Sky’s The Limit for Charleston’s Latest Waterfront Brainstorm

While standing on the end of Waterfront Park’s long pier outfitted with picnic tables and wooden swings and looking north to the shoreline just a few hundred feet away, you will see rising six stories into Charleston’s steeple-dotted skyline the city’s latest mega-complex. It will be comparative to Charleston Place with one distinctive difference, it will be home to the only luxury hotel on the historic French Quarter waterfront.

Carnival ships, Ecstasy and Sunshine, dominated this view when they were in port. The scene is changing. December 30 will be the final cruise to set sail from Charleston for the Bahamas. Say goodbye to the Carnival Cruise line and say hello to the soon-to-open Cooper Hotel.

The historic district of Charleston was anything but historic before the 1980s, and King Street was a real estate of empty storefronts. Something needed to happen to rekindle the historical flame that once burned in this cosmopolitan coastal port city. Joe Riley began the construction of Charleston Place and set in motion the beginning of the city’s revival. Charleston was back on the map as a travel destination.

The Cooper complex is slated as “the first extraordinary step in the reimagining of Charleston’s storied waterfront.” Its diverse amenity offerings are world class, and like Charleston Place, will be open to residents, visitors, and world travelers wanting to experience the charm and hospitality of Charleston’s commercially and recreationally welcoming spirit.

The Cooper’s amenities will include a ground-floor retail space with boutique shops, a 12,000 square-foot full-service spa and fitness center, and a nearly 20,000 square-foot event space. Its four restaurants will consist of a waterfront diner, coffee shop, seafood restaurant, and a rooftop lounge with a dedicated public elevator with entrance from the park. The rooftop bar will be enclosed in floor-to-ceiling glass doors and overlook both the Arthur Ravenel bridge to the left and the waterfront park’s pineapple fountain to the right.

The hotel will have a compliment of 191 accommodations with options to choose sun-bathed guest rooms and suites with waterfront views of the harbor. Room-paying guests will be able to lounge around or swim in the hotel’s jaw dropping outdoor infinity-edge pool, also overlooking the waterfront. It is proclaimed as one the best pool experiences in the Southeast, possibly rivaling anything on the East Coast. The pool will have its own bar.

The Cooper’s green space along the waterfront will be integrated with the Joe Riley Waterfront Park, extending the park’s pathway beginning at the north entrance on Concord Street over 400 feet to the Fleet Landing Restaurant and Bar at Cumberland Street. As part of the extension, there will be a new dock and marina facility, which will allow for boat dockage.

The Cooper Hotel will have three different boats available for its hotel guests including a yacht for dinners and events, as well as a water taxi service to Daniel Island. Guests in BHC-affiliated locations, like the Charleston Place, will also have access to the boats.

Uneventful and seldom traveled Concord Street between Cumberland and Vendue Range will soon be transformed into a mecca of five-star accommodations and world-class amenities with the opening of the Cooper Hotel complex in late 2025. It will exponentially change the French Quarter waterfront in an excellent way. I, for one, look forward to soaking in the waterfront views through the rooftop bar’s floor-to-ceiling glass doors sipping on one of its signature cocktails. Who knows, I just might book a room just to take a swim in its jaw dropping outdoor infinity-edge pool.

Meeting at Market in Charleston Place--An Upscale Pub That has It All

Charleston, like many cities meandering in the stream of time, has both tragically suffered and joyously celebrated through changes inflicted on it by forces beyond its control. Through the upheavals, the city has licked its wounds and rebounded.

Time, the most unrelenting of the forces, mercilessly moves in only one direction. Either the city planners seize upon the opportunistic moment or suffer ending up being a "decaying American city, a poisoned ecosystem." Joe Riley, mayor of Charleston, unflatteringly characterized the downtown district by those phrases and then, seized the moment. Charleston Place rose from a huge, sandy lot where a JC Penney once stood. The Holy City celebrated a rebirth to become what it is today.

