SE Roadtrip Days 9-10: Charleston, SC 2012

Pineapple Fountain in Waterfront Park- Look at how pouty James is!

I've been to Charleston, SC four times before so I knew there was a lot to do, but each time I've visited I was only there for a brief visit. The first time was in 2001 for work, so I didn't have much time. The next time in 2006, Katy, Sarah B., and I just did a quick drive through on my birthday because we were actually staying at Edisto Island. In January of 2008, Kevin and I left on an "engagement cruise" that departed from Charleston so we ran around a little before departure time. That March, I came back with my law school friends for dinner and drinks, but we were staying in Edisto again so we didn't see much.  So on this trip, I tried to revisit everything I had seen before, plus any great sites I missed, plus one good restaurant.

We started at the City Market.  I had perused it on my trip in 2001, but on this trip we spent a bit of time looking for some art to hang on our wall at home. (Thanks for the inspiration, Sunny and Trey.) Unfortunately, the one little frame we debated was nixed.

Charleston City Market is indoor and outdoor

Inside the market

From there we walked down some main shopping streets to Waterfront Park.  James loves running around any and all parks, and I love the Pineapple Fountain. (Photo at top of post.) The first time I photographed it was in 2001.  I had just graduated college and think I might have been a little bummed to hear that it would take me 10 years to have a husband and a baby, but I think both of my boys were worth the weight. Oops! Freudian slip! I meant worth the wait, but I guess both are true.

On to Rainbow Row where the houses are painted in pastels.  I made Kevin take about a 100 photos of me here, but then I decided to use this one instead.  James is not impressed with the houses.

 

Kevin and James being photo-tortured on Rainbow Row

At that point we were going to drive over to Hominy Grill so that I could enjoy the highly recommended shrimp and grits... but James fell asleep. If there's a parenting rule we take fairly seriously it's don't wake a sleeping baby.  If there's one ROADTRIP rule we are religious about it's don't wake a sleeping baby.  So we decided to walk to (and back from) Hominy Grill.  I was exhausted and there was a wait when we got there, but a Rum Runner from the bar really helped me rally. The grits were good, and Kevin's chicken BBQ sandwich was even better, but the best part of the dining experience was that our well-rested child behaved inside a restaurant for the first time ever.  Kevin and I left the restaurant shell-shocked.

The outdoor bar at Hominy Grill

We went back to the hotel for a while and then took James out right before bedtime so we could stroll through Charleston at night.  Sadly we couldn't find anywhere to have for dinner that was sufficiently casual for a now past-his-bedtime James.  And maybe it was just a little masochistic seeing how fun the bar scene was in Charleston on a Saturday night, when we couldn't participate in it, but we could pretend right?

This was a church once, but now it's a bar

The next day we went back in to Charleston and had an amazing breakfast at a place called Caviar and Bananas.  I had a serano ham and manchego cheese burrito and jalapeno grits. Holy deliciousness.   (By the way, for those of you who know me well enough to know that I don't like spicy food-- I have been somewhat successfully eating spicy food for about a year now!)  We did part of the secretive Gateway Walk that takes you into the Unitarian Universalist Church garden and cemetery. It's very beautiful and extremely hard to find.

Gateway Walk

UU Church cemetery

Finally, we ended our trip at one of my favorite parks in Charleston, White Point Park near the Battery and the waterfront. James did his thing, chasing squirrels and trying to eat sticks like a puppy.

James in White Point Park

Chasing a squirrel

White Point Garden/ The Battery

Kevin and James at the Battery, in front of the Charleston Harbor

SE Roadtrip Day 7: Visiting Trey and Sunny in Jacksonville, FL 2012

We ventured a bit farther south to see Trey and Sunny's family. Trey is Kevin's close friend from high school in Florida, and they only get to see each other occasionally.  We were excited to finally meet Trey and Sunny's 9-month old son Cort.  James enjoyed Cort's company and his toys as they played together fairly quietly and grabbed things out of each others hands without too much fuss. Trey took the day off from work to spend with us, so the four guys spent the morning having guy time, as Sunny was at work and I was asleep.

Cort and James hanging out together

Once I got up the boys and I went for a long walk around Trey's neighborhood and two of the downtown areas in Jacksonville.  Interesting little fact, Jacksonville is the largest city by area in the United States, so there is a lot of sprawl, and quite a few "downtown areas."  We went to meet Sunny for lunch at a local pizzeria, where Kevin enjoyed torturing James by feeding him lemons. Despite the look on his face, James requested more lemon.

The boys strolling around the neighborhood

The Five Points downtown area

James actually loves lemons

The boys had more playtime after lunch, though James was a little more interested in chasing their dog Friday than in any other activities or toys. Trey and Sunny generously arranged for a babysitter to watch Cort and James while we went out on an adult double-date to a restaurant for dinner.  So we gave the boys a bath before heading out, and the babysitter put them to bed shortly after we left.

James and Cort playing with Friday

The dads gave them a bath, and they thought it was funny to label them "J" and "C"

I really enjoyed dinner! We went to Mojo 41 and had our third BBQ of the trip, as well as brisket and grits. They had different sauces on the table we could try with the BBQ which as fun. My favorite sauce was the house sauce, Mojo.  The drinks were especially delicious. By far my favorite part was hanging out with Trey and Sunny and just talking.  (Not to mention -- without the constant stress of trying to keep James from either killing himself or annoying other patrons.) Plus, we rarely go out on double dates and I had forgotten how much fun they are.  We talked about the kids, but we also talked about travel, work, and friends.  I wish we could have stayed out much longer, but sadly it was a work night for Trey and Sunny.  Thank you guys for a fun-filled day and evening!

