We planned to attend 10:30 mass at St. Mary's - the first Catholic parish in Georgia and the Carolinas. We read we'd better get there early because there would be crowds at Easter, so we left at 9:00 and found ourselves downtown before 9:30, so we decided to go to 10:00 mass at St. Patrick's instead. It's a beautiful old church, built in 1887.
Luckily we did get there early because there were many people who ended up standing in the back. It was a lovely service. They don't have a very big parking lot, and apparently the parking lot next door, which was completely empty, doesn't let them use the lot on Sunday. In fact at the beginning of mass it was announced that if you parked there you'd better move. So they pack cars in their own lot like sardines.
All those cars had to back out to the street before the others could leave. The parking lot ministry got a round of applause before mass was over. As well they should - it was amazing how fast they got everyone out of that parking lot!
We then headed downtown Charleston and walked around looking for a place to have brunch - found a place and we were surprised there weren't big lines since it was Easter and since Charleston is known as the Holy City because all of their churches. We saw a lot of churches, but I think Memphis has more!
Then we walked around the City Market, along the waterfront, along the Battery and around the neighborhood South of Broad. Along the waterfront the houses are really big and impressive. Along the interior streets they are big too but mostly not quite as big.
They have two kinds of houses - single houses and double houses. Basically either house can be any style architecture but single houses have their narrowest side on the street side usually with a door on one side, while double houses have their front wide side on the street usually with the door in the middle.
A lot of the houses reminded us of the houses at Harbor Town in Memphis, except these houses are the real ones 200-300 years old, not copies. They have architectural controls here to be sure that even new things be designed to blend in with the old.
Charleston is lovely but more like a gentrified, refined Southern lady. Homes are close together, front yards nearly non-existant, instead secret gardens beyond the gates. There are a few parks but not like Savannah. More palm trees which are tall and stately rather than the live oaks with their crooked branches dripping with Spanish moss. Charleston has ghost tours, but it doesn't feel like a place that would be haunted like Savannah does. Apparently they aren't as afraid of haints here either, because most of the porch ceilings were not painted blue.
If I were planning this trip again I'd come here first, then Savannah. After Savannah maybe nothing else will quite measure up.
After that we drove out to Folly Island to check out another resort island. This one is a little more lively - looks like the party scene. But it is a big island with lots of houses and rentals.
Easter Sunday
Sunday, April 16, 2017
Charleston, South Carolina, United States
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Comments

2025-02-10
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Etta Covey McFarland
2017-04-18
Stephen Colbert lived in one of the houses facing the bay. His father and two of his brothers died in an airplane crash when he was 12 and his mother bought that house and ran a bed and breakfast.
Patty Farrar
2017-04-19
Sounds like you're quite busy but having a great trip. So happy for you ...keep those pics and commentary coming !!!