Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Oh Charleston!






So my girlfriend and I recently took a trip to Charleston, SC. I can honestly say it was absolutely nothing that I expected. So as we all know... I am a black lesbian. So  lets start there...

1. I literally saw 5 black people who were not working while we were out. I only saw 1 lesbian.

It was such a big difference coming from Atlanta where I see a black person or a gay person every 5 seconds. We never felt like anyone was being racist to us, and everyone who we talked to was extremely helpful in getting us around. The only time I did feel out of place was in Folly Beach. I literally think that an older couple moved over a table to not sit by us....but who knows I could be wrong. In fact one of the bartenders even made us a cool ass map to tell us where to eat and hang out. Then one of our waitresses tells us all of the things we probably don't want to do. That brings me to the next point


2.THE FOOD IS LITERALLY THE BEST I HAVE HAD IN MY LIFE

I never had a disappointing meal while I was out of town. The first restaurant we ate at was Charleston Crab House. We got into Charleston at about 5 on a Friday and the traffic wasn't that terrible. I was so happy how close it was to our AirBnB(get to that later) and sat on the water. If you know me you know how much I love to be outside so that was everything. I got crabs (DUH!) and they were cooked to perfection. I got to pick a side besides corn (i hate corn on the cob) and I went with the coleslaw. I was nervous... but certainly not disappointed. We know everyone makes their coleslaw differently...but they make it right. Brittany had some amazing Crab Cakes (which I never eat) and I was all in her plate. I have never tasted crab cakes that taste like that. I am now a believer.  The next time we ate was something small while we were drinking. We had some boiled peanuts and they were freaking A-M-A-ZING! On Saturday we went to Toast! of Charleston. We didn't have a wait because we sat at the bar. This bartender was so cool...He was the one who drew us the map. He wasn't from Charleston but I think that deff helped with our "touristy" wants. Here I ate the Surf and Turf Benedict. It was great piece of steak, cooked MR and some juicy shrimp. The eggs were poached perfectly and the grits were amazing! My next meal was a salad. Nothing exciting for most, but for me everything. I got to build it and put everything that I wanted on it. The food was literally $8 and I was extremely stuffed. On Sunday we went to Folly Beach to hang out. At first we were thinking brunch but then decided to eat at this really cool seafood restaurant because we knew we were coming back to eat brunch on Monday. So this place was called Snapper Jacks and as to be expected...it did not disappoint. First off,  I love James River Oysters and they had some ! So you know I had to have some. We got there about 30 minutes before dinner and they still made the dinner special for me which I loved. It was a Mahi Mahi cooked MR with jasmine rice and broccolini. Brittany got this amazing clam linguine and I'm sure the server thought I was pregnant because I was eating so much! Later that night we ended up missing our reservation to the restaurant we originally wanted to go. So we ended up going to a Mexican spot. Brittany's shrimp quesadilla was so fresh and filled to the brim with shrimp. I got a simple chicken quesadilla but it was still amazing and fresh as ever. Monday was the wild card, We planned on eating, beaching and driving home.... but that quickly changed. We had Brunch at Lost Dogs in Folly Beach and it was so good. I had the special which was a Crab Cake and Shrimp Cake Benedict. As to keep up with the theme the grits were amazing ! Brittany had a brunch burrito and she fucked it up...so I know that had to be good too. Then since we decided to stay an extra day we went to the Folly Crab Shack. Brittany had a Fried Oyster Po'Boy and I had another Crab Pot with shrimp and potatoes. I probably gained about 5 pounds on this trip...but it was so worth every single pound.

Snapper Jacks


Prohibition


Snapper Jacks





CRABS!!

