautiful afternoon on Tradd Street. One of the great things about Charleston houses is that almost every one has an interesting story. The house with the flag on the left was built in 1850 by William C. Bee, who ran one of the leading blockade running businesses during the American Civil War (he also built Bee's Block). That's not something today's builders can claim!
Price's Alley is one of the very cool little cut-throughs in downtown Charleston. Connecting Meeting and King Streets below Tradd Street, it's a great way to sneak between the two.
This beautiful scene can be found in Hampton Park, the largest park in Charleston.  Croquet anyone?
This view is from Church Street.
A threatening sky over South Battery and King Street in Charleston.  Some classic beauty.
This beautiful fountain can be found in one of Charleston's very cool pocket parks -- Allan Park on Ashley Avenue.
This four pound cannon is thought to have been made in France and was used by the American forces during the Revolutionary War. You can find it in White Point Garden, on the King Street side.
These beautiful facades can be found on King Street.  The beauty is just one of the things that caused it to be named one of the 10 top shopping streets in the United States by US News and World Report.
This well situated flowerbed can be found in Joe Riley Waterfront Park, which has been renamed to honor the wonderful Joseph P. Riley Jr. -- long time mayor of Charleston.
This scene of visitors, horses and pretty colors is pretty much par for the course along Rainbow Row -- the longest row of Georgian houses in the United States. While most of the houses were built in the mid/late 1700's, the youngest -- which anchors the southern end of the Row -- was built in 1845.
These oddly angled posts were originally installed so that people could tie up their boats when this stretch of Church and Water Streets was Vanderhorst Creek.  
White Point Garden is full of beauty and some pretty interesting historical artifacts -- which are cool to see and often fun to climb on. Used by Union troops as part of the bombardment of Fort Sumter during the Civil War, this mortar now leads a much calmer life.
The carriage tours in Charleston all cover interesting sights and history. Where you get to go is just a matter of luck, as the route is assigned by a lottery-style ball drop once the carriage is loaded and ready to go. Good luck!
King Street is one of the top shopping streets in United States. While it has always been one of the most important thoroughfares in the city, it wasn't always the vibrant wonderful area that it is today. Opening the Omni Hotel (which is now the Belmond Charleston Place-- pictured in the distance in the photo) in 1986 -- when the City's unemployment was around 15% and downtown was depressed and full of vacancies -- is credited triggering the renaissance that has led to the beauty we enjoy today.
This inviting gazebo is in Hampton Park. In 1902 President Theodore Roosevelt visited the park during his visit to the South Carolina Inter-State and West Indian Exposition. 
The wonderful statue of a dancing girl by Williard Hirsch can be found in White Point Garden.  It always makes me smile.
You can find this pretty scene in Hampton Park,  the largest public park on the Charleston peninsula. The land which Hampton Park now occupies was by 1769 part of a plantation known as The Grove, or Orange Grove Plantation. Over the years it has been the home for some pretty interesting things, including the South Carolina Inter-State and West Indian Exposition of 1901–1902, which was visited by President Theodore Roosevelt.
White Point Garden is one of the great public spaces in Charleston. In addition to being the home of these incredible live oak trees, a wonderful bandstand, beautiful statues, and impressive armament, it is the home of a whole lot of black-crowned night herons. With an active rookery, it can be noisy and busy spot.
This house on Bull Street stirs memories of France. The stucco over the masonry structure is nicely accented by a beautiful crepe myrtle tree.
This beautiful driveway, bordered by a great iron fence and a majestic live oak, leads to a handsome brick house on Legare Street. This block, between Tradd Street and Lamboll Street, holds some of the most wonderful Charleston houses -- including the Sword Gate house, which is on the market for about $20 million.
On State Street (near Cumberland Street) there are two little gates that allow you to cut through to East Bay Street. As you do so, you will come across this tranquil setting -- right in the middle of downtown Charleston. In a bit cooler weather, it's a nice spot for a rest and a drink.
Rainbow Row, on East Bay Street, was part of the early working waterfront in Charleston. These antebellum houses would have looked directly out on the Cooper River when they were first built. Landfill and subsequently constructed other buildings have obscured that view. It's still pretty nice.
These flag waving wonderful Charleston houses can be found on Bull Street, right next to 60 Bull Cafe -- a very local sort of place, great for breakfast (all day) and dinner. 
Decked out in flags, the Sword Gate is even more striking than usual. Did you know it has a twin -- which you can find at the Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina?
The wonderful Sweetgrass baskets you can find sale in downtown Charleston have been around for centuries (the skill was imported with the enslaved Africans). Originally they were made from bulrush or needle rush, but in the 1900's the materials being used  changed and Sweetgrass became the plant of choice -- due to its greater flexibility, pretty color and wonderful smell. While still utilitarian, they have come to be treated as the works of art that they are.
A statement put up after the shooting at the Mother Emanuel AME church, this wall is also covered with lots of doves doves. The wall is the outside of College Park, an old baseball field, on Rutledge Avenue -- where it creates the border for Hampton Park.
The beautiful entrance to the Dock Street Theatre.  In 1736, the Dock Street was the first theater built in America. That building, however, was destroyed -- likely by the Great Fire of 1740. The current building, erected on the same site, was the Planter's Hotel which was later restored for the theater.
Chalmers Street, home to this beautiful scene, is probably the most famous of all Charleston cobblestone street. It is, however, just one of the eight you can find in downtown Charleston. 
Charleston is full of fascinating graveyards, some of which date back long before the United States became an independent country. The remains of a dependency building on Queen Street frames a view into the Circular Church's graveyard, which is thought to be the oldest English burial ground still in existence in Charleston (it's earliest unmarked grave dates back to 1695). It's quite a view.
The French Huguenot Church in downtown Charleston is one of the oldest congregations in the city, with its first church being built on this site in 1687. While there have been a number of other church buildings, the one standing today was completed in 1845. Services used to be held in French, but that now only occurs once a year. Pretty cool.
If you think about it, every rainbow must have a front and back side (depending on your perspective). But Rainbow Row definitely does -- and this is the backside of some of those famous antebellum row houses. If you go down Elliott Street, you get a perspective most folks never see. 
With the oppressive heat now in Charleston, a cooler weather photo seems in order. It's not often you get to see Rainbow Row in the middle of a heavy snowstorm. Ahhhhh....