Friday 5

More tips for your visitors to the Lowcountry

Today's F5 gave you our top picks for squiring visitors around the Lowcountry, some down-home "authentic" local dining spots and five places to take the kids. But there was plenty of great stuff that came close to making the cut, and depending on your interests, some of these may be better choices...

More places to go
Downtown Summerville: Summerville is a beautiful small town that's increasing enveloped by suburban and strip development, but its historic district is stunning and its downtown commercial district is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon. Go for the shopping, the dining, the strolling, and be sure to drive around town with your camera. One last thing: All Books is now a bit off the beaten path, but if you love reading, don't miss it. It's one of the finest tiny bookshops left in South Carolina, and here's the thing: You walk in and you tell owner Michelle List what you like to read and she'll pick out a book you've never heard of. In our experience, she's never missed with a recommendation.

The ACE Basin and Historic Walterboro: If you're looking for a legit "small town Southern" experience, consider a drive down to Walterboro. There's not tons of stuff to do, but that's kind of the point, isn't it? And the ACE Basin (a wild area drained by the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto rivers) is the most beautiful natural area of the state. You can get some of that beauty by driving through it, but it's best seen by canoe or kayak. If you've got one of those -- or the money to hire a local outfitter -- the ACE is the place.

Drayton Hall and Hampton Plantations: The "big" plantations get more visitors, but if you're interested in a more unvarnished look at the past, we recommend these. Drayton Hall along the Ashley between Charleston and Summerville is privately owned and will cost you admission ($14 adults, with various discounts and options), but what you get is a preservationist's view of the past that is unique in its accuracy. Hampton Plantation is a state historic site on the Santee (between McClellanville and Georgetown), which means you can walk the grounds for free (a tour of the Big House is $4, with some discounts). What sets these places apart is that they survived the 19th century more or less intact and their 20th century inhabitants didn't meaningfully modernize the living spaces.

The Ravenel Bridge: Yes, a bridge makes a weird destination, but the pedestrian and bike lane on the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge has become a local favorite for reasons that go beyond utility and exercise. There are seating areas at each of the towers, and if you make the trek up from Charleston or Mount Pleasant you get rewarded with the best view of Charleston harbor. From the top of the bridge you can see all the major landmarks and much of Charleston, so it makes a great place to start a multi-day visit, because you can orient your visitors so effectively from one spot. Plus it's just gorgeous up there. Be alert, though: You have to walk or bike, and there is no water or restroom on the bridge. Plan accordingly.

Mount Pleasant's Old Village: The historic village of Mount Pleasant snuggles up to the west bank of Shem Creek (look for the Coleman Boulevard turnoff right after cross the Shem Creek Bridge when driving from Charleston) and parts of it date to the 18th century. It's mostly residential, but the village has a tiny central commercial district on Pitt Street that's enjoying a 21st century renaissance. There's fine dining at the Old Post House Inn, and not-so-fine but plenty-satisfying dining at the Pitt Street Pharmacy, a local landmark that continues to offer an old-fashioned drug store lunch counter.  The village has some outstanding public spaces, including the lawn and playground at Alhambra Hall (which overlooks the harbor), and the Pitt Street Bridge, a decommissioned trolley bridge that once connected the village to Sullivan's Island.

The Old Village is best explored on bicycle, and one of our 2007 Lowcountry bike tours detailed a nice but simple ride. Our suggestion: Park nearby, unload your bikes and spend a few blissful hours wandering around this romantic but utterly functional historic area. 

The Old Navy Base/Riverfront Park/East Montague Avenue (North Charleston): "The North Area" is the geographic urban center of the Lowcountry but just gets ignored by visitors. They're missing a trick. The once off-limits Charleston Navy Base and shipyard is now open (well, much of it is -- the government has returned large swaths of the property to fences and guarded gates since 9/11), and it makes an off-beat but interesting drive-around. The base is the site of the Warren Lasch Conservation Center, where the CSS Hunley -- the pioneering Civil War submarine -- lies in a chemical bath during its slow restoration process. Tours are available, but you have to register in advance.

