First Day in Charleston

My stay in Charleston was at the Mills House Hotel. It has one of the best if not the best locations in Charleston for touring the historic district. It was built in 1853. Robert E. Lee, Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman and George and Barbara Bush are among the notables who have stayed there. I arrived at 9:30 AM and doubted that I would be able to check in to my room at such an early hour. I was pleasantly surprised when I was told that my room was ready. Fortunately I was being assisted by a bellman. The card keys would not open the door to my room. The bellman said he would take them back to the desk and return with new ones. I started checking out the room. There was one lamp that I could not turn on. There was also a soiled washcloth in the bathtub. Fortunately before I found anything else the bellman returned. He told me I was being assigned to another room. This was good news. The new room was in very good shape.

Since I left Savannah at such an early hour I had not had breakfast. I went down to the Mills House restaurant. Just as I was about to enter the restaurant the fire alarm sounded. I was near a door. People were going on about their business. A few people moved toward the door. I detected an odor that smelled like food burning. A flare-up in the kitchen was the source of the problem. Things soon settled down, and I had a big breakfast.

I then went out on Meeting Street and headed south toward White Point Gardens and The Battery. The houses and flowers were unbelievable. It was a perfect day. Everywhere I looked I wanted to take another picture. I was really glad I had gone to Savannah first. If I had seen Charleston first, I might have been disappointed in Savannah. The houses in Charleston have been preserved through the years. Savannah went through many years of decline before they started their preservation programs in the historic district. They have done a remarkable job of restoring their old homes, but they are no match for Charleston. Charleston has city ordinances that regulate how the buildings in the historic district are maintained. Charleston has no skyscrapers. No building can be taller than the church steeples. Charleston is built on a peninsula. White Point Gardens or The Battery is at the tip which provides wonderful views of the harbor and Cooper River. There is an elevated walkway that provides an excellent view of the homes and harbor.

I walked and walked until I could barely make it back to the hotel. After a little rest I consulted my Frommer’s Portable Charleston guidebook for a place to eat. I found a restaurant called Poogan’s Porch that sounded interesting and looked like it was nearby. It was closer than I realized. The Mills House is on the corner of Meeting Street and Queen Street. Poogan’s Corner is on Queen St. I was glad I only had a short walk. The restaurant is in an old house. The previous owners left their little dog, Poogan, behind in 1976 when the house was turned into a restaurant. Poogan stayed on the front porch and greeted customers. He passed away in 1979. His headstone and statue are in front of the porch. Poogan’s Porch serves low county cuisine. I had a low-country salad plate that consisted of four different kinds of salads. They were really good.

My meal revived me, and I took off to view more of the old houses and gardens. I over did the picture-taking, but I am sure anyone that has visited Charleston in the springtime will understand. The Mills House is very close to St. Michael’s Episcopal Church which is the oldest church in Charleston and has the impressive white steeple. There was a magazine in my room with a night-time photo of the church on the cover that caught my attention. I had brought my camera tripod with me and had not used it. I decided I would go out and try to photograph the church. My efforts do not match the professional photo on the magazine but still I like my picture shown above.