October 23, 2015
My Charleston Trip
Have you read my College of Charleston series? Book one is The List and book two is No Regrets (book 3, Moving On, will be out February 2016). If you have, then you might be interested in the pictures from my recent Charleston trip!
Our first morning in the Charleston area was spent in North Charleston, giving us the perfect opportunity to hit up the Tanger Outlets, which also happens to be where Cami takes Annie shopping in The List!
I may not have a bucket list (and I’m definitely not in my teens), but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t do some shopping of our own. Here’s my best friend, Erin, and me at the outlets!
When we finally made it downtown, I had to take a trip over to check out the dorm Cami and Annie–and Chris–lived in. Yup, here it is, the College of Charleston’s College Lodge! On the left is a picture of how it looked when I wrote my book, versus how it looks now. (They painted it without my knowledge.)
College Lodge photo courtesy of Post and Courier
I also swung by the college bookstore to buy myself a little souvenir…
Right down the street from College Lodge sits the Francis Marion, which where the group goes to eat breakfast for Annie’s birthday in The List and No Regrets. The Starbucks they frequent is in the lobby. Right across the street is Marion Square Park, which I didn’t get a picture. 🙁
King Street is just across the street, and if you ever decide to take a trip to Charleston, you’re definitely going to want to take a walk up this street! It’s gorgeous and a great location to do some shopping – just be sure you bring your credit card! It’s also expensive!
I mention the City Market a few times in my books. It’s a really fun place to visit that’s open daily, allowing tourists to shop for souvenirs from local vendors.
Carriage tours are also a favorite tourist attraction.
Remember how Annie and Cami talked about the dangers of walking on Charleston sidewalks in heels? Here’s why:
Bike Taxis are one thing I haven’t mentioned in my books, but if I end up writing a fourth I’ll definitely add it! These are a lifesaver when you’re trying to cross the city wearing three inch heels – especially after a few drinks!
And here’s Waterfront Park, which was a favorite place for Annie and Ryan to jog in The List.
The fountain at the main entrance (during tourist season it’s common to see kids running through the water):
Check out the gorgeous pier:
The bay (If you look close enough, you can see Fort Sumter in the distance):
And of course, the Pineapple Fountain (also a favorite place for kids to swim on hot summer days during tourist season):
Erin, and Me in front of the fountain:
And finally, the Ravenel Bridge (It wasn’t lit up at night, so I had to settle for a day shot):
What’s one of the BEST things about Charleston? The food! If you ever visit the city, expect to be full (and broke) when you leave. Charleston has some of the most delicious (and expensive) restaurants, but it’s worth every penny! While visiting we ate at Magnolia’s, Cypress, The Drawing Room, Toast and Kaminski’s. We also hit up The Rooftop Bar and Henry’s for drinks in the evening.
Erin and me at Magnolia’s:
While there, Erin and I also got tattoos – just like Annie. Like I said, I don’t have a bucket list, but this is something we’ve been wanting to do together for a few years, so we decided to just go for it.
Our last morning in Charleston we took a quick trip out to Isle of Palms. This was the day before the hurricane rains hit (which flooded the downtown area) so it was chilly and windy and threatening rain, but it was still great to be back after four years!
Driving under the Ravenel Bridge:
Here’s the street view of Isle of Palms:
Look at this amazing houses on Isle of Palms? The picture doesn’t do them justice, trust me!It was a house like this one that Liam’s dad owns in No Regrets-and where they have their amazing beach parties.
And that’s the Charleston portion of Momcation 2015! You can check out the Walking Dead portion on my October 29th post, which is part of the Band of Dystopian Zombie Blog Crawl for Halloween week!
Did these pictures spark your interest? If so, be sure to check out my College of Charleston series, available from Lyrical Shine and inspired by this gorgeous city!
