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SLC OB,
That is one of the best young entrepreneur family type jobs I’ve ever heard of! Great ingenuity of thinking of a fantastic part time job for your son and as a bonus, you get get great meals!Leave a comment:
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In case anyone is interested….
My 12 year old is going on his trip with Nana this year. Nana takes each grandchild on their very own special trip at the age of 12. Why 12? They are old enough to get themselves ready, packed, etc. but not too old that Nana is not cool anymore. My older son spent a week sailing in the San Juan Islands on a 110 foot sail boat and my daughter spent a week in Seattle learning to blow glass and take in the art/restaurant scene. My youngest, who leaves in 2 weeks, will go to Chicago, participate in a cooking camp, explore Chicago, and go to Alinea for dinner one night.
https://www.alinearestaurant.com
https://chicago.eater.com/2016/5/5/11599500/grant-achatz-chefs-table-netflix-video-clip
He is an avid chef and I now pay him to make dinners (this week he made curry chicken with carrots, broccoli, and baby corn with steamed rice; Quiche; Twice baked sweet potatoes (spiced with cumin and chayenne pepper) with barbecued chicken)… since he loves it and is only 12… he makes $5-10/meal (you going to report me to CPS for child-labor violation?).
I am watching an old run of Chopped Teen Tournament right now and thinking of you and your 12-y.o.!
He LOVES to do Chopped at home with his siblings... I get to be the judge! Yay me!Leave a comment:
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we are thinking about the boat trip to Ft. Sumter
I love history and every time I visit Charleston I visit Ft. Moultrie, and often Ft. Sumter.Leave a comment:
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In case anyone is interested….
My 12 year old is going on his trip with Nana this year. Nana takes each grandchild on their very own special trip at the age of 12. Why 12? They are old enough to get themselves ready, packed, etc. but not too old that Nana is not cool anymore. My older son spent a week sailing in the San Juan Islands on a 110 foot sail boat and my daughter spent a week in Seattle learning to blow glass and take in the art/restaurant scene. My youngest, who leaves in 2 weeks, will go to Chicago, participate in a cooking camp, explore Chicago, and go to Alinea for dinner one night.
https://www.alinearestaurant.com
https://chicago.eater.com/2016/5/5/11599500/grant-achatz-chefs-table-netflix-video-clip
He is an avid chef and I now pay him to make dinners (this week he made curry chicken with carrots, broccoli, and baby corn with steamed rice; Quiche; Twice baked sweet potatoes (spiced with cumin and chayenne pepper) with barbecued chicken)… since he loves it and is only 12… he makes $5-10/meal (you going to report me to CPS for child-labor violation?).
I am watching an old run of Chopped Teen Tournament right now and thinking of you and your 12-y.o.!Leave a comment:
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Thank you for this post. My outlook on life has changed over the last few years to really focus on precious moments such as these, but I also need a reminder every now and then – so thank you. We also have an upcoming family trip that I’m really looking forward to. Just having all the family under one roof for a few days is special enough.
“…but we will have something better that won’t rust, or be outgrown,…”
Love that line. Enjoy!
Thank you so much, that meant a lot. Yes, having everyone together here - even when I’m just being the fly on the wall and watching the kids interact - is an incredible experience. Have a wonderful time with yours!Leave a comment:
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Thank you for this post. My outlook on life has changed over the last few years to really focus on precious moments such as these, but I also need a reminder every now and then - so thank you. We also have an upcoming family trip that I'm really looking forward to. Just having all the family under one roof for a few days is special enough.
"...but we will have something better that won’t rust, or be outgrown,..."
Love that line. Enjoy!Leave a comment:
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The Fort Sumter trip is interesting. The ride out there is nice. The fort itself is sort of disappointing since it is mostly a remnant, but the history is great (if you like that). The USS Yorktown that you’d pass by if you’re going from the Mt. Pleasant side is actually more interesting from a history perspective since there is a ton more to see. If you’re going to the fort from the Mt. Pleasant side, it’s meant you made a trek over at least 2 bridges, which is considered a long drive in Charleston. If you’ve done that, you’re a skip away from Shem Creek, which has some watering holes off of water. In that area is the Pitt Street Bridge, which is the old bridge to Sullivan’s Island that has been re-purposed as a walking/running area with a dock at the end to crab fish. It has some of the best views of the harbor, IMO.
The aquarium is great. It’s set up to learn about the aquatic life of South Carolina, and they have a little sea turtle hospital. That’s off of East Bay downtown. I would make a daytime setup in that area to walk around. Or, after the aquarium, you can drive down to one of the parking garages off of East Bay or Market Street.