Built in 1986, Charleston Place was the catalyst for Charleston's revival and resurgence as a world-class travel destination--voted the most popular destination in the nation to visit.. Its historic hotel along with its restaurants, cocktail lounge, spa, and retail shops created jobs and won the hearts of locals, vacationers, corporate travelers, meeting planners, and wedding planners alike.

Located inside Charleston Place and at the corner of one of the city's busiest intersections sits an upscale pub called Meeting at Market. With floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the historic City Market, the pub offers a sophisticated yet relaxed viewing environment with 22 flat-screen televisions, cozy banquettes, and high-top tables. 

Its menu includes 20 rotating craft beers complimented by elevated bar fares like Duck Confit Sliders and Truffle Chicken Salad. Its menu offers good grilled bacon, Caesar salads, and blue cheese. Tasty bread pudding, fruitcake and crème brûlée declared their best dishes. It is known for its superior service, which my companion and I can attest to after our visit during our Second Sunday walk on King Street.

My culinary appetite was in the mood for simple fare, so I chose Grilled Cheese made with Sharp Cheddar and Mozzarella Cheese, Bacon Jam, and Tomato($15) with a side of French Fries($8). The fries were the best I have tasted, perfectly crisp. The Grilled Cheese was simply satisfying. My companion, who is a no-nonsense lady, chose Market Fall Salad with Mesclun, Butternut Squash, Craisins, Red Onion, Toasted Pecans, Goat Cheese, and Maple Mustard Vinaigrette($15), and declared it to be awesome. For drinks, I chose a glass of Rickshaw Pinot Noir($11) and my companion chose Scarpetta Pinot Grigio($13).

A highlight of our visit, aside from the food, was our server. She showed patience while awaiting our choices, catered to all our questions and requests, and willingly engaged us in light conversation. We spent a considerable amount of time in conversation while enjoying our view through the restaurant's spacious windows of the Meeting and Market Street intersection as visitors and locals shuffled past with cell phones and packages in their hands. It was like watching a living diorama.

Meeting at Market is the perfect place to take a break from whatever you are doing on your visit to the downtown district of the King and Meeting Street area around and in Charleston Place. The prices were very reasonable for the upscale atmosphere of what is referred to as a pub. The food was well-proportioned and artfully presented. The service was impeccably tasteful, like its food. If you haven't already, give it a try. If you have, a second visit is warranted.

Monday - Friday 12pm - 11pm

Saturday and Sunday 11am - 11pm

120 Market St, Charleston, SC

Photographs by Anne-Merle Bryant

Charleston Rises High Despite History's Uncontrollable Forces

Charleston, like many cities meandering in the stream of time, has both joyously celebrated and tragically suffered through changes inflicted on it by forces beyond its control. Through the upheavals, the city has licked its wounds and rebounded to become what it is today, one of the most popular destinations in the nation to visit.

Time, the most unrelenting of the forces, mercilessly moves in only one direction and either you seize the moment and prepare for the next or you end up a "decaying American city", likened to a "poisoned ecosystem", doomed to becoming a ghost town. (No pun intended, Charleston lives off of its ghosts.) Joe Riley, mayor of Charleston, unflatteringly characterized the downtown district by those words, and then seized the moment. Charleston Place rose from a huge, sandy lot where a JC Penney once stood. The Holy City celebrated its rebirth.

On various occasions, Charleston has been tried and tested by the uncontrollable forces wielded by nature in form of earth, wind, and fire. An earthquake devastated the city on August 31, 1886 damaging 2,000 of its buildings. Three-quarters of the homes in the historic district sustained damage of varying degrees when Hurricane Hugo struck the city on September of 1989 causing over $2.8 billion in losses. Five major fires have been documented throughout its history, which occurred in 1740, 1778, 1796, 1838, and 1861.

Some city icons have been systematically dismantled. In recent years, residents watched as the two aged, stately bridges traversing the Cooper River gracefully met their planned demise and the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge ascended in their place--the third longest cable-stayed bridge in the Western Hemisphere. It now stands in the Charleston skyline as a shining beacon of progressive evolution. In early spring, tens of thousands descend upon it for the Cooper River Bridge Run to tread their way into the very heart of Historic Charleston.


Other Charleston icons of the past are now only footnotes in history and few Charlestonians are around that can even recall where they once stood. They can only be learned about in places housing the city archives or photos floating around on the Internet, and only if you are specifically looking. The Charleston Hotel was one of these vanquished icons.

The 170-room Charleston Hotel proudly graced Meeting Street for over 120 years and was a cornerstone building near the Old Market area. Extending eastward 264 feet on Pinckney Street and 200 feet on Hayne Street, it was an imposing four stories high--the city's largest hotel. Made of stucco and brick, its architecture was antique with two large dining rooms and high ceilings throughout. A 75 by 80 foot open courtyard surrounded on three sides by wooden balconies was at its center.

I only happened to stumble upon it while searching through old pictures of Charleston. It carried the distinction of being counted among the first major buildings to be constructed in the Greek revival style in America by the renowned German architect, Karl Friedrich Reichert, known as the initiator and ultimately the most prolific builder of landmarks that would contribute to the character of the American South.

A compelling part of the Charleston Hotel's story revolves around a little known fact--there were two Charleston Hotels. The original Charleston Hotel went up in smoke along with a large section of the city’s Ansonborough neighborhood in the famous fire of 1838. It stood less than two years. The second rose from its ashes. It survived the Earthquake of 1886, but not unscathed. The center portion of the parapet of the hotel's block-long Corinthian colonnade had been hurdled to the sidewalk during the massive upheaval reportedly crushing two ornate gas lamps that flanked the entrance door. After surviving the earthquake, 74 years later it succumbed to time and had a date with the wrecking ball. Some of the wrought iron railings that were part of the old hotel's colonnade are rumored to be displayed at an office building three blocks south of the hotel's original sight. 200 Meeting Street was the hotel's address.

When you are downtown on Meeting Street and walking in the area of Hymans Restaurant, look across the street. The Bank of America building occupies the sacred ground where the Charleston Hotel previously stood 52 years ago. It was built in the early 1990's. After a protracted public debate, the developers were permitted to reclaim the historic height and scale but was not allowed to restore the original facade. The concrete colonnade on the modern building is a poor knockoff for the dramatic colonnade of the original hotel. It says little about its famous predecessor, which became the precursor, if not the icon, for tall, white columns in the American South.

While standing in the front of Hymans, close your eyes and do a "Somewhere in Time." Maybe, if you concentrate hard enough, upon opening your eyes you may find yourself in 1886 dressed in a hoop skirt or a gentleman's suit of the day, sipping on a mint julep and basking in the aura of Charleston's premier hotel of the day.(It certainly would help the transition--the mint julep that is.)

Pay attention to the date and the time. Check the newspaper of the day, the News and Courier. If it is August 30th, check into the Charleston Hotel--soak in the antiquity and ambience. Make sure you register for only a one night stay. If you reserve August 31st, at 9:50 pm you will be running out of a pitch-black hotel with the rest of the guests seeking to escape the toppling furniture and falling plaster. You will have just experienced the famous Great Charleston Earthquake, which jolted the Lowcountry like an alligator rolling its quarry.

One Charleston Hotel Ranks Number Two Among The World's Best-Plus A Hotel Horror Story

Rosen Plaza Hotel pool

I have always loved staying at hotels and resorts. The moment I drop my suitcase on the floor of the room, it is confirmed to me that I am finally on vacation. Then, the very first thing I check out, even before I crack open my suitcase, is the pool. In fact, the quality of the pool can make or break a deal. For the most part, I have been very satisfied with the hotels I've stayed at. There have been only a few occasions where I've made a quick exit because of disappointing conditions. You can call them hotel horror stories.

There was this one stay in Orlando, Fla. We had received an invitation to check out a time share. Upon arrival, we received our papers and hotel assignment, which was an Extended Stay Hotel, a chain I had no experience with. I had an initial uneasy feeling about the hotel when we pulled into the parking lot and it turned into a queasy feeling when I saw the bulletproof glass that encased the reception desk. We signed in and took possession of the key. We entered the room and the queasy feeling turned into a revolting feeling. The pillow cases on the bed were a dirty shade of white. When we pulled back the bed covers, there were little brown dots on the bed sheet, and they were moving, and so was I, right out the door past the bulletproof reception desk and to the car.

Rosen Plaza Hotel

It was late, so finding an alternate hotel was difficult and costly. The next day, at the time share tour, we wisely voiced our displeasure and disgust. They compensated with amenities and two free nights at the Rosen Plaza Hotel on International Drive, an award-winning 832 room hotel with a beautiful pool. I soothed away the previous day's discontent in the hot tub next to the pool.

First World Hotel

     
When I vacationed in the city of "Lost Wages", I stayed at the third largest hotel in the world, the MGM Grand. The MGM  Grand boasts a total of 6852 rooms. It is topped out by another Las Vegas hotel, the number one Venetian/Palazzio Megacenter, with 8108 rooms and suites. In fact, of the top 10 biggest hotels in the world, Las Vegas is home to six. The First World Hotel in Malaysia came in at number four with 6118 rooms and was at one time the largest, but despite giving up number one status, it by far still remains the most colorful hotel in the world. A Russian hotel named Hotel Izmaylovo came in second. With an abundance of rooms available at any of these behemoths, booking should never be an issue. But does bigger mean better?

Copacabana Palace

Don CeSar Beach Resort

None of these hotels appeared on Five Star Alliance's 2012 list of Top 30 Luxury Hotels and Resorts worldwide, but a Charleston hotel did, and why not. Since Charleston was named the number one destination in the world by Conde Nast Traveler, it is only fitting one of its hotels appears on a list somewhere even though it comes in as a virtual lightweight with only 360 rooms and suites. This Charleston hotel, respectively honored, came in at number 2 on the list, beating out some of the absolute best and most luxurious hotels in the world. No small accomplishment when you consider some of the prestigious names it beat out, like The Carlyle in New York, Waldorf Astoria in Chicago, St Regis Grand in Rome, Copacabana Palace in Rio De Janeiro, Viceroy in Bali, and Don CeSar Beach Resort on St. Pete Beach to name some.

Charleston Place

Charleston Place is more than just a hotel, it is a complex including a collection of world-famous stores, a Mobil Four-Star restaurant, and a spa. It was the single initiative that set in motion the beginning of the revival of Charleston. On the list of the top 10 hotels in the Holy City, it is number one.

Charleston Place is like a time machine. Housed within its brick exterior is the Charleston of today. Step out its doors-and your imagination will take you wherever you want, past or present.

There are no ghost stories that I know of associated with the hotel, unlike other hotels and inns in the historic district. But give it time, maybe a former JCPenney employee will appear looking for some closure(Charleston Place is built on the lot where a JCPenney once stood). Consider some of the special offers and packages being offered during 2013.

During Charleston's Restaurant Week, other top hotels are offering discount rates. Charlestowne Hotels will be offering up to 20% and 30% off, which include six downtown hotels such as Andrew Pinckney Inn, French Quarter Inn,  Harbourview Inn, The Elliot House Inn, King Charles Inn, and The Society House. For the complete details go to Charlestowne Hotels. Charming Inns are a collection of these downtown hotels: John Rutledge House, Fulton Lane Inn, Wentworth Mansion, Kings Courtyard Inn, and Circa 1886 Restaurant. For the complete details go to Charming Inns.

Do you have a hotel horror story of your own? Feel free to share it in "Comments".

Charleston's Own Unique Story Of Its Rise From Rags To Riches

Charleston's charismatic character has been molded over a long and illustrious history dating all the way back to the 1600's. Having now stated this obvious and unremarkable revelation on my part, there is nothing further I could add to what already has been eloquently set down on paper by pen or more consistent with the times, the keyboard, about Charleston's historic preeminence. The well thought out words and phrases may be arranged in different patterns styled by the unique point of view of its author and tinted with a hint of imagination to give it textual color, but the facts are inescapably the same. Since the Holy City's inception, it has survived a revolution, a civil war, great fires, a record setting earthquake, and several hurricanes. Hurricane Hugo, in 1989, is the most memorable of the catastrophes and without a doubt the most recent indelibly branded on the psyche of its highly faithful residents.

