Charleston Lovin'

I'm very lucky to have a sister that goes to school in Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston is one of those cities that you're beginning to hear more and more about - Conde Nast Traveler even named it the #1 City in the US, but I still don't think I would've made it down there had it not been for my sister going to College of Charleston. This past weekend was my third trip down South and it was a good one.  

One of my favorite things is putting on my running shoes and exploring a city by foot.  My little sister, being the college student she is, sleeps later than me, so I used the mornings to walk around and find new places. Saturday morning I ran towards the water and found myself at The Battery - a park at the tip of Charleston's peninsula. There's nothing better than a morning run along the water:

We walked the city for the rest of the day. First stop: the Farmer's Market.  I got an awesome smoothie with beet, pear, banana, kale and spinach.  I was skeptical of the beets at first but it was amazing! Perfectly sweet and the beet was very subtle.

It was so fun to check out all of the different booths at the market and everyone was so nice. A major highlight was discovering Nutty Goodness - An amazing raw fruit and nut bar which I proceeded to buy 5 bags of. Good news is that they ship all over the country! I also loved this homemade pasta vendor. Check out this impressive spread: 

Next we went to the Charleston City Market, an awesome strip of vendors with art, trinkets, and food. Here's a gem I found:

We had a late lunch at a cute spot, Eli's Table. My dad got the "Low Country Eggs Benedict" - with spinach and fried oysters - to die for. I think I fell in love with fried oysters this weekend.

The architecture is unreal in Charleston and it's absolutely one of my favorite parts about the city. There's so much color and history.  It's the most charming place I've ever been. I became slightly obsessed with the colors and window treatments - Here's a collage of all of my favorite windows: 

Saturday Night we went to Grill 225 in the Market Pavilion Hotel for dinner - unbelievable fish and steakhouse.  The hotel also has a fun rooftop pool and bar that is worth checking out. Their specialty is a liquid nitrogen martini - They come extra cold, steaming, and with a warning label. I got the cucumber lemonade vodka 'nitrotini'. Kind of hilarious but it got the job done. 

Our last stop for the night was Kaminsky's, a dessert bar. All they serve is alcohol and dessert. AMAZING. I think this place is pure genius and I might open up my own version. I opted for some Hob Knob Pinot Noir and Pumpkin pie - heaven.

I think that's a pretty good round up of my Charleston weekend. It has definitely become one of my favorite destinations. Until next time Chucktown!