Crab Cakes



Breakfast Burrito

Crab Cake and Shrimp Cake Benedict


3. They are serious about their alcohol.

So as I have made it very very very clear... we ate very well. We also drank very well too! At Charleston's Crab House I had a local IPA and Brittany had a local wheat beer. They were yummy! Then we headed down to King Street and went to Mynt. I was stalking this place online for at least a week before we got there because they had a super cool happy hour. They had all of their signature drinks for half off. I had the best Moscow Mule that I have ever had in my entire life, and now I want Moscow Mules everywhere I go. I picked Brittany's first drink which was a Bourbon Cranberry Fizz and it was yummy in my tummy and hers! We then went to an amazing old school bar called Prohibition. Its all male bartenders and they make all of the signature old school drinks. I had an amazing Dirty Martini and Brittany enjoyed her signature drink... an Old Fashioned. We enjoyed our drinks and lets just say we left feeling a wee bit tipsy! On Saturday while we were brunching at Toast! we had Mimosa's. They had $14 carafes and the bartender made sure to go light on the OJ.They also had infused vodka, tequila, and bourbon. I tried the bacon vodka (yum!) but my favorite was the cucumber vodka (typical). All of the other drinks were pretty simple...Vodka Sodas, Mimosa's, Margaritas, Jack and Coke... but even when they were simple they were still very yummy and packed a good punch. Sunday night we went to The Cocktail Club and it was my fave place. I asked for something with tequila and lime juice. He whipped me up something that wasn't too sweet, wasn't a margarita and that was crisp and strong. Exactly everything that I asked him for. Brittany had another Old Fashioned and she liked this one better than at Prohibition. Monday morning at Lost Dogs they have Mimosa Monday. This means $3 MIMOSAS!!!! And not an annoying sized one. These come in mason jars. The only weird thing was that they had ice... but it's a South Carolina Beach Town... who knows how they do things there.

Toast! at Charleston infused liquor

The Cocktail Club




4. Charleston is Beautiful

Like literally breathtaking... like I want to get married there (=hint, hint, wink, wink =). I have always wanted to go to Rainbow Row and I was so excited to see that it was just as beautiful as I imagined. We then walked the Battery, which is like some famous historic area where they used to fight wars, and bring slaves in I'm sure. I just know that it is absolutely beautiful and oddly peaceful. Looking at the water from the Pier was also beautiful... partially because Brittany asked me to be her girlfriend while we were out there. Shout out to bae !! lol. Then we walked around the battery and looked at all of the AMAZING houses. I cant even describe how perfect they are. The exact kind of house I want.... I just need more land and privacy. They are extremely close together... but its downtown So I can't say I was surprised. I tried to peak inside houses but I swear they had the privacy glass on deck. Then when we went to Folly Beach I was in heaven. The beach was so clean and the water was nice and cold. Brittany was able to work on the beach (can we say dreams coming true) and per usual I took an amazing nap. I woke up feeling so refreshed and genuinely happy.


Charleston Crab House

Folly Beach

East Battery




King Street

Brit working on the beach
*how freaking cute*

5. The nightlife is turned up

On Friday we went to a college bar that we were told not to go to called The Silver Dollar. When we got in there it was wall to wall packed with frat boys in blue blazers and Khakis... yes that's what all of them had on. Apparently there was a formal and we ended up at the after party. Lets just say they fucking loved Brittany, She was dancing with everyone and then I see all these girls coming over to dance with her. Lucky for her I'm not a crazy jealous bitch and I was thoroughly entertained!
So #1 was a lie... Kinda. So I know I said that I only saw black people 5 times... which is basically true. While we were out and about for the most part we didn't see any black people. Then when we went to Folly Beach on Sunday we heard hip-hop coming from a bar. So of course we went and found where it was from. AHA! Black people ! First it was a live band... which I loved and they were doing covers to some pretty amazing songs. Then the band went off and the DJ came on. He played everything from old old shit.... to kinda old shit, to shit from the 2000s to the current hits. We stayed there so long that we missed our reservation and we weren't even mad about it. Also our AirBnB host was a black woman. The house was in an older black neighborhood that her grandparents left her. It had 3 bedrooms and a nice big bathroom. We literally used all of the space. I don't know who has more stuff... me or Brittany so we used the extra room for our closet! lol. We used the other room as a sex dungeon. j/k j/k!
Our new Friends!





All in all the get away was so needed. We got a chance to relax and explore a new city together. We made memories that will literally last a life time. I wouldn't have wanted to go with anyone else. All in all Charleston was a hit and I can't wait to go back and gain another 5 pounds!