Charleston Hotel 1901

Before Hugo made its imprint on the landscape of Charleston, the city was grappling with a more perverse threat to its continuity, an insidious evil you will not read about in any great detail, and with the influx of so many people not of Charlestonian decent, quite unknown. An adversary that threatened to voraciously consume the wood, stone and iron structures of Charleston's eminent past. It was a blight common to most cities called urban decay and indifference. This is Charleston's uncelebrated story of its rise from rags to riches.

In 1979 an Atlanta magazine described a Charleston unknown to us today. At that time, they wrote an article of an unflattering truth about Charleston's present ever-popular Historic District. It stated, "Downtown Charleston, in many ways, epitomizes the decaying American city." "We were dying," said a store owner on King Street by the name of Mariana Hay. "It was just a big blight. Downtown was really kind of a no-man's land." The new mayor of Charleston, Joe Riley, agreed with these conclusions and likened the downtown area to a poisoned ecosystem. The demolition of the 120-year-old Charleston Hotel on Meeting Street epitomized the city's decay. Downtown commerce was looking like the Ashley River in Summerville at low tide. Empty storefronts were common and pedestrian traffic was deficient for a thriving market. Property values on King Street headed south like today's Northerners.

Charleston Place

Then, plans were set in motion to reverse the city's progression into a kind of Black Death. Charleston Place was conceived. In the beginning it faced opposition, but the planners persevered. A huge, sandy lot where a JCPenney's once stood was the chosen location for the groundbreaking. The centerpiece of the project would be a four star hotel with 440 guest rooms and suites with a rooftop pool. It now houses Charleston Spa, the Mobile Four-Star restaurant Charleston Grill, and an exclusive collection of world-famous stores located on the ground floor called the Shops of Charleston. There was no stopping the city's ascension from there. Charleston's "gold bug" was found. The restoration sparked by Charleston Place set the city ablaze and the fires of transformation moved quickly from building to building like the Great Fire of 1838.

Since my arrival in 2005, the growth has continued. At that time, there were only two bridges crossing the Cooper River with a view of the bay and skyline, one called the Silas Pearman Bridge and the other named the John P. Grace Memorial Bridge. They were two majestic icons that were feeling their age. I remember the first time I drove over the narrow bridges with both hands on the steering wheel accompanied by the uncomfortable feeling of possibly going over the edge. The old bridges eventually came down section by section and were replaced by the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. This year, March 31st, the new Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge will be covered with a sea of humanity in the 10k Cooper River Bridge Run starting at 8:00am. Taylor Hicks, Season 5 winner of American Idol, and his full band will perform on the Main Stage at the Finish Line.

1939 Riviera Theater on King Street now a Conference Center

Today, the old cobblestoned streets and waterfront walkways are filled with conversation and the clip-clop of horses' hooves. The Old Market is packed with souvenir-collecting tourists and the launching point for all the highly sought after horse-drawn carriage tours. The French Quarter is filled with camera carrying amateur and professional photographers alike looking to get the perfect shot. King Street is no longer a silent, faceless collection of once-upon-a-time stores, but now prime shopping real estate for an imaginative, thriving boutique. World-class luxurious accommodations touting the famous southern hospitality are plentiful. The finest dining establishments in the country with world renowned chefs featuring their own unique take on the famous Lowcountry cuisine are ready to serve you. Beautiful old plantations, antebellum homes, museums, sandy beaches, theaters, a thriving night life, and festivals year round will satisfy the most diverse of travelers.

Busy King Street today

Like I stated earlier, what else can I say that hasn't been already said, except the following parting words. The Holy City welcomes an estimated 4 million people every year. Charleston has been named the top American travel destination by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler. Travel and Leisure Magazine named Charleston "America's Sexiest City". Southern Living Magazine named Charleston "the most polite and hospitable city in America." It was also named the city with "the most attractive people". So, don't just read about the queen of cities, come and see for yourself. It is truly a story of rags to riches.