If you turn left after entering via the Old McMillan Avenue Gate, you can follow the signs through the picturesque officers' housing area to the city's new Riverfront Park. This is a nice place for a picnic lunch (Didn't pack one? You can get great sandwiches from Tracy's Cafe inside 10 Storehouse Row).

And finally: While people have long desparaged North Charleston for "not having an urban heart," its East Montague commercial district -- now the center of what the city calls Olde North Charleston -- has been transformed into one of the hottest hangouts in the Lowcountry. If you're looking for an off-the-beaten-path place to spend an evening, consider this one. The restaurants and bars along the recently upgraded streetscape attract plenty of visitors. Madra Rua, the wood-panelled Irish pub that help lead the resurrgence, is a great place to have a beer, eat some tradition pub food, and watch a game.

Old Santee Canal State Park: This fantastic park in Moncks Corner has indoor and outdoor attractions. It's kid-friendly and cheap ($3 adults). Charles Towne Landing: The site of the original Charleston settlement west of the Ashley has been through enormous changes in recent years after falling into a shameful state of neglect. Whatever its state when you visit ($5 adult), the setting is beautiful and worthy of a half-day's exploration, particularly if you're toting around children. We just haven't been out there personally in a while, and can't vouch for its current condition.

There are others, but this should be more than enough to keep your visitors happy for an extended weekend. Happy touring!

5 tips to RULE THE FESTIVALS

This week's Top 5 is my guide to making the most of the Piccolo/Spoleto USA festivals. But there are other tips as well, many of which I gleaned during my successful attempt to set a world record for Most Spoleto/Piccolo Events Attended in a Single Day (13) in 2005.

Piccolo visual arts exhibits are an under-appreciated part of the festival. Visual arts have basically disappeared from Spoleto, leaving the field to the "small" festival, and much of what gets mounted is really a treat. The juried shows at the Visitor's Center and the art village on Marion Square are often a mixed bag, but I've had good luck at The City Gallery at Waterfront Park and in other, out-of-the-way venues like the Footlights lobby on Queen Street.

Piccolo's theater offerings are relatively affordable and -- if you pick the right ones -- can be the arts bargain of the festival. They're not typically first-run premieres, but many of them are New to Us.

Get a base of operations. Yes, you'll want to have some special meals and evenings out, but if you're downtown for the 1 p.m. Chamber Music and planning to catch something later in the afternoon, you'll need a place where you can relax, get some nosh, and rehydrate.

Juanita Greenberg's Nacho Royale  on Upper King Street (get the quesadillas) has a shady deck out back that's one of the city's best-kept secrets, and everything is affordable; Kudu Coffee on Vanderhorst has an outdoor courtyard, superior coffee and interesting stuff in the pastry case (try the house-blend brewed or iced, or a Cuban-style African espresso); Joseph's next to the Gibbes on Meeting Street is a jumpin' joint for lunch and breakfast (fried green tomatoes are a must); and Saffron's on East Bay makes a good place if you're attending something at the Gaillard; East Bay Deli is a favorite, and occasionally has nearby parking, but crossing East Bay on foot is something of an adventure.

G&M Fast and French on Broad Street is a bit out of the way now that the Dock Street is out of commission, but it wouldn't be the festival without a trip to G&M; and Jack's Cafe across from the Sottile on George Street is a locally owned institution that deserves everyone's patronage and support (it's not open on the weekends and closes at 3:30) when you're attending an early event near C of C.

Don't ignore the talks. They're often free, and they're informative and interesting. If a show has any controversy associated with it, the talks can be more fun than some of the performances.

Seriously, ride a bike if you can. I know I talked about this in the Top 5, but the difference between riding to performances and trying to get around via the awkward combination of car, parking garage, and long  walks  is significant.

Bring your own shade to the opening ceremonies: If it's hot -- and it usually is -- even a good seat up front can be unpleasant. There's nothing wrong with a shady umbrella... just so long as you take it down once the ceremonies begin. And remember: Just because you're sitting in the shade at the beginning doesn't mean you'll have shade by the end.

Do the jazz. Just do it. And don't count on being able to set-up on George Street and let the music spill over on you anymore: Apparently the officials are starting to harass the free music seekers...

Buy the obvious stuff early. I'll be shocked if Monkey: Journey to the West; Laurie Anderson's Homeland and the big symphony concerts don't sell out early. So don't wait. Buy.

