C/C trip #2 farther south we go.

Day #2 of our C/C trip we were up early and on our way 

to Charleston. 

We arrived at the Days Inn, where we usually

stay.  It is right on Meeting Street in the historic area of Charleston.

We arrived early so couldn't get into a room,

but they did let us check in so we'd be sure to have

a room on the first floor.

There is a lot to do in the Charleston area,

check out all the brochures in the lobby of the Inn.

We were only staying for a couple days, 

and planned to just do a bit of exploring in the city.

Here's Dave in the entryway to the

City Market.

Here is a closer picture of that table behind Dave in the 

picture above.  This is only one of the many vendor tables

that can be found in the market.  

This one is selling Sweetgrass Baskets.

Sweetgrass basket are one of the oldest handcrafts

in the USA of African origin.

Originally baskets were made as sieves to separate

the rice seed from its chaff.

Since the Colonial Era these basket have been 

hand woven from sweetgrass that is harvested locally

for this purpose.  

Most times the artist who makes the baskets is sitting in 

their space working on items between sales.

Each artist has their own style and they are all beautiful.

This art form has been passed from generation to generation

for many many years.

Sweetgrass baskets are very popular with both locals

and visitors.  They have many functional uses as well

as being very decorative.

These baskets and their artists can be found in 

places other than The Market.

You'll find them set up on steps 

sidewalks throughout the city.

Many people call it the Slaves Market 

and often misunderstand this name.  

It was NOT named this because slaves were sold here!  

NO slaves were EVER bought or sold in this market.  

The reason it is sometimes called 

The Slaves Market is because it is where the slaves went to

purchase things for the homes of their owners.

In 1788  Charles Cotesworth Pinckney

donated the land to the city of Charleston for

the express purpose that it become a public market

and would always be used as such.

It has gone through many changes over the years, 

 due to disasters such as tornado, fires, hurricanes

and more. Some changes have been made due to 

economic demands.

The Market was always rebuilt and made better.

In 1973 it was placed on 

The National Register of Historic Places.

Here is a picture of the "front end" of the Market

from across the street.

It's a beautiful building, the upper floor is now a museum,

the entrance to the actual market is at street level

and the market extends for 4 city blocks.

If you visit Charleston, a walk through

The City Market is a must!

This isn't the only place to shop though.

There are many shopping opportunities in Charleston.

One of our favorite shops is

"One of a Kind"

This is an Art and Fine Crafts store,

located right across the street from the Market.

We always visit this shop with no specific purpose,

but we always find something we love and need

along with so much more that we love, 

it's a great place to do a bit of Christmas shopping.

  This year we found a piece of art that we considered for our

newly redecorated bathroom.

While we were thinking about the measurements of the space we had,

I spotted the cutest bird.

He would be perfect for next to the picture we have in the bathroom!

Then we spotted some fish by the same artist.

After much hemming and hawing over colors,

we left the shop with 3 fish and a bird.

Here is our cute sandpiper.

And our Mama and baby fish.

We love how they look with 

"Walking the Dog"

which is one of my husband's photos.

Another one of our favorite shops is

Market Street Sweets!

OH MY!

You can't walk past without stopping for a free

sample of their pralines.

And once you've tried them, you'll be hooked

They have other kinds of candies also, but we've never

gotten anything but the pralines.

And we always have to bring some home for the kids,

well, and some for us too.

Our first day we just picked up one,

I'd never had the chocolate covered pralines before.

Oh was it good!

Also had a sample of the chocolate fudge pralines,

My, my!

But I think I still like the originals best.

If you don't want to fall in love with these sweet treats,

don't even go near the shop!

Thanks for coming by again to "hear" about

our trip.

Come again soon, never know what you'll find here on

Kristie Kreates.

Next post about my C/C trip, I'll tell you a bit more about 

eating in Charleston and walking around the city.

See you soon!