We decided to spend our afternoon indulging in Charleston’s Beauty. From historical parks to the beaches we spent the day capturing what I call picture-perfect settings. Charleston, South Carolina is known for its history, cuisine, and hospitality. “My city” is an expression I now decided to use in order to gravitate to the city’s beauty and charm. I grew up here, it’s safe to say that I am a Charlestonian and I have watched the expansion and I am confident in understanding why so many brides and grooms flock to our city for destination weddings, why the population is growing and why we have a strong tourism industry.
When I reflect on earlier years, I think about my uncle taking us fishing off of The Battery (White Point Gardens). We would leave early in the morning with packed lunches and spend the day casting our lines off the banks of Charleston’s harbor. Another fond memory is on Sunday evenings my parents would take us to Waterfront Park. As a child, the Pineapple sprinkler was my favorite fountain to play in. I attended Catholic School at Sacred Heart on King Street and during basketball season we would walk to Father Cleary Hall for practice. It was so much fun and definitely my only experience with walking through Charleston city streets without adult presence as a child. The Diocese of Charleston sold the hall and now it appears to be a business park or an apartment complex. Yet Charleston City Market is by far most memorable to me growing up because whenever family came to visit we would spend time “downtown at the market”. The Ben & Jerry’s on Market St is the same location my father took me and that was the first place I ate Mint Chocolate Chunk and I’ve been in love with it ever since.
During my early years, our family spent many summer days on the outskirts of Charleston enjoying the beaches; Isle of Palms, Sullivans Island, and Folly Beach. Summer is not summer in Charleston if you do not have family fun days at the beach. Even now when I travel to the beach the sent of the ocean automatically makes me crave seafood, blue crab in particular. From my blogs, I am sure you’ve noticed that I love seafood and soul food. All credits go to Charleston, my southern roots. We are known for soul food dishes and seafood. Several Charleston restaurants and chefs have been featured on Food Network and in Food & Wine Magazines. So please check some of my Dinner for Two recipes including Shrimp & Grits, Gumbo, Cajun Chicken & Rice even my blog post “For the Love of Crab”.
Post & Courier wrote, “Charleston is the No. 1 U.S. city for the seventh year in a row, according to the Travel + Leisure magazine’s “World’s Best” awards. Charleston also ranked 12th on the magazine’s list of the 15 best cities in the world, making it one of only two U.S. destinations to make the cut. Charleston came in at No. 10 on the world rankings last year and took the top spot in 2016.” As it’s said… the proof is in the pudding!
Bradley's Homestead 