Latch on to SpoletoToday. We're making a big effort this year to connect festival-goers to social opportunities and meet-ups. Want to meet new people and talk festival stuff? Bookmark SpoletoToday and sign up for live festival reports and comments on your cell phone via Twitter. It's buzz central.

Figure out the finales. The Piccolo Finale is like a big neighborhood block party with food vendors and hours of live music and lots of people coming and going. The Spoleto Finale is a bring-your-own fancy picnic before an evening symphony orchestra concert. Plan accordingly.

Follow-up file: Pop-Ramen, Noonan and the Rah-Men

Last week’s edition brought you advice on what to do with your Thanksgiving leftovers (here’s our advice on what to do with those leftovers this week: COMPOST THEM), and it included the chorus to a song about Ramen Noodles that we once heard on an alternative radio station in another state:

Ramen Noodles
Must be made in heaven
For nary a dollar
I can buy me seven

Well, it turns out that both the writer of those lyrics and the musician who recorded them both lived here in the Lowcountry.

Here's the extended story...

Columnist, philosopher and stand-up comedian Tom “Noonan” Werner (Noonan was his stage name) of the Isle of Palms first published An Ode to Ramen Noodles 10 or 12 years ago in his “Rude, Crude, Guy Food” column in Charleston’s Free Time newspaper. He describes the column as something that would be equally at home in both the bathroom and the kitchen.

A local musician named Allen “Alpo” Porche approached Werner about setting the lyrics to a reggae beat. One thing led to another and the track (which also featured Teddy Prause, these days the guitarist for Steve Carroll and the Bograts, and Noonan/Werner giving a "spoken-word" commentary) headlined the self-produced Pop Ramen EP by “Noonan and the Rah-Men.”

Anyway, Prause noticed the chorus in last week’s paper, and — ta da! — mystery solved. We wound up on the phone with Noonan/Werner, trying unravel/remember the history of the Ode to Ramen Noodles lyric, the recording, the musicians, and whatever happened to all that time.

Also mysterious: I remember hearing part of the song on a public radio station in another state, which seemed like news to Tom. The record never had a label and didn't get airplay. He was certainly surprised that I'd heard it in North Carolina -- so surprised, in fact, that ever since then I've been trying to figure out if my memory is playing tricks on me. Thing is, I can't imagine where else I might have heard it.

Back in those days, Tom was working on an idea called "Broke and Brilliant," and you can still find some of it online (another chunk was lost in a computer crash), and the Ramen song fits into that theme nicely.

Today he goes by Tom Werner professionally in his work with a flooring company called Charleston One Source (the Environmentally Friendly Wood Specialists) and even has real business cards that he hands out.  So it looks like he's moving up in the world.

But I feel for the guy. As he put it when he dropped by the audio file for this post:

TOM: "You know that thing about how if your work touches just one person, it was worth it?"

DAN: "Yeah?"

TOM: "I'm not feeling that so much right now."

Because I'd hate that too. I'm not exactly the prize in anyone's box of Cracker Jacks.

Anyway, here's your Ramen Noodles song. Enjoy. And if you like it, tell Tom. He could probably use a few more fans.

Tourists ask the darnest things

Veteran tour guide Tom Doyle of Palmetto Carriage Co. puts it this way: “The most dangerous tourist is the one who comes with a little bit of knowledge.” The “dangerous” part may be up for debate, but these partially informed visitors are certainly the most entertaining.

Does this carriage tour go to Fort Sumter?
While most people who visit Charleston are aware that the Civil War began with the Southern attack on Fort Sumter, the geography of the harbor and its most famous fort often seems to elude them. Even Fort Sumter Tours, the outfit that runs the boats out to the island landmark encounters this one. “They often say ‘I don’t want to take the boat tour, I just want to tour the fort,” said Donna Moulton, the company’s group sales manager. But the prize for Most Confused Tourist probably goes to the satisfied visitor who went on and on to Moulton about the nice lunch she’d eaten at Fort Sumter. “I finally figured out she was talking about California Dreaming.”
Photo: That's Fort Sumter in the upper-lefthand corner. D'oh! (Brad Nettles/Staff)

