September 3, 2011 - Arrival in Charleston, SC

Our trip began with a Metro Ride to Washington National Airport. Because Shannon and Jeff live so close to BWI and because they are so kind as to provide shuttle service to said airport we usually fly out of BWI. The Metro experience was good and I would recommend it. The plane on wich we flew to Jacksonville was a jet...albeit a very small one. The seats were cramped but erfectly tolerable for only 1.5 hours. Jacksonville Airport is very orderly and we found the car rental company and the car rental pick-up very quickly. The airport is located north of the city and right on Interstate 95. It was a straight shot to the highway and becasue the posted speed is 70 we made it to Charleston in about 3 hours. There was not a single traffic light to be had until we arrived in Charleston. Amazing!!!!! Upon arrival at John Rutledge House, the B&B in which we are staying, we checked in and toured the beautiful house. We have a gas fireplace in our room, at least 14 foot ceilings and a canopied four poster bed... which has a set of steps to enable us to climb into the bed. Now I know where that term originated! We walked down to the Battery to catch the sunset and to enjoy the beauty of the incredible houses in Charleston. Most houses have entrances that do not fae the street. The lots seem to be long and narrow and most homes are behind wrought iron gates. The gas porch lights add to the already romantic look of these magnificent homes. We walked along the water where we were able to enjoy a lovely, warm breeze. At 8:45, after eating almost nothing all day, we went in search of a restaurant. We ended up at the Southend Brewery on East Bay Street. It is a micro brewery although we did not sample the beer. Instead we consumed a couple of incredible burgers that would rival any steakhouse in the DC area.

This vacation is off to a great start... we were actually in 4 states today and Washington DC! That does not happen often. Good night!