Chalmers Street is the longest surviving cobblestone street

Charleston And The Grand Hotel On Mackinac Island-Somewhere In Time

In 1980, Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour starred in the romantic science fiction film "Somewhere in Time." To make a long story shorter, Reeves portrayed a playwright who receives a watch from a mysterious woman many years his age accompanied with the plea, "Come back to me." Eight years later, he becomes obsessed with her after finding out who she was in earlier times while staying at the famous Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan. An obsession that would take him on a journey back in time.

No machine, like the kind you would see in other movies of this genre and subject matter, was employed to carry him back. All he needed to do was dress himself in clothing of the era, close his eyes, and with complete concentration immerse his thoughts and psyche into the time and place he desired to be at, which was 1912, where Jane Seymour awaited his coming. The story has both a tragic and happy ending, if you believe in such things as life after death.

I have always been fascinated with the theory of time travel, though I do not believe it to be attainable and theoretically is impossible for us mortals. It still boggles my mind that when you look at a mirror you are looking into your past because it took time for the light to move from the mirror back to your eyes, no matter how minute that movement is perceived to be. It all has something to do with gravity and the speed of light spattered with quantum physics. Perception plays a key role both in the movie and this article.

The Grand Hotel was the perfect setting for this film because it possesses a mystique that has the ability to capture your imagination and for the brief moments you are there transplant you into its charming and elegant past. Built in 1887, it has accommodated presidents, foreign dignitaries, and famous inventors and writers. It is visually stunning. The hotel boasts having one of the longest porches in the world at 660 ft. At its opening, nightly rates ranged from $3 to $5. No two of the 385 guest rooms are designed alike. Rates today range from $433 for a guest room to 798 for a named room, which include a full breakfast, Grand Luncheon Buffet, and five-course dinner daily.

The Hotel possesses a long list of honorable mentions from Conde Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure including the designation as a four-diamond resort and one of the top 10 U.S. historic hotels. If the credentials don't peak your interest, every October the hotel hosts an annual convention for fans of the cult-classic "Somewhere in Time."

Charleston, like the Grand Hotel, possesses that mystique. Position yourself at any entranceway or street corner in the historic district and merge your senses into the surroundings. If you concentrate hard enough, you will be able to hear the commotion and sounds of its storied past and for that brief interim of time, maybe have an experience like the one in the movie. Just close your eyes. You will hear it. You will smell it. You will feel it.

Families chattering about the days activities while sipping afternoon tea and basking in the coastal breeze on their porches along the waterfront of the Battery. Breathe in the nostalgic smells of the produce and goods while strolling through the Old Market area. Looking out over the harbor and seeing the tall masts and sails of the ships entering and leaving the busy port. The spectacle of cannon and mortar fire bursting over Fort Sumter that early April morning. The snapping of the rope on which Stede Bonnet, the Gentleman Pirate, was hung in 1718 at White Point. Lavinia Fisher crying out before her hanging at the Old City Jail, "If anyone has a message for hell, give it to me-I'll deliver it," so the story goes. We will need verification of this one, so if you actually do travel back in time, send me an email.

The history of Charleston was not always charming and glamorous. There was a time when Charleston had fallen into near decay. A time when many of the restaurants, hotels, taverns, and buildings we enjoy today were empty and disintegrating structures foreboding doom, until a rebirth to preserve the past for posterity became the prime objective of city planning and historic Charleston was rescued.

Now, Charleston is the top destination in the nation among this countries many cities. No, Charleston doesn't have a hotel with a 660 foot porch like the Grand Hotel, but the Market Pavilion Hotel and Venue Inns both have roof top bars and enough hospitality to go around.

You don't actually have to close your eyes to experience the past, in Charleston you are surrounded by it. The clip-clop of horses hooves and the rattling of carriages from the numerous tours are everywhere. Women in hooped skirts greet you with a southern smile at the many historic plantations and dastardly pirates with their tall tales will amuse you. Its Antebellum history will inform you and its residents will invite you into their homes and gardens for a glimpse of its style and grace.

