Greetings from the Lowcountry

Seeing the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge over the historic Charleston, South Carolina harbor is to me what seeing Cinderella’s Castle is for kids visiting Disney World: awe-inspiring and exciting! Most of the major bridges in my hometown area resemble its cantilever predecessors and what few that are cable-stays span but a fraction in its size. The highway span over the Cooper River is much younger than the ones back home too. Albeit, apart from my personal connection to the area, I’m really not sure how to justify my excitement for seeing a bridge, of all things. My emotion feels a little goofy without the context…

A trip to Disney might be once-in-a-lifetime for some but once in my lifetime, me, my mom, and dad lived in the area. Specifically, right outside town in Ladson and Goose Creek respectively. Dad was in the Navy early in my life and got stationed in Charleston when it was still a base. Twenty years later, summers don’t seem complete without making a stop in town, if not any other chance we can get to drop in, like our Thanksgiving getaway last fall. The place is a former home, second home, our favorite backyard, and probably even my parents’ first choice in places to retire if they could have their way.

In the summers, we actually rent a condo for a week somewhere outside of town, usually at Isle of Palms. We’ll spend some days lounging at the beach, swimming in the resort pool, and eating and shopping at some of the local mom-and-pop places. Somewhere in the mix, we plan on spending a few days in Charleston’s historic downtown district, where we’d do more eating and shopping. From souvenirs for friends and family to art, cooking spices, accessories, and Christmas ornaments for ourselves, a high majority of things we buy there are locally sourced or hand-crafted. The hotspot, Hyman’s Seafood Company is always at the top of our dining list!

I love the historical and cultural atmosphere as well! I can guarantee we’re listening to Darius Rucker and Hootie & The Blowfish on the drive in. Luck might have you hearing the bells around town chime if you’re around late enough in the evening. I hold a special place in my heart (and in the decorative theme of my bedroom) for the pineapple, Charleston’s symbol of hospitality and the shape of a gorgeous fountain at the Waterfront Park where I played as a kid sometimes.

Despite its urbanity and college town vibe, the antiquity still thrives. The skyline of the three-hundred and fifty year old city towers with churches and buildings that have stood for just as long. Horse-and-buggy tours wander up and down Meeting, Market, and King Streets or one strolls on cobblestone walks of a city established as one of the thirteen colonies! The vibrant City Market, the heart of any visit here, developed from old beef and slave markets in the bygone eras. On a couple different trips, my family visited Fort Sumter and the USS Yorktown at Patriots Point, where Dad could give a better tour than anybody.

Maybe I see what a kid (or kid-at-heart) at Disney sees when I lay eyes on the Ravenel Bridge: beauty, history, tradition, a time of fun, leisure, and escape. With spring and summer emerging on the heels of the ultimate winter of discontent in pandemic panic, I look forward to feeling again the joy I always feel when riding along U.S. 17 and seeing those steel cables crawling up to the concrete towers of the bridge and stretching down over the harbor. In just a few miles, I'd be back in my favorite spot of my favorite home with my family for a little while.