The Charleston market is great, but I wouldn’t buy anything (similar to many other tourist traps of overpriced trinkets). Off of Vendue in that area is the downtown side of Waterfront park where you’ll see the pineapple fountain that’s on all of the post cards. If you start at the waterfront park and walk south towards the tip of the peninsula, you’ll pass by Rainbow Row and make it to the tip of the Battery where a bunch of old Charleston mansions are.
Around East Bay and Market are a bunch of bars/restaurants. McCrady’s is off of East Bay, and is probably my favorite restaurant there, but it’s a tasting menu type of place, so not likely a place you’ll go. However, if you want to go to a different Sean Brock restaurant in the same vicinity, Minero is a taco place that he opened. Good food, reasonably priced.
One of the best historic places downtown is the Old Slave Mart Museum. It’s off of Chalmers, I believe (google it, just in case). It’s one of the places that sold slaves and has a ton of history smashed into about 1200 sq ft. It’s kid friendly in the fact that there isn’t anything overtly graphic, but they don’t hide much about the trade. I think it’s $8 for adults and there are student discounts.
For more fun history, I would do one of the ghost tours. They all tell the same 5-6 stories. The one at the ghost tour at the Charleston Jail is good for the creepy factor. There are a couple that walk through the neighborhoods more so you can do a little sight seeing.
Lower King is where are the shopping is. Upper king is the college bar district. Off of Calhoun street (which is the street that separates upper and lower King) and King street is Marion Square where they have the Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings. It also has random stuff you can buy and take home, as well as food trucks. 2 blocks East on Calhoun is the Mother Emanuel AME church where the Dillon Roof shooting was. Maybe not something everyone cares to see, but I’ve had friends who at least wanted to see the front of it. If you head several blocks west of Marion Square on Calhoun, you’ll see where I trained and say to your family, “That’s where that radiologist from WCI was for 6 years.”
In terms of plantations, my favorite is Middleton Place. You can just tour the grounds on your own without a tour guide. The place that is probably best for kids is Magnolia Plantation (they’re like 5-10 minutes from each other off of highway 61, probably 30 minutes from where you are without traffic). They have a large expanse of gardens to walk around in. Towards the front is a petting zoo of sorts (don’t touch the peacocks). Boone Hall is out in Mount Pleasant which is where they filmed parts of The Notebook.
Taco Boy and the Lost Dog Cafe are some of my favorite on Folly. Just before you get to Folly Beach is Bowen’s Island seafood. I would recommend going there and getting some fried fish and southern cooking. You’ll get a pretty view of the low country from there. It gets busy, though.
Best BBQ in town is Lewis BBQ… but it’s Texas barbeque. My favorite of the Carolina type BBQ (pork, mustard based stuff) is Home Team BBQ. There are several locations.
If you’re out towards Mt Pleasant, keep going towards Sullivans Island. Poe’s Tavern has great burgers. The Obstinate Daughter has the best food there. There are other places, as well. You can either go to the beach and then walk and eat, or eat and then walk to the beach. Sullivan’s is considered a “local” beach and Folly is considered a “tourist” beach. Sullivan’s and IOP are great if you have a 2-4 year old who can’t really get in the ocean but want to get in the water because tide pools form when the tide goes out.
If you can get a reservation at Poogan’s Porch, go there. It’s in the middle of the French Quarter and they have good southern food (entrees are about $30). If you have time before, go to the Bar at Husk (which is the carriage house right next to the neighboring restaurant, Husk… those reservations are more difficult). Poogan’s Porch is the restaurant I tell people to go to if they’re only going to be in Charleston for a couple days because you can check off the boxes of 1)good food 2)southern food 3)history and 4)ghosts all in one trip.
Oyster bars are all the rage around there. 167 Raw gets the best reviews. Pearlz is good. Raw oysters aren’t my thing, so I have no opinion on this.
Go to the top of the Vendue for a single drink. It’ll be an overpriced drink. It is the best view of the harbor from downtown.
The Belmont and the Gin Joint are better cocktail bars, IMO. The Commodore and The Royal American have good live music.
Other rooftop bars that people like are at Stars and The Watch. I never understood the appeal since most buildings in Charleston are below 4 stories.
Best cheap drink with a view is Salty Mike’s or California Dreaming happy hour. Shem Creek also has good views, but it’ll be more expensive.
I almost forgot… the Angel Oak tree is something you should do. It’s just a tree, but it’s a reallllly big tree. It’s also free. It’s on John’s Island. On the way over or back, see if you can get a reservation at Fat Hen. If it must be more kid friendly, go to Tattooed Moose.
