Glimpses of Charleston

A local's eye view

Sunrise/Sunset

An incredible sky, as seen from Brittlebank Par.
A beautiful sunset across the Ashley River as seen from Brittlebank Park.  A little further up the river is Charles Towne Landing, home to the first English settlement in the Carolinas -- founded 350 years ago. Charles Towne Landing is now a wonderful state park, and well worth the visit.
A beautiful sunrise as seen from Riley Waterfront Park. Prior to opening in May 1990, the park sustained about $1,000,000 worth of damage when Hurricane Hugo struck Charleston.
The "Round" Holiday Inn guards the southern entrance to the Charleston peninsula along the banks of the Ashley River. Beautiful at sunset, in 2018 it was named the ugliest building in South Carolina -- this was not received well by many!
The sun just rising above Charleston harbor, with Ft. Sumter in the distance and huge flocks of White Ibis winging their way out to breakfast.
The High Battery just before dawn. From here you have a wonderful view of the harbor, including Shute's Folly -- an island on which stands Castle Pinckney, a small fortification built in 1810 on the ruins of a Revolutionary War fort. 
A beautiful sunrise seen across Joe Riley Waterfront Park.  Serving over 40 years, Joseph P. Riley Jr. was the longest serving Charleston mayor and the 22nd longest in US history.
A runner under a spectacular pre-dawn sky along the Battery. Runner's World named the Battery as one of the most beautiful places in the world to run. It's hard to argue!
The sun going down behind the James Island Connector along the Ashley River. Coming from JI, the Connector feeds into Calhoun Street. When it was first conceived, it was supposed to feed right into the heart of the historic district on the significant colonial era Broad Street. Citizen outrage caused it to be moved to the more appropriate current location.
Another beautiful Charleston sunset, as seen along the Ashley River. If you continue downstream, the Ashley runs into the Cooper River. And according to Charleston lore they then join to form the mighty Atlantic Ocean  :)
One of the beautiful fountains at Waterfront Park. From there you have a wonderful view of Charleston Harbor -- including Fort Sumter seen in the distance.
A view down Broad Street from the Four Corners of Law, before Hurricane Dorian arrived.
The sunset as seen from "The Joe" -- the home of the Charleston RiverDogs, the NY Yankees Class affiliate.
The sabal palmetto tree is the state tree of South Carolina. It was selected as the state tree to celebrate the role it played in the defeat of the British at Fort Moultrie during the lead up to the American Revolution. The fort, which was being bombarded by the British fleet, was constructed of palmetto logs.  The tree's spongy wood actually absorbed the energy of the cannonballs and caused them to just bounce off -- allowing the Americans to eventually drive the British ships away and win the inspiring battle.
A lovely late afternoon view of the Ashley River from the Fort Sumter House, which was once the home of John F. Kennedy when he was posted to Charleston in the navy. From there he was shipped to the Pacific, where he took command PT-109.
The Ashley River in the late afternoon. It's a very vibrant environment full of life. While dolphin and pelican sightings are common, I recently spotted a large river otter swimming along -- a sighting I haven't had in a few years.
The evening sky, as seen from the Low Battery. The street that runs along here, Murray Boulevard, is named in honor Andrew B. Murray -- who, in the early 1900's, was one of the driving forces for the reclamation of the 47 acres of marsh and river that the street now sits on.
The sun setting over the Ashley River -- one of the two which create the Charleston peninsula (the other being the Cooper River).
Looking west on Tradd Street, which is one of the few streets to traverse the entire Charleston peninsula, is a beautiful way to see the setting sun.
The Joe Riley Waterfront Park is one of the great places to see the sunrise in Charleston. 
A beautiful sunrise over Charleston harbor. The building on the left, the former Omar Shrine Temple, is now an event space for the Charleston Yacht Club.