We got a later than expected start in Asheville. We slept in, read our books, took a nap, and packed up. We headed to Asheville for about an hours worth of walking downtown and looking in some shops. Lane found a cute dress and top! We headed to Charleston around 2:00.
Day 1
This was one of the stops we were most excited for. Charleston is a super cool city, Jess had never been there, and Lane’s awesome aunt, uncle and cousins live there! Pam is Lane’s mom’s sister. Then there is uncle Rob, cousin Polly (who we stayed with!), cousin MariElena - husband Joe, 1 1/2 year old son Hudson, cousin Evy - husband Chris, kids Sarah (13) and Robert (8). They are so fun and Lane has not been to South Carolina since Mare’s wedding (2004?).
We stopped off at Bojangles (famous chicken and biscuits - think “classier popeyes or KFC”) that was actually quite good. Jess had his very first ever grilled chicken sandwich! He enjoyed it. We made it to Polly’s super cute house in the West Ashley portion of the city around 7 pm. She gave us a tour of her amazingly cute, Charleston-esque home (this a theme...) and showed us our room. We then all piled into Polly’s 4-runner and headed over to Uncle Rob and Aunt Pam’s house not too far away. Mare, Joe, and Hudson arrived not too much longer after we did, and we settled in around the dining room table for some laughs and conversation. Pam and Rob had made a decadent meal in true Dickson style. Being wined and dined is also a theme of our Charleston visit. (sidenote: Rob owned “Robert’s of Charleston” restaurant for 30 some odd years in downtown Charleston and now Mare and Joe have taken the space over and created a speakeasy called the Gin Joint!) Joe is an amazing cocktail scientist which is what his focus is at the Gin Joint. He brought over this kegerator type machine with some lovely contents inside. It was a great dinner of corn on the cob, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and cow. Polly, Lane, Jess, Mare, Joe, and Hudson (when you own the bar, you can bring your baby) headed over to the Gin Joint for some after dinner beverages. Jess went with a classic Old Fashion (the best he has ever had) and Lane went with Bartender’s Choice using the adjectives: Fizzy and Refreshing - which was a cucumber sort of Tom Collins. Delicious. They have owned the Joint for two years now, and it is doing really well! They are being recognized in the media, and Joe even had a magazine cover shoot while we were there! They are known for their distinct, well made drinks - Joe is a mad scientist when it comes to the ice for his cocktails. He has a crazy ice machine in their garage which makes huge blocks of ice which he cuts with a chainsaw and brings to the restaurant. He uses this “super pure” ice to make precise 1 inch cubes and 3 in cubes (I think?!). He also puts the ice in a super cool machine from Japan to make spherical ice. The thought is that if you can decrease the surface area of the ice than there is a less water to liquor ratio which is always good! They are also know for Mare’s delicious food! Polly was sad we would not be in town for a Gin Joint Sunday Brunch which is a highlight. Their promotion is: “Come Spirit Filled, Leave Spirit Filled”. We headed back to Polly’s and crashed for the night.
Day 2
We slept in until around 10 am! We must have really enjoyed sleeping in a real bed! We moseyed about, and we met Pam and Rob for some lunch at Butcher and Bee’s. (wined and dined) They had delicious sandwiches and such with all of their ingredients being local. Jess had another Pork sandwich. That makes about 20 meals in a row. ` We headed to the beach on Sullivan’s Island stopping to get peanuts along the way. (PS. there are a ton of islands around Charleston which we had never realized). We met Mare, Joe, Hudson, Evy, Sarah, and Robert there. It was super windy so we all sat in a circle in the water to stay cool and out of the wind. The waves at this beach were mild and the water was warm! Very different than the Pacific. Little Robert even let Jess try his skimboard a time or two. A storm was rolling in, so we headed over to Evy’s house. Evy and Chris just bought a new house and were closing on it just a couple of days after we left! We did not get to see it, but we got to see their old house (which is also quite amazing! theme...) We showered up and headed over to the Gin Joint for predinner drinks and apps at the Gin Joint. Being family with the owners really pays off. We got 5 star treatment =). We got the giant soft pretzels and these pork rolls that melted in your mouth. Jess went with a Highland Fizz and I had another cucumber concoction. We then all headed to James Island where Mare, Joe and Hudson have an adorable, Charleston-esque house (theme). They made us beef fajitas (everything homemade, of course). Joe, again, made sure we all had an awesome drink in hand, and we got to view the ice machine in action. We headed back to Polly’s with our tummies full and satisfied. We put in a load of laundry and called it a night.
Day 3:
We were packed and ready by 9:30. Polly gave us everything but the kitchen sink (which we actually got later at her store, Half Moon!) to take with us on the road. Best hostess award! We headed to a final hurrah breakfast with Pam, Rob, and Polly at a quaint joint on the water. Lane’s chicken fried steak, eggs and grits + Jess’s chicken and waffles was the perfect southern breakfast. We had one last stop at Polly’s work before we hit the road. Polly is the boss man at the camping and outdoor store Half Moon which has several locations in and around S.C. (Think: a cooler REI) We purchased a Kitchen Sink for camping and Polly hooked us up with a couple of T-Shirts and we were on our way!
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