Charleston Reigns Supreme As Top Destination Beating Out San Francisco

Dock Street Theater

We're number one, we're number one, and I ain't just blowing smoke up your Rhett Butler. Sorry Rhett, but "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." Well, at least number one with over 27,000 readers of Conde Nast Travelers. Charleston for 14 years was in the top five cities, during which San Francisco reigned supreme for most of those years. Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report, a native son who grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, on James Island, presented the award and said, "I've been all over the world, and Charleston is the most beautiful city I've ever seen." How's that San Fran.

What was it about San Francisco that made it a favorite destination for years by so many people? I have not been to San Francisco personally, so anything I know about the city is either by word of mouth or what I have read and pictures I have seen.

San Fran and Charleston are in some ways similar, but also quite different. You can't swim in the Pacific Ocean around San Fran without a wet suit because the temperature of the water rarely rises above 60 degrees. San Francisco is shrouded by fog throughout the year making it damp and cool. It has skyscrapers and big city traffic. On top of it, San Francisco has the locally famous naked guys walking around like they were in the Garden of Eden.

Charleston's water temperatures reach into the 80's during the summer months making it excellent for taking a dip in just a bathing suit or a bikini. It is one of the sunniest locations in the nation. My six years of observation and experience with Charleston's weather has taught me that during the fall and winter seasons it rarely rains, and fog is only a once in a while nuisance. There are no skyscapers in Charleston. In fact, there is the story that, either by law or out of respect, nothing can be built taller than the St. Matthew’s steeple within the Holy City. At least, that is what the tours tell us. The steeple rises 255 feet, 7 and 5/8 inches above sea level. And as far as the naked thing goes, that would not go over very well here in the Bible Belt. Thank God for that. You would not want to be following the bouncing balls of that song and dance.

San Francisco and Charleston both have beautiful beaches. They both have famous bridges. Both cities are centrally located near other popular destinations.

A two to three hour drive south from San Fran is one of the most stunningly beautiful places in the country, Pebble Beach's oceanside golf courses, Carmel by the Sea, the Big Sur, 17-Mile Drive, and Monterey, home of the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. Go to the northeast some three hours and the roads will take you to sunny Lake Tahoe. The famous Napa Valley wine country is a short hop and a skip.

Two and a half hours to the north of Charleston is the ever popular Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand. One and a half hours to the south is Charleston's sister city of the South, Savannah. Two cities that have so much in common historically and ghostly, but structurally layed out in their own unique ways. One hour outside of Charleston are Kiawah Island and the Kiawah Island Golf Resort, host of the 2012 PGA Championship.

One final similarity, and this is a unique feature I would take notice of. Both cities are some six hours from one of my all-time favorite destinations, Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida.

Well, that's the long and the short of it, more short than long. A tale of two cities sharing the same land mass called North America, one on the west coast, the other on the east coast, yet worlds apart.

So, celebrate Charleston and enjoy the honorary distinction of being number one. Our growing crop of award-winning restaurants and hotels has put the city over the top. Our hospitality and friendliness are scoring big too. Charleston was also awarded the honor of being Friendliest City in America from Travel + Leisure.

If you want to learn more about San Francisco from a southeners point of view checkout James A. Martin-A Southerner in San Francisco. Most of my information comes from a first hand observer. My son lived there for a few years and he loved it. He is a well known skateboarder who surfed and took frequent trips to Lake Tahoe for snowboarding. He once cycled from San Francisco to Cleveland, Ohio where he now lives.

Other rankings:
French Quarter Inn (No. 15-Top U.S. Hotels)
Charleston Place (No. 30-Top U.S. Hotels)
Planters Inn (No. 52-Top U.S. Hotels)
Market Pavilion (No. 62-Top U.S. Hotels)
John Rutledge House Inn (No. 16-Top U.S. Small Hotels)
Wentworth Mansion (No. 17-Top U.S. Small Hotels)
Wild Dunes Resort (No. 121-Top Mainland U.S. Resorts)

If you want more information on these and other attractions and landmarks go to the top of my blog and type what you are looking for in the search.