Kevin, me, Trey, and Sunny at Mojo 41

SE Roadtrip Days 5-6: Atlanta, GA 2012

Group shot in Piedmont Park, Atlanta, GA

One thing we have learned immediately on this roadtrip is that you can take in much fewer sights with a baby, and Monday night I saw Christina's Facebook message that our motto should be "Survive!" so we paced ourselves on the first day in Atlanta.

We took recommendations on where to go, and everyone agreed we should try Varsity, a drive-in chili hot dog place.  The chili hotdogs were okay (a little small), but the place itself was awesome. They gave James a server's hat that we put to good use.

Varsity for chili hotdogs

Varsity hat for James

Beyond food, people we asked had no consensus on what we should do in Atlanta. The top guidebook recommendations are the Aquarium, Coca-Cola World and Centennial Park, but the Aquarium is prohibitively expensive if we're going to make it almost 3 weeks on the road, and we couldn't stomach paying to be advertised soda in 4-D.  We put Centennial Park on the list, but left it for day 2.

So we started at the Martin Luther King National Historic site in the Auburn section of Atlanta. The visitors center is a pretty small but interesting museum, and you can also go see MLK's grave at the Center for Nonviolence, his childhood home, and Ebenezer Baptist Church in the immediate area.  I thought the most moving part of the exhibit was seeing the very modest wagon that his coffin was carried in when he died. I've seen Presidential funeral processions in D.C., and the comparative modesty for a man who was a national hero is sad.

Outside the MLK visitor center

A civil rights march exhibit where you can join the march

The MLK Memorial at the Center for Nonviolence

Then we head over to Piedmont Park which James loved because the Active Oval had a huge section of grass he could run in without hurting himself.  After we saw how happy this made him we tried to fit in a park during as many days of our trip as we could. We liked it too because Piedmont Park is really beautiful with the city skyline overlooking lush green fields.  And that was it for me and James for the day. Kevin really wanted to see an Atlanta Braves game and see the stadium.  It was a night game and we don't think James is stadium-friendly even if it were a daytime game so James and I stayed behind while Kevin checked it out.

<

James gives Piedmont Park his vote

The Atlanta Braves

For Day 2, we started with the more touristy Centennial Park, designed as the Olympics town square during the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, but now more well-known for the terrorist bombing that took place there during the Olympics.  It was nice, but it wasn't as good for James to run around in, and apparently that's how we judge parks now.

James, stroller-bound in Centennial Park

Afterwards, we went for lunch at Fat Matt's Rib Shack, and wow, did that make our day.  We had the most terrific BBQ of our lives. Delicious! And everyone who worked there was really nice to us and asked us a bunch of questions about James. 

At Fat Matt's (notice James is about to steal my sandwich)

After lunch, we got one more site in-- the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum. The guide books aren't big on this museum, but I'm a big fan of President Carter.  I think he really stuck to his ideals in Washington, even if it turns out that it doesn't work-- I think he was our one "Mr. Smith" president. More importantly, the work he's done through the Carter Center after leaving the presidency has been really impressive. Anyway, I enjoyed the museum a lot because I'm a fan, and James enjoyed the museum because it wasn't crowded at all and it was largely child-proof and he got to run around.

Jimmy Carter museum Oval Office recreation

SE Roadtrip Day 2: Visiting Audra and Rob 2012

In preparation for our trip, I got Kevin to sleep a little more than he usually does Wednesday and Thursday night. He was so energetic from a few nights of 8 hours of sleep instead of 6, that somewhere in West Virginia, he made the decision to drive straight to Charlotte, North Carolina. There was merit in his decision because James was sleeping in the car and likely would have woken up if we stopped and not really allowed us to sleep at a hotel anyway. Still, it took us about 11.5 hours to get to Audra and Rob's house, and Kevin was exhausted. We spent a little time with the family, and when it was time for James to take his morning nap, we took a big fatty family nap with all three of us passed out the bed drooling.

Rob, Carter, and Audra

Audra and Rob have a son, Carter, very close to James's age. James is about 12.5 months old and Carter is 10.5 months old. Carter isn't walking yet, but he's crawling and pulling up a lot.  We figured with the age, weight, and mobility advantage, we'd have to protect Carter a little.  At first they played pretty easily and we were pleasantly surprised. Then, sweet little harmless Carter started making some loud babbling noises that would regularly reduce James to tears.  Full on tears, streaming down his face. Carter didn't understand what the problem was- why wouldn't his buddy James play anymore? Actually, none of us understood. James has been pushed around by bigger kids with no problem, but a little noise, and he was beside himself.

James and Carter playing together-ish


Starting a xylophone and maracas band


Carter is inspired to try walking with James around

Rob and Audra were super awesome hosts. Their house is beautiful, and Audra made us a delicious casserole for lunch. We played with the babies all afternoon and in the evening we went out to a cute Mexican place which was kid-friendly.  Well, kid-friendly for charming babies like Carter, but not so James-friendly since James hates sitting and his parent's happiness.

Bad baby James versus good baby Carter


At the restaurant- We're smiling, but inside we're crying a little

When we returned it was bathtime and bedtime! My favorite part of the day! After they went to bed we got to relax and enjoy some good beer Rob bought. Though I usually run to bed as early as possible these days I lingered to an almost respectable weekend bedtime because I was having a good time.

Bathtime friends

Carter is really cute! He's got Audra's eyes with Rob's color.