Charelston: Day 4, The Finale

There are four weeks until the marathon, until then, bear with me as running prefaces nearly all of my days. Today, I was out to explore the harbor. I ran a big loop around downtown Charleston, spending most of my time along the water for a total of seven miles. The run lasted longer than I anticipated and my friends were getting antsy. Boyfriend packed while I stretched and showered, and like that, we were out the door.

We were waiting in line when Butcher & Bee opened. Boyfriend and I each ordered a sandwich and an appetizer, all of which was divine. This was probably, next to Jeni's, the best place we visited the whole trip. From there, we traversed to City Lights for coffee. Though reading several positive reviews, I was disappointed in City Lights. There wasn't anything extraordinary about this place, except, if you're local, they give away compost. I was upset with myself for foregoing Stumptown Coffee, my absolute favorite coffee ever, brewed at Butcher & Bee. And for someone who is not a risk taker, the shame. Oh well. Boyfriend opted for Stumptown, so I actually had a little of his and a lot of my own City Lights brew.

Perhaps it can be said that I over schedule everything, including vacation, so I often joke that I do build in time for spontaneity--both on the job, in life, and while traveling. Next up, a perfect example: Tom's Toys. Here we played with Kapla blocks and awed at the museum-style exhibit of Kapla construction. We finally pulled ourselves away from the blocks following more than an hour of play. It was tough, but schedule. I took the crew for a history lesson at The Battery, which ended up involving little learning and lots of photography. Farewells were bid to the group, and the ever lucky A.J.S. was left with Boyfriend and I for two remaining stops on our Tour de Charleston. First up, a three-mile walk to Magnolia Cemetery. The weather had calmed slightly, so the walk wasn't totally miserable. Plus, we saw a lot of Charleston's finer parts on route. Culture, folks. I could have spent all day in the cemetery. That might be weird, I don't know. There's just so much wonder in a cemetery.

Afterwards, we needed refreshing drinks and Edmund's Oast, a highly touted, recently opened establishment was conveniently placed at the cemetery exit. Planning, folks. If only we didn't have a 7:45 pm flight to catch and another trip to Jeni's prior to that, Boyfriend would have been stayed here forever; he was in heaven. I was enjoying myself as I sampled the Iqhilika African Coffee Mead. We picked up Dell'z Deli for the flight home, though we ended up being too exhausted to think about food. It all worked out in the end, our fridge was empty, and Tuesday lunches were already prepared.

This trip was successful in every way.