Concierge's Blog

Labor Day Weekend 2006 So there I was tired of the City again and craving a quick weekend getaway. It had been three years since I snuck-off to Charleston and I need to update myself on the locale before the hurricane comes. My freind Rick got me a Pacifica for the holiday and by 6:30 I was on the road to South Caroli So there I was tired of the City again and craving a quick weekend getaway. It had been three years since I snuck-off to Charleston and I need to update myself on the locale before the hurricane comes. My freind Rick got me a Pacifica for the holiday and by 6:30 I was on the road to South Carolina. Fast Forward an uneventful 4 hour drive and I arrived at the Harborview Inn. Not feeling ready to turn in, I headed out to Club Pantheon for a bit of clubbing the night away and ended up at a trully flawless beaach house on Folly Island shortly before dawn. It was then that I decided that my night had run its course and I headed back to the city for a few hours rest. I slept in a bit on Saturday and didn't venture out until just before noon. I took a stroll through the Market and was conforted in the knowledge that it was still as touristy and frenetic as it has always been. I then spent the afternoon shopping on King Street. I find King Street to be the best shopping in the South as I really don't like shopping malls. King Street is old school shopping on a real street with stores having real window displays. As I was strolling along I decided that I deserved a spa treatment or two, and so I called my hotel and they set up reservation for me at the Spa at Wentworth Mansion for Sunday afternoon. I also asked them to establish a dinner reservation for me. I always like to test the prowess of a concierge by allowing them to surprise me with a restaurant that they like and feel that I would like as well. After a couple of cocktails at The Thoroughbred Club at the Charleston Place Hotel, I went back to the hotel to dress for dinner. As I brezzed through the lobby my concierge told me that I had dinner reservation at 9:00 at FIG. "Perfect" I said as I ascended the staircase to my guestroom. After a shower and another cocktail, I called the desk and asked them to print directions to the restaurant. I nearly missed my reservation because I decided that I new a much easier way of getting there (lesson learned: Charleston's street grid gets confusing follow the directions). Dinner was excellent and it seemed that yet again putting yourself in the hands of a capable concierge is always a great idea. I capped off dinner with a stroll around the nieghborhood. My coworker's sister's boyfriend's cousin who lives in charleston recomended Trio Lounge as a cool place to go and luckily she wasn't wrong. It was all very laid back with a really nice upstairs lounge where you can sit and actually talk to people in the bar (opposed to most of the loud smoke filled places one usually finds). I met some really cool people from The College of Charleston and got the low down on some sights outside of town. I left shortly before the barkeeps made thier last call. Walking back to the car allowed to reflect on how really spectacular the city is; filled with history and romance, connected to the river and ocean that made it the city it is, and full of charming people who all seem to have a story to tell. I inexplicably woke up early on Sunday and decided to have a productive morning. I put on my cross-trainers and went for a run along the Battery down to Waterfront Park. The homes along that route are just stunning. Every board is a piece of history and speaks of more than a hundred years of storms, battles, and colorful locals. Breakfast back at the hotel was orange juice and black coffee. The Spa at Wentworth Mansion was a delightful expereince. The design is very traditional and heavy especially for a spa, but that in no way affected me from enjoying my facial and Detoxifying Wrap. My therapist told me to drink lots of water over the next 24 hours, and I really did intend too even while I was having a bottle of Bolly on my way out to Hilton Head to take a look at Habersham (one of those "New Urbanist" developments like Seaside). If you are interested in planning and architecture, its well worth a visit, but if you aren't you would probably be bored. On my way back I stopped in Mount Pleasant for dinner at the Wreck of the Richard and Charlene, a total dive that is so worth the trip out to the 'Burbs. If you crave the local as I do you will love it, other wise stick to Applebee's. Meanwhile back in the city, forces of nature were plotting against me to see that I went out on the town for last evening in this oh so posh of Southern destinations. My new friends who I had met on Friday night wanted me to join them for desert at Peninsula Grill. I figured desert is pretty harmless, and I could still make it up early for my drive home. Desert was great and so were the two bottles of Bolly as was Henry's and Vicery's and Kaminsky's. I awoke the next morning with a terrible headache and decided the only way to make it any better to spend the day at the beach. So I packed and checked out and headed back out to Folly Island to lie out in the sun and enjoy a flawless Labor Day at the beach. All in all a really nice holiday in one of the most unique cities in the South. Michael