Where were the slaves sold at the City Market?
For some reason many tourists arrive in Charleston with the impression — in some cases, even the firm conviction — that the City Market was where slaves were sold. “That’s just not true,” said Dennis Stiles of the Original Charleston Walks. Slaves were sold elsewhere downtown — outdoors, mostly — but the city’s most famous market was never more than a free farmer’s market during the ante bellum period. “Slaves used to run the place,” said Linda Wohlfeil of Absolutely Charleston, “and you had house slaves going there to do the shopping. I think what happened was the meaning got misconstrued.”
Photo: LeRoy Burnell/Staff

Why are your houses so skinny?
It’s apparently common knowledge among tourists that the Charleston Single House style of architecture is based on a colonial street frontage tax, an entertaining historical factoid that has the distinct disadvantage of being utterly unsupported by facts. “That came from a Triple A travel writer in the 1970s,” said Tommy Dew of On The Market Tours/Tommy Dew’s History Walk. “Our narrowness came from the fact that we were a walled city and that forced them to cut really narrow lots.” Visitors also want to know why the locals “don’t fix these buildings up” and “who lives in all these houses?” Says tour guide Robert Switz of Old Towne Carriage Co.: “I tell them ‘Real people,’ but sometimes if I’m joking around I’ll tell them ‘Carriage drivers.’”

How many ghosts will we see on the tour?
Lisa Harper-Berezny has been in the business for 16 years, but she really started hearing this one when she started giving ghost walks for Bulldog Tours. “I tend to say it depends on the number of cocktails you have first. I tell them we don’t guarantee the number of ghosts you’ll see on the tour.” Among her other favorites: “You’re sitting on a carriage in the market, and they’ll walk up and ask ‘Do you give tours of Charleston?’ So you say, ‘No, we give tours of Savannah.’” Or “Can you tell me how to get to the old church?” and “‘Will my children be scared?’ Well, I don’t know. You know your children better than I do.”
Photo: Alan Hawes/Staff

Why do you shave your trees?
Not every silly question comes from a misconception about local history. Sometimes people are just plain befuddled. Like the woman who, upon seeing her first crepe myrtle, asked Greg Barrow of Classic Carriage Tours why Charlestonians shave their trees. “You just try not to make them feel like an idiot. You do your best to explain what it is.” But really, how would you answer a question like “How old were these houses when they were built?” or “How do you get all your flags to fly in the same direction?” Or how about this clicher: “If Charleston is so historic, why haven’t we read about it in the history books?” Answers, please, on a post card.
Photo: Wade Spees/Staff

5 Bookstores you love

It’s been a rough decade for most independent booksellers, beset on one side by Web-based retailers and on the other by ultra-mega-bookstores with pastry cases and enormous inventories. Most locally owned bookshops simply cashed out, turning a once diverse segment of the retail economy into a virtual monoculture.

Yet for serious readers, there remains something intangibly seductive in the appeal of a locally owned bookshop, something that goes beyond the cold math of unit price and availability. We asked y'all to tell us your favorites, and what we found were five local shops that have survived by providing one of the most basic human needs: Connection.

All Books
210 E 1st North Street
Summerville
Michelle List’s bookstore was already a downtown favorite before she bought it in 1995, but rising utility bills eventually convinced her to relocate to a cozy house down a side street. The heart of its business remains List’s knowledge of books – and her clients.

“We could change the name to ‘All the Books We Really Liked,’ because if we’ve read it and we liked it, we can sell it,”  List said.

Customers become friends, sitting behind the counter to drink coffee and talk with the staff, and List does the little things – like delivering to shut-in customers for free – that keep people loyal.

“The thing that’s really sad is there is more to books than just the price stamped on them, and there are a lot of books that nobody is going to hear about because there’s nobody to tell people about them.”

Boomer's
420 King St.
Charleston
Writer Jonathan Sanchez began learning the used-book business when he went to work at Boomer's in 1998. He and his wife bought the business earlier this year, acquiring an inventory of roughly 40,000 books and a lethargic cat named Purdy.

Today the shop is headed toward a name change (“Blue Bicycle Books”) but retains the narrow, engulfed-by-books ambiance that has been its trademark for 12 years. Boomer's serves as something of a literary gathering place on the peninsula and its inventory, Sanchez estimates, would stand 1,500 feet high if stacked.

