With decades of experience in education, Joel Chesler serves as assistant director of a New Jersey summer camp program in Edison, NJ.. An avid traveler, Joel Chesler had the opportunity to spend 300 days of 2019 and 2020 traveling across the United States and parts of Canada by RV.
One destination described in words, pictures, and video on his travel blog was Charleston. The storied South Carolina port city has hundreds of years of history behind it. Starting at the city market and exploring on foot for seven hours, Mr. Chesler took in a variety of sites, including churches, which are still the tallest buildings that the city offers, and their remarkable graveyards.
He also explored the waterfront area and took in views across the harbor of Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired. He had the opportunity to visit Patriots Point, which is directly across Charleston Harbour and holds three remarkable berthed military vessels: the USS Laffey, a destroyer; the USS Clamagore, a submarine; and the USS Yorktown, an aircraft carrier.
Just as much a highlight of the visit was a chance to sample culinary items that reflect the flavor of the city. One memorable order was a blackberry biscuit and country ham at Callie’s Hot Little Biscuits. Eli’s Table featured chicken and waffles, a Southern specialty, as well as shrimp, grits, and fried green tomatoes. Other memorable dishes included the pulled pork sliders, corned bread, and fried pimiento cheese at Poogan’s Smokehouse. With Mr. Chesler describing the latter delicacy as “the best of everything,” he noted that Savannah, Georgia, in his estimation, offered an even more delicious gastronomic experience.