Oh, and if you’re not from the south, you should go to Bojangles just once. It’s chicken biscuits and it’s fast food. But it’s good.
Given the long post, you can see why I’ve needed financial help after living there for 6 years. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. If I still lived there, I would just show you guys around. Have fun!
That is a superb list. I’ll pass on Bojangles ?but really appreciate all of the suggestions - it’s obvious you are passionate about this area!Leave a comment:
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My one big extravagance is expensive international vacations. Over the years I've regretted spending money on plenty of material things, but I've never regretted single dime I've spent on travel. And I want to do those trips now, while I'm still physically capable of managing them.
Once you've built up an adequate financial cushion, sometimes a "screw it!" purchase is indeed the right option! I'm glad you're enjoying this special family trip!Leave a comment:
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Not to hijack the thread, but I got reservations to Alinea in Chicago. It'll be a celebration for the last of many board/certifying exams. I had to go for the "cheap" option, as the others filled up in 2 minutes of reservations opening.Leave a comment:
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In case anyone is interested….
My 12 year old is going on his trip with Nana this year. Nana takes each grandchild on their very own special trip at the age of 12. Why 12? They are old enough to get themselves ready, packed, etc. but not too old that Nana is not cool anymore. My older son spent a week sailing in the San Juan Islands on a 110 foot sail boat and my daughter spent a week in Seattle learning to blow glass and take in the art/restaurant scene. My youngest, who leaves in 2 weeks, will go to Chicago, participate in a cooking camp, explore Chicago, and go to Alinea for dinner one night.
https://www.alinearestaurant.com
https://chicago.eater.com/2016/5/5/11599500/grant-achatz-chefs-table-netflix-video-clip
He is an avid chef and I now pay him to make dinners (this week he made curry chicken with carrots, broccoli, and baby corn with steamed rice; Quiche; Twice baked sweet potatoes (spiced with cumin and chayenne pepper) with barbecued chicken)… since he loves it and is only 12… he makes $5-10/meal (you going to report me to CPS for child-labor violation?).
Oh, my, you just gave me a wonderful idea. Thank you!
She did these trips with most of the grandkids...
https://www.roadscholar.org/collections/grandparent/
Now that she is 81, they are too active for her... she will rest/nap while he is in cooking class unlike these road scholar programs where the grandparent is right there with the kiddo doing the stuff.
Hope you make it a tradition... all the cousins still talk about their trip with Nana.Leave a comment:
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I know. The “match” on the Roth is cool.
Mom would have simply wrote “dinner sometime” on her lists we could never find. My son still makes pancakes when he visits. Not sure if it’s because DW keeps a list or habit! It’s all good. We tried the teenage adventure trip experience. One worked well and the other would cost more than a doctor house!Leave a comment:
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The Fort Sumter trip is interesting. The ride out there is nice. The fort itself is sort of disappointing since it is mostly a remnant, but the history is great (if you like that). The USS Yorktown that you'd pass by if you're going from the Mt. Pleasant side is actually more interesting from a history perspective since there is a ton more to see. If you're going to the fort from the Mt. Pleasant side, it's meant you made a trek over at least 2 bridges, which is considered a long drive in Charleston. If you've done that, you're a skip away from Shem Creek, which has some watering holes off of water. In that area is the Pitt Street Bridge, which is the old bridge to Sullivan's Island that has been re-purposed as a walking/running area with a dock at the end to crab fish. It has some of the best views of the harbor, IMO.
The aquarium is great. It's set up to learn about the aquatic life of South Carolina, and they have a little sea turtle hospital. That's off of East Bay downtown. I would make a daytime setup in that area to walk around. Or, after the aquarium, you can drive down to one of the parking garages off of East Bay or Market Street.
The Charleston market is great, but I wouldn't buy anything (similar to many other tourist traps of overpriced trinkets). Off of Vendue in that area is the downtown side of Waterfront park where you'll see the pineapple fountain that's on all of the post cards. If you start at the waterfront park and walk south towards the tip of the peninsula, you'll pass by Rainbow Row and make it to the tip of the Battery where a bunch of old Charleston mansions are.
Around East Bay and Market are a bunch of bars/restaurants. McCrady's is off of East Bay, and is probably my favorite restaurant there, but it's a tasting menu type of place, so not likely a place you'll go. However, if you want to go to a different Sean Brock restaurant in the same vicinity, Minero is a taco place that he opened. Good food, reasonably priced.