“Not all businesses are thought of as ‘the little guys’ just because they’re independent," he said. "I think we’ve gotten to the point that people understand independent bookstores are not charity cases.”

Indigo Books
472 Freshfields Drive
Johns Island
Linda Malcolm and her husband Nat may serve a transitory, resort-based clientele, but their shop has the feel of a place where longtime neighbors congregate.

“I think it’s because we are chatty," Linda Malcolm said. "We love for people to say ‘I don’t know what I want to read. What do you like?’”

The store has been around since 1995, the Malcolms have owned it since 1998, and they moved three miles to Freshfields when the retail complex opened two years ago.

“We’ve got people that come from Mount Pleasant to buy books here. (The mega stores) have got so many books on the shelves that you don’t see the individual titles so well. Here’s it’s like looking at someone’s library.”

Ravenous Reader
792 Folly Road
James Island
Pat Giacinto got into the book business on James Island in 1995 after examining her life and deciding to do what she loved. “I love books, and people can see that.”

Rising rents pushed her farther out Folly Road in 2006, but Ravenous Reader survived the move, even if it shook up the clientele’s routines a bit. Today it’s a shop with roughly 11,000 books in stock and a business based on personal service.

“I stock books that are worth reading. I like to think that I sift through the flotsam and the jetsam and keep the cream of the crop.” That’s not the only reason her regular customers keep coming back, either: “There are people who are committed to their community, and they want a well-rounded community. They feel that they should have something besides restaurants.”

The Scoop
7685 Northwoods Blvd
North Charleston
The Scoop stands out for several reasons, including free wi-fi and a drive-through window. The books on display are donations, and 25 percent of the store’s net profits benefit the Communities in Schools program.

“We’re not a musty, dusty, dog-jump-up-on-you bookstore,” said Susan Gates, one of two partners in the shop. There’s a coffee counter, ice cream, a menu of smoothies, a TV going in the background, and tables where customers can read or browse the Web.

Wrote one blog commenter: “The Scoop is great!...The people are really nice and the atmosphere is very inviting." (Photo: That's Kristine Schaffer of Summerville browsing the collection. She works nearby and is a store regular. --dc)

Great old-school book stores

This is the age of the book mega-store, and we spend quite a bit of time in them (or in their online equivalents). But sometimes we're just in a mood to go someplace quirky and distinct, someplace where it smells like books, or where there's a sleepy cat in the window, or where there's something about the staff that makes you want to come back.

So We Want To Know: What are the best old-school, locally owned bookstores in the Lowcountry?

Leave your suggestions, impressions, links and arguments in the Comments section below. If we get good info here, a 5 List could be coming to a Friday section soon...

Local craft beers worth drinking

Handmade, "craft" beers made a comeback in the 1990s, and there are several places around the Lowcountry where you can get fresh, locally brewed beers in season or year-round.

We Want to Know: Which of these beers are your favorites? Where should we be going to get the best drinks in town?

Leave your suggestions, impressions, links and arguments in the Comments section below. If we get good info here, a 5 List could be coming to a Friday section soon...

Locally owned coffee shops

We like a good cup of coffee here at Friday 5, but we also like an interesting place to drink it... and it doesn't hurt if the music is interesting and there's free Wi-fi. So we want to know: What are the best coffee houses in the Lowcountry? And yes, we're particular: We're only interested in the places that are locally owned and not part of some big chain.

Leave your suggestions, impressions, links and arguments in the Comments section below. If we get good info here, a 5 List could be coming to a Friday section soon...

Breakfast, 24/7

Friday 5 wants to know...

Where are the best places where you can get breakfast 24/7 around the Lowcountry?

The availability of coffee, eggs and toast are a must, but beyond that, we're willing to stretch this category depending on your suggestions. Basically, we're looking for places where you can get grits and hashbrowns at 3 a.m., or fill-up just after sunrise, or start your morning in the afternoon, because that's when your day just happens to begin.

Leave your suggestions, impressions, links and arguments in the Comments section below. If we get good info here, a 5 List could be coming to a Friday section soon...