My title might tip you off just a little bit, but I just got back from a fabulous trip to Charleston, South Carolina.  Everyone I've ever known to have lived in Charleston will sing its praises until he is blue in the face, and I get it.  It's a fantastic place to visit, and I could imagine it would be a nice place to live too. 

Some friends from DC got married there this weekend, and I had a perfectly delightful weekend traipsing around the streets lined with fun, fancy, and quirky shops, wandering through the open air market with the ladies making sea grass baskets and young men making sea grass roses, walking along the waterfront, all while in the company of some of my dearest friends.  The wedding was beautiful, full of joy, and the bride and groom were beaming.  The reception gave us the chance to boogie the night away, and we learned that Yankees (and some southerners) can't square dance.  My group of 8 was so bad they tried to give us remedial help.  We might not have been the best students...  It was a lot of fun to catch up with friends from my grad school days, and it was interesting to see that about half of us had moved away from DC over the past 3 years (mostly to the south.  go figure. I certainly didn't think it's where I'd end up.)

If you haven't made it to Charleston, I highly, highly recommend it.  It's a walkable city, and is a blast to wander through.  I had crab cakes (blue crab!) at Hymans, a famous seafood restaurant there, and they rivaled my Maryland's.  They weren't better than my favorite Md version, but they were good enough to get, and from this native, that is a very big thing. 

If I can ever figure out how to post pictures on this blog, I will put a few up (or link to my snapfish page at the least) to show you just why I love it.  Rainbow row, Battery Park, Waterfront Park, Market Street, King Street, Meeting Street... I'm telling you, if you're looking for a girls' getaway, this is your place.  (I'm not sure how boys would feel about it).

Next trip on the docket: Home for the holidays at the end of the month.  I can't believe it's December!