Nathan and I took our second Dudes Only summer trip this year. Our first was to the N.C. mountains in Asheville. This time we went to Charleston, S.C., one of my favorite cities. For the most part I let him set the agenda, so I was able to see Charleston in a different way.
The first thing we did was play wiffle ball in Battery Park. Judging by some of the stares, we were trailblazers. The breeze coming off the water made my pitches dance, but he still crushed everything I threw. The fishing was slow, but there was some excitement when an old-timer battled a small shark.
We took a tour boat to Fort Sumter, which he enjoyed, even if it was blazing hot. Visit Charleston in mid June and you expect heat, but there is no preparing for 105. We also went to the aquarium, which was full of wonder for him at age 4, but less so at 12. The first night we took a ghost tour — I’ll call it a success, though I think Nate was rooting for tales with more gore and scares.
On Day 2 we saw a Charleston RiverDogs baseball game, and the stadium and view are amazing for the low minors. Bill Murray is part owner of the team, and he clearly had some say in the concession options, which are awesome. Sadly, by game time we really just wanted water and shade. Next time I’m getting a Guiness Caramel beer shake.
I cut Nate a deal and we left the baseball game early and I let him stay up to watch Steph Curry in the NBA Finals. We stopped for snacks on the way and sat on our beds in the AC watching Game 6. Pretty sure this was the highlight of the trip for him, though he was snoring by halftime.
Because of the heat, we logged some serious time at the hotel pool. We were in one of America’s most interesting cities for about 48 hours and spent about four of those trying to get the perfect jumping/diving catch of a wiffle ball. We were at this until his skin shriveled and I have about a dozen blurry pics of the attempts, the best of which is in the slideshow below. I’ll be keeping my day job.
Charleston’s food scene is fantastic, and Rachel sent us with a long list of restaurants to try. But this was Nate’s show, and his list was shorter: Subway and BBQ. As a compromise, he let me drag him to a couple of cafes for breakfast instead of his preferred morning option: The hotel’s buffet.
On the last day we went to a landmark called the Angel Oak. It was quite a hike to Johns Island (I swear I heard banjos). Apparently this tree is believed to be more than 1500 years old. Our scouting report: Big, old tree with a lot of signs around it. Not much room for wiffle ball.
The Sutherlands 