Charleston also has a savvy nightlife with its many theaters and nightspots for drinks, music and dancing. While you are here, make sure you say hello to Alabaster, he resides at the South Carolina Aquarium.

A Charleston Icon Of The Past-The Charleston Hotel

Charleston Hotel

Charleston, like many other cities in America, has both joyously celebrated and tragically suffered through changes inflicted either by planned design or forces beyond its control.

Time, the most unrelenting force, mercilessly moves in only one direction and either you seize the moment and prepare for the next or you end up a "decaying American city", likened to a "poisoned ecosystem", doomed to becoming a ghost town. (No pun intended, Charleston lives off of its ghosts.) Joe Riley, mayor of Charleston, unflatteringly characterized the downtown district by those words, and then, seized the moment. Charleston Place rose from a huge, sandy lot where a JCPenney once stood. The Holy City celebrated and was reborn.

Charleston has on various occasions been tried and tested by the uncontrollable forces wielded by nature in form of earth, wind, and fire. An earthquake devastated the city on August 31, 1886 damaging 2,000 of its buildings. Three-quarters of the homes in the historic district sustained damage of varying degrees when Hurricane Hugo struck the city September, 1989 causing over $2.8 billion in losses. Five major fires have been documented throughout its history, which occurred in 1740, 1778, 1796, 1838, and 1861. Through these upheavals, Charleston licked its wounds and rebounded fairly quickly to become what it is today, one of the most popular destinations to visit.

City icons have been systematically dismantled and others have risen in their place. In recent years, residents watched as the two aged, stately bridges traversing the Cooper River gracefully met their planned demise and the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge ascended in their place - becoming the second longest cable-stayed bridge in the Western Hemisphere. It now stands in the Charleston skyline as a shining beacon of progressive evolution. In early spring, tens of thousands descend upon it for the Cooper River Bridge Run to tread their way into the very heart of Historic Charleston.

Some icons of the past are now only footnotes in history and few Charlestonians are around to even recall where they once stood. They can only be seen in places containing the city archives or photos floating around the Internet, and only if you are looking. The Charleston Hotel was one such icon. It proudly graced Meeting Street for over 120 years and was a cornerstone near the Old Market area. I only happened to stumble upon it while searching through old pictures of Charleston. It carried the distinction of being counted among the first major buildings to be constructed in the Greek revival style in America.

A compelling part of the Charleston Hotel's story revolves around a little known fact due to a lack of a photographic record - there were two Charleston Hotels. The original Charleston Hotel went up in smoke along with a large section of the city’s Ansonborough neighborhood in the famous fire of 1838. It stood less than two years. The second rose from its ashes but in 1960, it met the wrecking ball. Some of the iron works that were part of the old hotel's decor is rumored to be displayed at other places in Charleston. Its address was 200 Meeting Street.

Bank of America

When you are walking in the area of Hymans Restaurant, look across the street. The Bank of America building occupies the sacred ground where the Charleston Hotel once previously stood 52 years ago. The Bank of America building was built in the early 1990's. 

While standing at the front of Hymans, close your eyes and do a "Somewhere in Time." Maybe, if you concentrate hard enough, upon opening your eyes you will find yourself in 1840 dressed in a hoop skirt or a gentleman's suit of the day sipping on mint julep. It certainly would help the transition, the mint julep that is.

Charleston Place-Inspired The Holy City To New Heights

It's hard to imagine some thirty years ago an Atlanta magazine wrote this unflattering sentence about The Holy City, "Downtown Charleston, in many ways, epitomizes the decaying American city." Joe Riley, the mayor at the time, likened the downtown area to a poisoned ecosystem. The Historic District was anything but historic and King Street was a realestate of empty storefronts. Pedestrian traffic was scarce. Tourists were rare.

Something needed to happen to rekindle the historical flame that once burned in Charleston. It would be one single initiative that set in motion the beginning of a revival and Charleston was on her way to being restored to her former glory. The brainstorm was the envisionment of what would become Charleston Place. It was said, "I hate to use the cliche that the hotel put Charleston on the map, but it's certainly accurate." Charleston Place rose from a huge, sandy lot where a JCPenney once stood.