Where Have The Alligators Gone And Alabaster-The Rarest Of Gators

Look closely for the alligator

With the end of summer and the advent of fall, we no longer see the alligators that once inhabited our ponds here in White Gables. Have you ever wondered where they go? Do they migrate to a warmer place? The answer to the second question is no. The answer to the first question is as follows. Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they are not there. That being said, alligators can travel over land or through rivers for several miles, so it is possible the alligators of White Gables could have moved to a more accommodating place to hunker down for the winter.

Alligators are just as much a part of Charleston culture as sweet tea. They fascinate us. We take are kids down to the ponds to watch them. We grab our cameras to photograph them. So, since they are fellow residents and neighbors, we need to know something about them.

Alligators can and do eat just about anything. Sticks, stones, bricks, and even aluminum cans have been found in the stomachs of mature alligators. Their stomachs are the most acidic of any vertebrate. I guess you could call them liter-debuggers. Still, that is not their preferred cuisine. They are carnivores, meat eaters that feed at night. If you think you are safe in a tree, think again. Alligators can leap 5 feet or more out of the water if they see something to their liking. They can even snatch a bird out of the air.

An alligator is not considered sexually active until it reaches 6 feet. In cooler regions of their habitat, such as North Carolina, that could take 16-20 years, and in warmer climates, 8-9 years. When they do reach maturity, alligators restrict their breeding and nesting activities to the warm summer months. Temperature is very important for the first half of incubation of the 40-60 eggs the female lays in built up mounds. Temperatures in the nest less than 86 degrees produce only females, temperatures above 90 degrees produce only males.

American alligators are cold-blooded animals, generally are active year round in South Carolina. They do not hibernate in the true sense, they do undergo periods of dormancy in cold weather months, November to March. They excavate a cave in the bank of a waterway and enlarge the inner chamber so a portion of it is above the water level, allowing them to surface occasionally to breathe. On exceptionally warm days they may pop theirs heads up to see what is going on.

Alligators can hold their breath up to an hour. So, if you see one and it dips below the water, getting its picture may involve a long wait. We should keep in mind that an alligator should NEVER, NEVER, NEVER be fed! The alligators get accustomed to people and, instead of fearing humans, they begin to expect people to feed them. This can lead to alligators being aggressive and a “nuisance species." Bad for them, bad for us. The American alligators habitat ranges from coastal North Carolina to the Everglades in Florida.

Visit the South Carolina Aquarium for a rare treat, an albino alligator. Its name is Alabaster. Alabaster is very rare because in the wild, albino alligators only have about a 24-hour survival rate. Alabaster is the newest addition to the Blackwater Swamp Exhibit. Visit the Aquarium and learn about this rare creature. See you there. Ticket prices for the Aquarium and 4-D theater.

Woodlands Inn And Resort of Summerville-Come For The Party On The Lawn

Today, November 8, 2011, it is 74 degrees and sunshine, sunshine, sunshine in Summerville, SC. Could it get any better? Maybe, alittle wine with the sunshine, and how about some song. Reminds me of a famous quote, "Who loves not wine, women and song, remains a fool his whole life long.” Let's take it a step further. Another quote, “I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.” Now you have all the ingredients for a goodtime: food, wine, and music.

Sunday, Nov 13, 2011, The Woodlands Resort Inn of Summerville, SC will be bringing all of these amenities together for their second annual Wine and Art Under the Pines. Regardless of the weather, you are invited to gather with other guests on the Woodlands Inn lawn for wine and food tastings, art displays and sales, a silent auction and musical entertainment.

The musical entertainment will be provided by former Summerville local singer/songwriter, Eddie Bush of One Flew South. That in itself is worth spending money on a ticket. Tickets are $35 per person until November 7th and are $50 thereafter. Time is 1:00pm to 5:00pm. Location is 125 Parsons Road Summerville, SC, 800-774-9999.

Eddie Bush is a standout favorite to all those familiar with the local music scene. For over two decades he had been a regular in local clubs as a solo performer and as the lead singer of the Eddie Bush Group. A self taught guitarist, his guitar skills earned him several first place honors in local battle of the bands contests in the 1990's.

Several years ago a solo release caught the attention of Nashville producer/songwriter Marcus Hummon. Eddie Bush was paired with Royal Reed and Chris Roberts. The result was the formation of pop country band, One Flew South, formed in the tradition of the Eagles, Poco, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, with a little Alabama and the Beach Boys thrown in for good measure. What is there not to like about that.

