Old-World Charleston – WPC

“This place is special to me and I just wanted to share it with you.”

Anthony T. Hincks

CHARLESTON’S ICONIC PINEAPPLE

When my husband and I decided to move south, there were a number of key items on our wish list. We hoped to find a beautiful natural setting ☑, access to an active lifestyle ☑, an adequate airport for staying connected with family and friends ☑, excellent medical care ☑, and a nearby city of reasonable size with restaurants, cultural activities and charm. After 17 years we still believe we’ve found the best of all worlds with our choice  – including our access to the charming city of Charleston, SC.  My opening capture is the city’s iconic pineapple fountain, a symbol of welcome, friendship and hospitality.

WALL OF JASMINE

“The place cast a lovely spell on me that seduced me one breath at a time.”

Brenda Sutton Rose

Walking through town in springtime, the bouquet of jasmine follows you everywhere. Horse-Drawn carriages transport visitors down cobblestone streets lined with moss-laden giant oaks.  Often one can spot dolphins at play along the beautiful harbor. It’s a place in which you can imagine what life was like centuries ago.

Charleston has received awards too numerous to count in recent years, but some of the more notable include:

o  #1 small US City – Conde Nast Traveler Readers (6 years in a row)

0  Best City in the US – Travel + Leisure Magazine

o  Best Town – Outside Magazine

o  Top community with Green Spaces – National Geographic

o  One of 29 Best Small US Cities – National Geographic Travel

o  South’s Best City – Southern Living‘s readers

o  Several James Beard awards for our outstanding restaurants

PHILADELPHIA ALLEY

“This is the place of places, and it is here.”

Gertrude Stein

In response to Erica’s challenge for the week, oftentimes when I seek inspiration I head into downtown Charleston, as I did this past week with a good friend and fellow photographer.  Meandering through the streets and alleyways, we came upon an interesting scene in photography-friendly Philadelphia Alley (named because of a contribution that city made to rebuild the area after a major fire). If you look closely at the end of the alley in the image above, you will notice a craftsman we found hard at work as we wandered in.

MASTER CRAFTSMAN

“Habits, places and faces grow into you over time, like tree roots burrowing into stone work.”

Frances Hardinge

Although I am normally shy about asking strangers to allow me to photograph them, in this case the opportunity was too good to pass up. Not only did I ask if we could take photos, I also asked him to create some dust for us while we were shooting – a request with which he was happy to comply. For me it was the favorite set of images from the day – proving how important it is to be open to opportunities you cannot plan in advance 🙂.

For those who are interested, here’s our workman from a bit farther away.

TILER AT WORK

“Your promised land is your place of fulfillment”

Sunday Adelaja

Here’s to a week of unexpected opportunity and inspiration – and a Happy Mothers Day to those of you who inspire us all. For more responses to Erica’s “Place in the World” challenge, click here.

 

NOTE: Despite it’s contemporary excellence, because Charleston truly feels like an old-world city I’ve processed this week’s images using Nik Silver EFEX pro.  All images captured with Fuji X-T2.

Tags: weekly photo challenge

• May 10, 2018
• Charleston, Photography, Travel
• 77 Comments