Day
18 Mon Oct 6 Myrtle Beach, NC
What
a great day! Can you hear the waves breaking on the beach? I can!!!
It's actually day 19 that I am writing this. 8 am, sitting at a
desk in front of a picture window in our 5th floor,
oceanside room, watching Lisa walking along the beach. She really
does not want to leave. We had a great day yesterday. Decided to
take a bus tour of Charleston, SC, and were glad we did rather than
leaving outright. I would not care to come back to Savannah but I
would to Charleston. Maybe it was just the tour guide but the city
seems to have so much greater part in US history and the architecture
is more pleasing (if you like that sort of thing, marvelous old
houses, pre revolutionary war some of them). S city tourist area is
like every other city's tourist area, souvenir shop, tavern,
restaurant, repeat ad nauseum (in NOLA and Memphis throw a strip club
in between). I did not see that in C. Wonderful walkways along the
waterfront and history around every corner. After the tour, we
decided to head to Myrtle Beach just because so many of our friends
have gone there and you hear a lot about it. It's just like Panama
City Beach along the ocean front road. The ocean is screened by
enormous high rise hotels. It is definitely the low season here.
Many of the hotels beckon travelers with cheap rates. We even saw
one with “ocean view $39, side view $29.” I guess bedbugs were
free. We are part of a hotel chain club so stopped at an Econolodge
and got our ocean view room for $62. Our best rate so far. Spent
some time on the beach and frolicking in the waves. The water was
warmer than the air since a cold front moved in the day before. It
was about 70F air temp, 80 in the water. Lisa said she was going to
sleep on the balcony last night so she could hear the waves but she
did not. We had maybe the best meal we have had on this trip. Hotel
clerk said to try Captains Seafood Restaurant. We were hungry when
we arrived and had to wait an hour to be seated but it was worth the
wait. The waiter left a covered basket of the best hush puppies I
have ever tasted. I usually don't eat them but these were small, the
size of a quarter, very crisp outside and warm corny inside with a
touch of sweetness maybe from the caramelized corn. We ended up
eating them for dessert. We then split an appetizer of shrimp and
grits which sounds humble but this was not. Very creamy rich with
onion and bacon. The grits had soaked a long time to get them that
creamy. A dish I will definitely duplicate at home. When Lisa had
her salad, I had one of the best dishes I have ever tasted. It was
fried green tomatoes topped with smoked salmon and crumbled English
cheddar cheese, served on mixed greens with a creamy vinagrete on the
side. I doubt I could duplicate this one. Lisa's entree was a seafood
stew of big scallops, shrimp, clams, mussels, fish and potatoes in a
wonderful broth with a great saffron taste and color. My entree was
an avocado, shrimp, crab, tomato, asparagus salad. Our meal cost
more than our room.
Looking
out the window at the beach, I see Lisa has a huge sack of seashells
and she is still looking. We may have to throw away clothes to get
them in the car. Hey, she is coming back voluntarily.
Happy Birthday Terry!
Photos: 1 - CSS Hunley - an 8 man submarine; 2 - a beautiful house in Charleston; 3 - front view of Hunley - very narrow; 4 - view from hotel room; 5 - Dave frolicking in the waves; Monday - 6 - sunrise; 7-9 beach scenes
Thank you!! Again wish I was there!
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