Another fantastic day has come and gone on our vacation.
Our attempt to coax the kids into sleeping in later by keeping them up later backfired. They were stirring early thanks to the alarm clock. The same alarm clock that woke them up yesterday that I then unplugged. Apparently the batteries kept it in operation.
Since I experienced the novelty of running on the beach yesterday morning, I opted for the trails around the resort area today. I learned that nothing keeps you well paced while running quite like having no one else anywhere on the trails and signs that say "Danger Alligators" marking every quarter mile.
When I got back from my run, the kids were finishing their cinnamon rolls and it was time for everyone to get ready for the day. The forecast was calling for rain today so we decided to spend the day in Charleston visiting the aquarium and doing some shopping. Despite the forecast, the morning was beautiful, so we took advantage by going for a bike ride. The kids all loved it. Back at home, Parker loves riding his bike, but Avin only does it on occasion. They both have done really well though, and they agree that it's been one of their daily highlights. Cooper & Reed also enjoy getting shuttled around in the trailer.
Bike ride checked off the list, it was time to load up and head to Charleston. The weather was still beautiful and comfortable and the drive gave way to an eclectic mix of sites. As we entered Charleston, we all agreed that it was a beautiful town. The character and tradition of the buildings and environment make it an amazing place. We parked and walked to the Aquarium. I have to admit, I judged the book by the cover as we walked to it. Having been to Shed's in Chicago, I was anticipating something larger and more impressive. I should mention though that when we visited Shed's several years ago, we were pretty disappointed. That wasn't the case this time. The South Carolina Aquarium is AWESOME. Seriously one of the most interesting attractions I've ever visited on a vacation. It's not huge but what they have is so well done that it makes for a great place to visit. Once we finished touring the exhibits, we stepped out on the balcony for a view of the harbor. We saw the beautiful cable-stayed bridge, watched tug boats push around a massive cargo ship and saw people boarding a carnival cruise ship. By now it was time for lunch.
Going off a recommendation from one of my childhood friends that now lives in the area, we drove across the Arthur Revenel Jr. Bridge into Mount Pleasant to visit the Boulevard Diner. This bridge is amazing. It's about 2 miles in length and has a walking/running path on one side. I'm seriously considering driving there really early one morning for a run. Back to the food... We admitted that we never would have picked the Boulevard had it not been for a noteworthy recommendation due to it's "hole in the wall" appearance. For the second time today, I was taught not to judge by appearances. We all agreed that it was one of our favorite meals so far. The food was fantastic and so was the quaint atmosphere. Despite being plenty full, we felt obligated to force down a slice of red velvet cake.
As we left the diner, it was obvious that the storm was starting to roll in so we made our way to the outlet mall. Rain came and went in short, scattered showers. At one point Avin spotted a rainbow to the North of us. It wasn't really until we pulled into the parking lot that it occured to us that "outlet" general means "outdoor". We did a little shopping, hitting up our favorites like Banana Republic, J Crew and Gap and there was enough cover to keep us dry....that is until it was time to leave. With every step we took toward the truck, the rain gained strength.
In an effort to kill time until dark so that we could visit a 3 mile display of Christmas lights, we drove around downtown Charleston and grew further convinced that it is a truly great place. However, with the rain gaining strength, the kids growing more and more restless, and the fact that we still had more than an hour until the lights, we decided to head back to the condo. Since the adults were all still full from lunch, we decided to stop by the village market once again to pick up some Mayfield's ice cream. The kids ate PB&J's and we all enjoyed some ice cream. The kids had shown us that they were in real need of sleep...so, we happily obliged. They ended up in bed around 6:30 tonight. Since then, it's been an evening of sitting around and relaxing.
The rain seems to have passed and now it's really windy. The forecast shows that the rest of the week will be a little on the chillier side but should be beautiful and sunny.
Looking forward to another great day tomorrow.
Until then,
JS
No comments:
Post a Comment