A woman weaves a sweetgrass basket for the tourists in Charleston, baskets that have been made for nearly 400 years in this area. Originally used to collect rice and cotton in the plantation fields, the baskets today come in all shapes, designs and price points. Charleston is a city of traditions, from the architecture to the food. From the minute I first met Charleston's streets, I was charmed by this southern city. Unlike any other in the United States, Charleston knows its past and isn’t afraid to show it in every way, shape or form. Perhaps that is why you seldom hear a bad thing about Continue Reading
Andersonville, Georgia Wishes You Were Here
The railroad barricades come down, signaling an impending train is coming. One car makes the death-defying leap from one side to the other. Once the train clears and I am free to move on, I continue on the lonely stretch to Andersonville, Georgia. Andersonville is home to the National Prisoner of War Museum and the Andersonville National Cemetery and Prison Site. This simple stretch of land is evidence of the horrors of the American Civil War. A visit here begins through the museum, serving as a memorial to all American prisoners of war. The concept of humane treatment of prisoners of wars Continue Reading
Hotel Elysée: A Night With Tennessee Williams, Marlon Brando and Old New York
Full Disclosure: I received a complimentary night at Hotel Elysée. These are my opinions about the hotel. Your opinions may vary. The chatter of Italian businessmen in the lobby mixes with music seldom heard to my ears. “You have been upgraded to a suite,” the woman behind the desk says with a smile. I am shown to the elevator, an elevator seemingly from the film Thoroughly Modern Millie, the kind you might have to dance to get going to your desired floor. Stepping into Hotel Elysée is like stepping back into another era, where the reception is warm and the charm comes through quirky Continue Reading
Pawleys Island, South Carolina Wishes You Were Here
It is a Saturday, the perfect day for unadulterated laziness. The week is gone and the weekend has arrived. I hop in the car with coffee in hand on this Saturday morning to explore Pawleys Island. Crossing over a causeway, embraced by salt marshes on each side, the disconnect between the mainland to this barrier island lends the sensation of leaving it all behind, as only few places can. Just 70 miles north of Charleston and 25 miles south of Myrtle Beach, Pawleys Island seems to forever remain floating in a lazy Saturday state of mind. The barrier island is less than four miles long, but Continue Reading
24 Hours of Ambling Around Asheville
I wonder what Thomas Wolfe really thought of Asheville, North Carolina. A man who would never live down penning the line, “You can’t go home again,” did have a home in Asheville and his remains are still here. George Vanderbilt would disagree about this mountain town, ideally located in Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountain territory. Not only could he make a home in Asheville, but he could envision what would become the largest home in America, one he would go home to again and again. Something tells me, the two probably wouldn’t see eye to eye, or home to home. Arriving in Asheville Continue Reading
The Outer Banks Wish You Were Here
Flashes of lightening send the sky into an identity crisis between blinding light and extreme darkness. Rain lends a natural carwash, sounding more like sprinkles meeting the ground after falling from the kitchen cabinet. The mad dash indoors begins. One. Two. Three. Go. This night seems fitting for my first on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The Outer Banks of North Carolina stretch from the Virginia state line to Cape Lookout in the south, joined by bridges and ferries. A storm far greater than the one I am in tonight decided to rip through this vulnerable stretch just weeks before my Continue Reading
They Taught Us To Fly
“I hate flying,” the man seated next to me said. I instantly started to consider the little boy on a previous flight, who proudly told the pilot the flight was fun. Flyers become jaded at a certain point. There are so many factors working against enjoying flying, I suppose. I sat back as the plane took a bumpy landing, just before rejoining the ground in Tulsa. I began my trip out to North Carolina, where I am now, with a plane ride. It has become so routine. We board a flight. We hope it travels safely. And then, we land. What I don’t always consider is just how impressive it is, how Continue Reading