Charleston Place, known for its traditional southern hospitality, sits on Market Street where the entrance to the property is marked by a fountain. The Hotel has 320 deluxe rooms, 80 Club level, which occupies the top two floors and offers a private concierge service along with a wide array of enhanced services, amenities and cuisine. There are 40 suites.

The Spa at Charleston Place, located on the 4th floor, is available by appointment to local visitors and guests. Amenities are a health club, a beautiful indoor/outdoor salt water pool, sauna, Jacuzzi, steam room and children's splash pool. Charleston Grill is South Carolina’s most notable Mobil Four-Star restaurant and has received the AAA Four-Diamond award and Distinguished Restaurants of North America Award. On the lighter side is The Thoroughbread Club and Palmetto Cafe.

Top to bottom, the hotel complex has it all. The Shops at Charleston Place are an exclusive collection of world-famous stores located on the ground floor and a pool graces the rooftop. Adjacent to the Old City Market and the renowned King Street, it is situated at the heart of a local economy that considers tourism as its No. 1 industry. All within walking distance of the historic center of the city and major attractions.

Charleston continues to grow and change. In the six years I have been here, I have seen two old icons come down and the Author Ravenel Jr Bridge take their place. It has a vibrant theater scene and an endless list of fine dining establishments. It is well-known across the United States and beyond for its unique culture, which blends traditional southern American, English, French, and West African elements. So, let Charleston Place be your host and guide to all of this and more.-Vacation Rick Ttravel

The Old City Market-Important To The Charleston Experience

To market, to market, to buy a fat pig, home again, home again, jiggety jig. To market, to market, to buy a fat hog, home again, home again, jiggety jog. To market, to market, to buy a plum bun, home again, home again, market is done. This nursery rhyme came to mind when I thought of writing about the Old City Market. Now I don't know about buying fat pigs, fat hogs, and plum bun, but the Old City Market originally sold foodstuffs, including meat, fish and fresh produce grown locally.

Today, the City Market is definitely the center of attention and on any given day, especially the warmer months with cruises in port and tourists in abundance, quite crowded. Many of the carriage rides begin their tours here and on both sides of the Old Market numerous specialty shops and restaurants cater to the many visitors needs and wants. Locally crafted sweetgrass baskets, clothing, artwork, jewelry, local souvenirs, perfumes, food, T-shirts, and other gift items are displayed by numerous vendors.

Coming down Meeting Street from the interstate there is no mistaking you have arrived at Old City Market because Market Hall stands out rather distintively compared to the surrounding structures. It was built in 1841 from a design by Edward Brickwell White and is a copy of the Temple of the Wingless Victory in Athens, Greece. Charles Cotsworth Pinckney ceded the land to the City of Charleston in 1788. So far his wishes that a public market be built on the site and remain in use as a public market into perpetuity has been honored. The low buildings that stretch from Market Hall to the waterfront have survived fires, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes and bombardment.

Even now, as a resident, when taking new visitors or relatives to Charleston I invariably end up at the Old City Market like it is "Go" on the Monopoly Board. All my favorite restaurants and sites are a short walking distance. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co is there with their "Bucket of Boat Trash" and at one time offered you a chance to embarass yourself or show off your hula hoop skills at its entrance. Around the corner on East Bay Street is Southend Brewery where I stop for a sidewalk lunch and sample their great microbrews. Charleston Place, one of Charleston's finest hotel venues graces this area and also the Market Pavillion Hotel with its rooftop bar overlooking the Market where on a hot, humid evening you can catch the slight breeze coming off the bay while leisurely consuming a cool alchoholic concockshun.

The Old City Market is an intricate piece of the Charleston experience. Parking can be a challenge and patience is a must if you are looking to park on one of the streets, but there are lots and parking garages in the area as an alternative. By the way, if you see a man hosing down the street creating a sudsy, foamy looking substance, don't ask him what he is doing. Looking forward to seeing you hobnobbing around beautiful Charleston.-Vacation Rick Travel Charleston