That post about South Carolina I said I was going to do

So last year, the rest of my family took a trip to Myrtle Beach and Charleston, SC.  They had a great time, raved about the food and how it was great to get away from the snow.  When they decided to go again this February, I got to join them.  Our trip was over the President's Day long weekend.

Hotel right on the beach at Myrtle Beach

The view by night - that's the moon!

We had sun, we had sand, but unfortunately it was not as warm as last year.  I walked barefoot on the beach but wore capri pants, a long sleeve top and a fleece jacket.  My first day in Myrtle Beach was the warmest of the trip - it hit around 60F.

After a day or so in Myrtle Beach we took a weekend road trip to see Charleston.  The part of the city you see first when getting off the highway is not inspiring (looked, to me, like parts of Detroit actually), but we stayed and walked around in the historic area on the peninsula which is filled with nicely kept fancy old homes.

Quite the paint job around this door

I know, fancy, right?  Charleston is famous for it's ornate iron work - railings, gates, etc.

Similar to my family's earlier trip, though, I have to say that the food was delicious.  We made sure to have grits, pralines and sweet tea since we were down south (I've lived only in MA and MI, so forgive me if this is over generalizing), but we also tried less famous southern style food like Tomato Pie (sounds weird, tastes delicious - kind of like quiche, but better).

While it was sunny in Charleston, the weather had turned cooler.  The only jacket I bought was a trench coat, along with my fleece and so, for strolling around outside, looking at all the nice homes, I pretty much resorted to layering like a crazy person (and then, of course, goofing around for the camera).  My jacket in the photo below looks like it's bulging because I was rocking five or six layers on my torso (it was in the mid-30s to low 40s that day).

FIRE!

Overall, while not as warm as I expected and hoped for, it was cool to go down and see Charleston, visit the state where Stephen Colbert is from (one I had not been to until now), and escape Boston for some sunshine and an early hint of spring.