The Woodlands Inn and Resort of Summerville is a restored 1906 Charleston estate. It has been restored to become a Five Star, Five Diamond Inn that rests on 42 private acres amidst a grove of palmettos, moss-draped oak, and towering magnolias. One of only four lodging properties in the United States to receive the Five Star and Five Diamond hotel awards for both lodging and dining.

It offers a dining experience that is world renowned, not to leave out, a local favorite. Its New American cuisine incorporates the freshest, most exclusive ingredients gathered by private gardeners, day-boat fisherman and farmers. The service by the dining staff is superlative, and I can personally vouch for that. The resort also has a two-bedroom, 1,300 square foot Country Cottage.

Morris Island Lighthouse-Once A Beacon Of Light, Now A Symbol Of Survival

The phrase "shifting sands of time" is an old saying usually associated with an hour glass. Its meaning forebodes a change in circumstances. A famous lighthouse outside of Charleston Harbor, once a proud guardian of the coastline, now a vanquished sentinel, was victimized by the shifting sands of time, literally. The lighthouse residents and visitors see today was constructed beginning in 1873 and completed 1876. It was named the Morris Island Lighthouse because that is where it once upon a time stood. Sounds like the beginning of a fairy tale, but this is no fairy tale.

The Morris Island Lighthouse no longer stands on Morris Island. The sands upon which it was built are no longer there and this is where our story has a twist. Once upon a time Morris Island was actually three islands that stretched from Folly Beach to Sullivan's Island, and the lighthouse you see today was not the first Charleston lighthouse. The three islands were named Middle Bay Island, Morrison Island, and Cummings Point.

The first lighthouse tower built in 1767 stood 102 feet and had a revolving lamp with a range of 12 miles. In time, changing tidal currents altered the channel leading into Charleston and the three islands slowly merged into one and became just Morrison Island, later shortened to Morris. Then, the Civil War came and the lighthouse suffered an explosive ending. Fleeing Confederate troops blew up the lighthouse so Union troops couldn't benefit from it.

The lighthouse we see today was the replacement for the destroyed lighthouse. It stands at a height of 161 feet. This is where the story takes a twist. The channel shifted once again. This time threatening the Charleston Harbor, which could not be allowed to happen. Jetties were built, saving the harbor, but the result caused severe erosion on Morris Island. The island shrunk. Many of the buildings, which included the keeper's house and a school house, were destroyed by other powerful natural forces or moved. Slowly, the shifting sands retreated from around the lighthouse. The light was automated in 1938 and the Fresnel lens was removed. It continued to operate until it was eventually decommissioned in 1962.

The lighthouse address is now several hundred feet in the ocean. Yes, literally surrounded by the deep blue sea. The Coast Guard planned on destroying it, but local residents came to the rescue. It is now privately owned and efforts are underway to preserve it.

The Morris Island Lighthouse is just one of many in a system of lighthouses built up and down the East Coast--standing as protectors and guides. Some of them are still active, some of them are not. Some of them are open to the public, some are not. They are great subjects for photographs and their history is fascinating. To see what life was like for the caretakers and keepers of the lighthouses, visit one and take on the experience of climbing the hundreds of stairs to the top. The view is spectacular.

The Morris Island Lighthouse, for obvious reasons, is not open to the public. You can view it from the shores of Folly Beach. Another historical site affected by the erosion was Fort Wagner--the famous Confederate fort featured in the movie "Glory" with Matthew Broderick as Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. Although the jetties caused the erosion of Morris Island, it saved Charleston Harbor. It is a great place to fish.

The lens installed at Morris Island was a first-order Fresnel lens--the largest, most powerful and expensive lens with an illuminating apparatus fueled by mineral oil. A Fresnel lens is a multi-part lens developed by French physicist and engineer Augustin-Jean Fresnel. When compared to a conventional lens it is much thinner, larger, and flatter, and captures more oblique light from a light source, thus allowing lighthouses to be visible over much greater distances.

I recently went on a trip to Corolla, Outer Banks and toured the Currituck Lighthouse, which heightened my interest to check out Charleston's lighthouses.