One of the best historic places downtown is the Old Slave Mart Museum. It's off of Chalmers, I believe (google it, just in case). It's one of the places that sold slaves and has a ton of history smashed into about 1200 sq ft. It's kid friendly in the fact that there isn't anything overtly graphic, but they don't hide much about the trade. I think it's $8 for adults and there are student discounts.
For more fun history, I would do one of the ghost tours. They all tell the same 5-6 stories. The one at the ghost tour at the Charleston Jail is good for the creepy factor. There are a couple that walk through the neighborhoods more so you can do a little sight seeing.
Lower King is where are the shopping is. Upper king is the college bar district. Off of Calhoun street (which is the street that separates upper and lower King) and King street is Marion Square where they have the Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings. It also has random stuff you can buy and take home, as well as food trucks. 2 blocks East on Calhoun is the Mother Emanuel AME church where the Dillon Roof shooting was. Maybe not something everyone cares to see, but I've had friends who at least wanted to see the front of it. If you head several blocks west of Marion Square on Calhoun, you'll see where I trained and say to your family, "That's where that radiologist from WCI was for 6 years."
In terms of plantations, my favorite is Middleton Place. You can just tour the grounds on your own without a tour guide. The place that is probably best for kids is Magnolia Plantation (they're like 5-10 minutes from each other off of highway 61, probably 30 minutes from where you are without traffic). They have a large expanse of gardens to walk around in. Towards the front is a petting zoo of sorts (don't touch the peacocks). Boone Hall is out in Mount Pleasant which is where they filmed parts of The Notebook.
Taco Boy and the Lost Dog Cafe are some of my favorite on Folly. Just before you get to Folly Beach is Bowen's Island seafood. I would recommend going there and getting some fried fish and southern cooking. You'll get a pretty view of the low country from there. It gets busy, though.
Best BBQ in town is Lewis BBQ... but it's Texas barbeque. My favorite of the Carolina type BBQ (pork, mustard based stuff) is Home Team BBQ. There are several locations.
If you're out towards Mt Pleasant, keep going towards Sullivans Island. Poe's Tavern has great burgers. The Obstinate Daughter has the best food there. There are other places, as well. You can either go to the beach and then walk and eat, or eat and then walk to the beach. Sullivan's is considered a "local" beach and Folly is considered a "tourist" beach. Sullivan's and IOP are great if you have a 2-4 year old who can't really get in the ocean but want to get in the water because tide pools form when the tide goes out.
If you can get a reservation at Poogan's Porch, go there. It's in the middle of the French Quarter and they have good southern food (entrees are about $30). If you have time before, go to the Bar at Husk (which is the carriage house right next to the neighboring restaurant, Husk... those reservations are more difficult). Poogan's Porch is the restaurant I tell people to go to if they're only going to be in Charleston for a couple days because you can check off the boxes of 1)good food 2)southern food 3)history and 4)ghosts all in one trip.
Oyster bars are all the rage around there. 167 Raw gets the best reviews. Pearlz is good. Raw oysters aren't my thing, so I have no opinion on this.
Go to the top of the Vendue for a single drink. It'll be an overpriced drink. It is the best view of the harbor from downtown.
The Belmont and the Gin Joint are better cocktail bars, IMO. The Commodore and The Royal American have good live music.
Other rooftop bars that people like are at Stars and The Watch. I never understood the appeal since most buildings in Charleston are below 4 stories.
Best cheap drink with a view is Salty Mike's or California Dreaming happy hour. Shem Creek also has good views, but it'll be more expensive.
I almost forgot... the Angel Oak tree is something you should do. It's just a tree, but it's a reallllly big tree. It's also free. It's on John's Island. On the way over or back, see if you can get a reservation at Fat Hen. If it must be more kid friendly, go to Tattooed Moose.
Oh, and if you're not from the south, you should go to Bojangles just once. It's chicken biscuits and it's fast food. But it's good.
Given the long post, you can see why I've needed financial help after living there for 6 years. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. If I still lived there, I would just show you guys around. Have fun!Leave a comment:
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@SLC OB,
My wife (1 of a family of 9) and I (1 of a family of 7) noted that household chores might require payment. CPS told us we can complain to the DOL for non-payment. I am teasing. I do subscribe to “allowances” but have a dim view of payment for a specific task. Cooking, cleaning and babysitting included. Different philosophy is all. It’s all good.
His brother and sister both have "real" jobs (W2 income) and he wants to make his own money... luckily he loves to cook and I am busy... so it works out well.Leave a comment:
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