Historic Charleston

is surprisingly nice. I guess I'm officially old.

Seriously, I can see why most kids would be bored to tears here. The attractions (that I was privy to, anyway) seemed kind of...slow - shopping, eating, pretty (eh, doesn't really cut it; how about magnificent, awe-and-covetousness-inspiring, history-in-the-making, gorgeously appointed, both inside and out) houses/buildings, significant historical sites, a nice seawall for walkies, neat old graveyards, piles and piles of bricks and cobblestones, and so on. There were a few more exciting moments, like spotting the cannons (sealed up, mocked-up cannon balls all stuck together), seeing dolphins and pelicans hunt and play, but nothing really surprise- or adrenaline-inducing. My parents probably would have been forced to drown kid me if they'd try to vacation in Charleston. These days, however, all these things merely provided a really, really fun (comparatively) conference experience.

Also, I got to eat fried: cod, hush puppies, potatoes, eggs (a stretch, I know), chicken, okra, and pickles. I skipped the fried green tomatoes only because my heart couldn't take it anymore. The historic area of town is also pretty much an ice cream mecca. Within two blocks of our hotel there were about 7 or 8 ice cream shops. A nice mix of chain and local shops, the best was when they ice cream (or gelato) stands were located inside the candy (read: homemade praline factory) stores. They actually call to you on the street from inside the shops, proclaiming, "free praline samples! Come taste!" And we did. Yum!