Christmas Vacation

In the wee hours of the morning on Saturday (4:15 am to be exact), J and I walked to the Max Red train bound for the airport. We had a very non-direct flight to Jacksonville, FL, first stopping in Minnesota (14 degrees), then Cincinnati (23 degrees and snowing) before landing at our destination. We took a puddle hopper from Cincinnati to Florida and because the plane was so short we had to board on the ground. It was cold.

Sunday morning J, my mom, dad, sister and I piled in our rented minivan and set out on I-95 toward Charleston, S.C. After stopping for breakfast, we were ready for the near 4-hour drive. The trip was relatively uneventful, except for J picking on my sister (like a true member of the family) and the traditional game of finding as many different license plates and yellow cars as possible.

From there, Charleston was literally a series of walks and meals. We took a night tour of the historic district that focused on crime (promising pirates, prostitution, and murder). I was pretty excited about the pirates. However, we mostly learned about ladies of the night, "Marys," prohibition, and Charleston's most hated serial killers. Apparently, Charleston didn't take prohibition very seriously and you could get your doctor to prescribe "weekend medicine" in case you couldn't possibly go Saturday and Sunday without your whiskey or gin. It's funny, we have a bunch of weekend medicine at home. Also, we learned the roots of the phrase "tap the admiral". I think that one has to be an urban legend.

On Monday, J had to sit in on a conference call for work, so my mom, sister and I walked down to the Charleston Market and checked out the local artisans. I found this cool basket and decided that it would look great in our apartment. (Disclaimer, it wasn't made in Charleston, but rather a group of women in Uganda.) Merry Christmas to me! It has been several years since I visited Charleston, so I was happy to just soak in the atmosphere and partake in the delicious cuisine. That leads me to the three highlights of our stay in Charleston:

1) Lunch at Magnolia's. J had the Low Country Bouillabaisse, which was out of this world, and I had Parmesan crusted flounder over Carolina rice cooked in a shrimp stock. This was the meal that displayed the pinnacle of southern cooking -- fresh ingredients, slow cooking, and delicious sauces. Also, rice isn't just a side dish here in South Carolina, it's a state of mind -- someday I hope to perfect my technique.

2) Lunch at Hominy Grill. On our way out of town on Tuesday, we stopped in to have lunch. The Hominy Grill is a little more "down home" cooking than Magnolia's, but no less tasty. I had a sesame-crusted catfish over fried cheese grits with sauteed okra and a geechee peanut sauce. J had a low country purloo, which is a rice casserole with sausage, shrimp and chicken. MMM!

3) Our stop at Middleton Place, which was an 18th-century plantation. We learned about the plantation through brochures found in various places in Charleston, but also when we visited the Old Slave Mart and learned that the beautiful French-inspired landscape was largely executed by slaves over the course of a decade. The skill required to create the terracing, the ponds and gardens was incredible. We spent over two hours walking around the grounds. Even in the middle of December, the landscape was breathtaking and I can only imagine how it must look when all of the trees and flowers are in bloom. I took tons of photos, but they'll have to wait until later.