I Like Your Tattoo Depiction

Odometer: 11,627
Location: Charleston, SC
States Visited: Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina

When I first decided to do this, I knew one of the perks would be that I get to see friends scattered throughout the country. One of my closest friends and my old roommate from Chicago lives in Charleston, South Carolina. The only time I was able to visit him there previously was for his wedding sixteen months ago. Though I was in town for only 20 hours, the city did its best to charm me. I immediately vowed a return. It would be fair to say that that brief visit was one of the major inspirations for this journey. After merely flirting with one of the many jewels this country has to offer, I longed to experience as many of them as possible this fall. I am returning to the scene of the crime – the key that turned the ignition, so to speak. A visit that seemed so far away just a few weeks ago was finally upon me.

After spending a quick night in Brooklyn (my first visit to that particular jewel), I rose at 5:30 and hopped in the Corolla, determined to beat the New York traffic. It was apparently early for Grandma as well as she did her best to confuse me and generally lead me astray through convoluted New York side streets. But after various minor missteps, we were paying a nine dollar toll and heading across the Varrazana –Narrows Bridge to Staten Island.

Finally in New Jersey, I cruised south on the Jersey Turpike with the I-pod on shuffle. At the exact moment that the sun finally rose, the eerily prescient device shuffled to the song “South Carolina” by Archers of Loaf. Aside from a ridiculous frequency of tolls which were made easier thanks to the fact that the I-pass system is networked with the east coast EZ Pass system, the journey was a sleepy, but easy one.

Driving in Charleston is quite a shock to the system after driving in NYC. People let everyone in. It’s not the same. But the city is gorgeous and everyone I met was cheerfully friendly. Sadly, it was too busy to check out everything I wanted – including the Confederacy Museum located on Meeting Street – but it was an excellent few days. I’d love to write more, but being short on time, I’ll have to end it now.

Off to Florida next. Florida? That’s America’s wang…

Also, this baby is mean: