My lovely family unit is leaving tomorrow morning at the crack of dawn (5:15am! Come join the festivities!) for Charleston, South Carolina. My lovely family unit is very much looking forward to this trip, even if it involves appeasing my son, Mr. Drama, on the airplane all day.
This (rather loud) drama is surely a phase, right? I mean, I know I might have a tiny bit of flair for the over-dramatic myself, but COME ON, I employ it solely for entertainment purposes. I’m an Entertainer. Not an Overly-Dramatic Fool.
(Dear Mom and Dad, you are not allowed to comment on this entry. Especially if it involves a story of my youth involving green Jello. Love, Whoorl)
Just this morning, while I was sitting in the living room, D announced that it was time to get Mr. Drama dressed for the day. You would have thought we were packing him up for the orphanage.
D: (Looking over at Mr. Drama, who is calmly playing with building blocks.) “Let’s go get dressed, buddy.”
Mr. Drama: (Calmness morphs into insta-hysterics.) “NOOOOOOOO! Mommy! Don’t go! Bye-BYYYYYEEE, Mommy! Bye, Mommy! Love you, PRECIOUS MOMMY!”
Whoorl: “Honey, I’m right here. Daddy’s just taking you to the next room to get dressed.”
Mr. Drama: (Lying on the floor, holding on to the door frame.) “I LOVE YOU, MOMMY. GOODBYYYYE….”
Whoorl: “Fine. I’ll get your clothes. Let’s go.”
Mr. Drama: “NOOOOO! DADDY! I’ll miss you, precious daddy! Bye-byyyyyye, daddy!”
Purchased the wrong kind of juice? DRAMA. Passed him the purple crayon instead of the blue one? DRAMA. Must quit playing outside because it’s dinner time? DRAMA. Max and Ruby is on the television? DRAMA. (“NOOOOOOOOOO Max and Ruby, Mommy! NOOOOOOO.”)
(I have to say, that show does kind of suck.)
You see, situations like these make it easier to understand why upon passing a rather attractive firefighter, my first thought is no longer whether or not he looks good in his skivvies. No, it seems now the most pressing matter is whether or not his fire station participates in the Infant Drop-Off Program, and maybe, just maybe, if I bat my eyelashes, he’ll look past the fact that Mr. Drama is decidedly NOT an infant and take him anyway.
(Any recommendations for good eats/shops/parks in Charleston? I’ve got a good list started, but I DON’T WANT TO MISS A THING!)
(That was a little dramatic, wasn’t it?)
Sarah
October 30, 2008 at 5:55 amI want to second (or third, or fourth, whatever) the Magnolia recommendation. My husband and I went to Charleston on our honeymoon and that was our “fancy dinner” – DEElicious. And you have to get she-crab soup while you’re there (there in Charleston, that is).
The Battery is lovely, and Wito might enjoy a horse-drawn tour of downtown (I’m sure y’all would too). Oh, and if you’re into history (especially war history), they’ve made a museum out of an old aircraft carrier and an old submarine, out at Patriot’s Point (that’s also where you leave for tours of Ft. Sumter). LOTS of old planes to look at!
Kim
October 30, 2008 at 6:13 amI was all excited to tell you I live in SC and sing the praises of Charleston, but I see quite a few people beat me to it. Didn’t know there were so many other Fans of Whoorl in my home state! Anyway, it IS one of the prettiest cities in the country, I know you’ll love it, have a great time and good luck with Mr. Drama.
April
October 30, 2008 at 6:14 amWe went to Meritage for tapas the last time we were in Charleston (over labor day weekend) and it wasn’t nearly as good as the my favorite Chicago tapas Cafe Babareeba or even Iberico.
You used to live in Chicago right? Figured you a little comparison might help on that one.
Shannon
October 30, 2008 at 6:22 amI live in Charleston! Yes, everyone is right….go downtown, Blossom’s is really good or Magnolia. I also like the restaurant Phish. You should check out Folly Beach if you want good dive bars and a “unique” atmosphere. Meritage is good for tapas and drinks. Hominy Grill is good, Jestine’s Kitchen is a really good meat-and-three. Joseph’s for breakfast or brunch.
Maybe I will see you around. I’ll be the one with the overly-dramatic 18 month old crying because she has to wear long sleeves and a jacket. And pants. Oh, the horror.
P.S Our local newspaper….www.charleston.net, in the Preview sections on Thursdays, they have what is going on and in the back they have a list of places to eat and such if that helps!
Have a good time Whoorl!
Lyndsay
October 30, 2008 at 6:34 amI have no suggestions for Charleston, as I have never been there, but word to Max & Ruby sucking. Could they have a more unoriginal theme song? And Ruby is a straight up bossy bitch.
Angella
October 30, 2008 at 6:58 am“Precious Mommy”?
Awesome.
Emily has only called me the “best Mommy”. But she is a pro at laying on the floor in dramatics. I thought it was because she’s a girl. I can see now it’s because she’s TWO.
Jessica
October 30, 2008 at 7:41 amyou’re right, Max & Ruby does suck.
ali
October 30, 2008 at 8:03 amprecious mommy.
oh, he’s good, Whoorl. he’s good.
:)
Savannah
October 30, 2008 at 8:34 amMy Ella is four and if the wind blows in the wrong direction I get a freak out. Example, this morning she wanted a blanket to wrap up in on the way out the car. I went through about 10 blankets, each one I held up got an eye roll, a stamped foot, and a cry of, “thaaaaat woooooon’t wooooork Mooooommy”. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like when she’s a teenager. Side Note — she ended up picking the first one I had grabbed haha
Bree
October 30, 2008 at 9:03 amTwo Words . . . Cru Cafe!
YUM-O. The Thai Seafood Risotto is AMAZING! Also, last time I ate there they had strawberry bread pudding.
http://www.crucafe.com/
Gia
October 30, 2008 at 10:20 amOk, I have been on the ghost tours in Charleston, and while they are slightly spooky, it is mostly very interesting to hear the history of the old port town! But beware, there are quacky ones there that suck. Badly. It would be fun to do it on Halloween…
I’d skip the carriage rides (the little “poop collector” bags attached to their butts are nauseating), but DO NOT miss the battery. Those homes are fab-u-lous! There is a park along the battery where little Wito can sit on real cannons, run off his excessive energy in the grass…
Have fun, I am super jealous. Just moved from SC to OC and am missing some things. Especially Charleston! And yellow BBQ. Mmmm.
Trenches of Mommyhood
October 30, 2008 at 10:47 amHubby & I used to live in Charleston (well, over the bridge in Mt. Pleasant) before we moved back north and began procreating!
I third (or fourth) Magnolia’s for a “fancy” meal. Our favorite haunt was the Irish pub, Tommy Congdons. And for wings/beer, you can’t beat Wild Wing Cafe. Bocci’s for Italian.
Hymans Seafood (yes, that’s the name) is a total tourist trap, but they actually do have really good seafood.
Our favorite beaches were on Sullivan’s Isle.
Have fun!
Kate
October 30, 2008 at 1:44 pmI grew up in Charleston, so might I recommend Blossom, which is one of my favorite restaurants ever.
As for beaches, Kiawah is the nicest one (in my opinion), mostly because there aren’t fifty thousand drunk sorority girls from College of Charleston (though I hear its sunk below eighty degrees in SC so you might be ok this time of year as most sorority girls put their bikinis away this time of year). Go see the angel oak (if you happen to like big trees, who doesn’t?), because soon they’ll be starting to develop around it and it’s possible that it won’t be quite as magical in the next few years. If you like Seafood, go to Shem Creek Bar and Grill. Go right as the sun is setting for amazing views of the marsh while you eat fresh fish.
jcristg
October 30, 2008 at 2:04 pmOK I second whoever told you to skip Hyman’s. (please, for the love, skip it.) You could do the Angel Oak on Johns Island before you go to Rosebank Farms Cafe that I was telling you about, and then swing right over to Kiawah. (If you do that, make sure to go to Newton Farms shopping center and go in Isola {shoe store}. There’s also a cute boutique — I think it’s still called the Resort Shop). Also, the actual Rosebank Farms roadside stand has a petting zoo of sorts.
Bridget
October 30, 2008 at 3:19 pmThe nachos at Poe’s Tavern on Sullivan’s Island are AMAZING. And the burgers are great, too.
As for downtown, try the newly-renovated Fish or go to Monza for, like, the best pizza ever.
Def. skip Hymans, Hominy Grill, and any other super-touristy joints.
Have fun!