I left my heart...

Some would say I fall in love easily. Some would say I am fickle, mercurial, or flighty. Potato, potahto. I know all these things are true. Others may have touched my heart in the past, but I don't recall feeling quite this thrilled or alive before. Charleston, you had me from 'hello'.

It certainly is easy to adore a city draped in springtime finery, but this town had more than just blooms to entice me. Perhaps I was disarmed because many of its charms felt so familiar. Charleston has the historical architecture of Federal Hill, Annapolis, and even Nantucket. It has the grand loveliness of Paris, San Fransisco, and Tuscany. It's easy-going lifestyle, rooftop bars and palm tree-lined streets are reminiscent of Key West. It's haute cuisine and enophilia are rivaled only by the finest establishments in New York and London. The historic center of town, however, has an almost exotic feel that is all its own. And its people, well, they are the nicest I have met anywhere.

On my first run, I was able to get the lay of the land (and luckily for me, it's quite flat land, at that). I ran down the high shopping corridor of King Street, through the residential splendor in the southern section of town, around the tip of the Battery, up East Bay past the restaurants and pubs, and through the historic Market area on my way back to the hotel. What could I love more? Sleepy, yet somehow immaculate alleyways strewn with fountains, ivy and opalescent oyster shells. A magnificent church on almost every corner, speaking to the city's open and accommodating past, coupled with quiet and respectful cemeteries. Gracious, enormous homes in every color of the rainbow.


And there are many reasons to return. Though we thoroughly enjoyed our walking tour with local expert and soon-to-be content mogul Tommy Dew, there is much more history to be explored, both in and around this great city. Though we got down to Folly Beach and up to Sullivan's island, there is much more of the low country to discover. I want to steep myself in its beauty and culture. I want to spend quiet afternoons contemplating its significance to our country. I can envision more than just visiting.

Historic Charleston seems to me like a beautiful, aging woman. It is a place that lifts your spirits and calms your mind. It is a city that inspires and delights with history and grace around every corner. And it is a place that could very, very easily feel like home.