TLDR:
The women of Charleston, in the context of the United States and Toronto-Occupied-Ontario, live up to the hype and there is little competition. However it's not the cheapest place to visit in the Spring.
DISCLAIMER: I didn't have a car while there because I wanted to drink a lot, so I'm only talking about historic Charleston on the Peninsula. As well I did not get any bangs due to bad logistics, mediocre game, and a need to know the lay of the land which I just could not do in 3 nights. I really did not handle the humidity well which may make me sound more negative about Charleston than I am.
Ok, let's get to the part everyone wants to hear.
The Women:
Looks:
For America and Ontario ... WOW. I was at a restaurant bar on Saturday and for at least a 2 hour period I did not spot a single fat and/or unattractive chicks and the ratio was decent 1:1. That's never happened to me even in Manhattan or Montreal.
Was every bar/restaurant like that? No, but you could find them with relative ease if you started the night around 7.
Charleston appears to be a major center for white Southern Blondes and Brunettes. For whatever reason, the coastal plane of the Carolinas just seem to have a lot of women like this. I was surprised to regularly see slender and well dressed mom's with long hair in their 30s waiting by the train stations on the way there and back. As well, it's apparent a lot of white people from the NYC metro area have moved to Charleston. Many of them are upper class and brought hot women as well.
As for women of other races, it would appear that whites and blacks do not mingle much, so I didn't see many black girls. The black girls I did see, however, appeared to generally taking better care of their appearance than the ones I see in DC. I saw almost no women of other races. Any I saw I suspect were tourists. If neither of these are to your tastes, you're going to be disappointed. There is not much else.
Fatty Alerts:
One clearly nice side affect of this part of the south is that the northeast transplant girls know that they need to keep their weight down. It was nice to rarely see girls with the telltale sign of fat arms that indicates they are dressing in girdles or other deceiving clothes to disguise their body. There are still quite a lot of fatties - it is America after all -, but it's definitely lower than normal for the US and there is less false advertising.
Attitude:
Really nice, especially after DC and Toronto-Occupied-Ontario. A situational statement opener (example: "Glad the weather is better today") was all that I ever needed. I only encountered one minor bitch shield, and it was from the engaged mother hen from up north, not the girl who was into me. I won over the rest of the group and then easily her as well. Honestly, her shield seemed more like a legitimate and fair play fitness test, not a cockblock.
When I asked girls for directions, I got lots of nice eye contact and smiles.
The Competition:
Guys don't seem to use much game, but they are definitely on the tall side for the south and good looking. If you were hoping to compete against Cletus the red neck with missing teeth in his mesh hat and Canadian Tuxedo, you're going to be disappointed. Charleston fails the busted dudes test. Though there are a lot of dorky hipsters. Legend has it that PBR's highest sales per capita are in Charleston.
There are a lot of rich kids driving late model german and japanese luxury cars. Their fashion is straight out of J Crew though.
Honestly, it didn't feel like it mattered - there seemed to be plenty to go around and no other guys appeared to be opening aggressively or extreme low probability of success approaching.
Game:
It was really nice to play my sit at the bar game, make space for people getting drinks, and just open while not having to do approaches. That's impossible these days in DC due to all the bars either being deserted or sausage fests. I would do a few legit approaches and openings as I got warmed up as the night went on. All were pleasant and fun.
Nightlife:
Where the actual party is:
Charleston is a bit confusing. If you have not been to the city before, where the girls are is not always clear. The two main nightlife areas appear to be King Street between Calhoun and Spring and the corner
of Market and East Bay Street, with a smattering of places between Calhoun and Broad street on King. This is all in the central area of the city, not towards the southern tip of the peninsular where the really gorgeous buildings are.
I would stick to King between Calhoun and Spring unless someone invites you for a specific event somewhere else. That part is much closer to College of Charleston. I got the false impression that stuff happened
on Broad street in the south of the city, but except for a few historic pubs there did not seem to be much. I was surprised to discover that much of that street is residential.
Also, historic Charleston is bigger than it looks. Despite being an old city on a peninsula, the peninsula is actually quite big for walking. Getting around is annoying due to the long walking distances, lack of parking,
and lack of cabs. I regret not looking earlier into the local buses there, but I was not too impressed with the one set up for tourists. Weird routes and long wait times.
Vibe:
Charleston is definitely about bar/restaurants. If you are looking for a club or lounge scene, you will be sorely disappointed. Lucky for me, I love bar/restaurants and hate clubs.
People are open and friendly. Even out of towners from grumpier areas of the country and world get in a good mood.
However, at midnight on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, it all turns into a sausage fest. I usually wrapped up my night then.
Boring but essential stuff:
Getting There:
Flying:
The airport has limited destinations to mainly NYC, Boston, Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, and DC. Flights are not cheap, even on Southwest. Expect to pay $450 + taxes round trip.
Driving:
My impression was the roads in South Carolina are pretty decent. I was told to expect to pay $20/day for parking in the historic district.
The Train:
I have discovered a nice train in America that's not the North East Corridor. The Palmetto train leaves everyday from DC at 10 AM and delivers you to the Charleston suburbs around 7:30 PM. Be sure to call a cab 40 minutes before the train arrives. There is zero talent on the train, but it's extremely relaxing. You can work on your laptop and play video games on your phone.
Prices:
There is always a catch. The historic area of Charleston is expensive, at least during high season in Spring. Drink and food prices were only about a dollar less than Washington, DC in the places where the women were - though the food was good and the service was excellent. Hotel rooms start at about $250 and go up from there. I am determined to return during the off season from November to February for hopefully lower hotel costs and for nicer weather for suiting up.
Food & Drinks:
Every restaurant I went to was good in downtown Charleston. While probably not at the level of New Orleans, they know how to cook. Beer, wine, and liquor selection are what you would expect in any upscale American night area.
Weather:
If you like suiting up, which I do, the weather is going to be a problem. I grew up in DC and have visited places like Egypt and Malaysia. The forecast said high around 73, low around 58. A bit warm for a suit, but perfect for nice slacks and a pastel dress shirt, I thought.
The humidity was other worldly. I ended up almost getting heat stroke from walking around in black cotton pants and a dress shirt when it was 71 degrees and cloudy. What I thought would be perfect day game attire given the men's lack of fashion sense quickly became a liability. When your options are shorts, shirts, and sandals, your ability to stand out using style tend to fall. Also, the pollen in the spring can be so bad that
you can see it in the air. I don't normally suffer allergies, but my eyes got so bad that I could barely open them. A claritin took care of that, but if you get bad allergies in normal places you may find Charleston to be miserable.
Getting Around:
This part is annoying and why you should try to be as close as possible to King between Calhoun and Spring. I was in Savannah a while back and just walked everywhere without any problems. I expected the same for Charleston. That is not the case. The city is old narrow streets with little parking. The walking distances are farther than you would expect. Cabs are surprisingly scarce with bad attitudes even worse than DC. While I did not look at the local CARTA bus system, they had a tourist bus system that looked like it was for seeing the sights - not getting from A to B quickly.
Where to stay:
Logistics are not that affordable. You really should be aiming for something near King between Calhoun and Spring. Most of the hotels are not around there. As well, many are Bed & Breakfasts which I doubt are accommodating to bringing girls back and charge a fortune to sleep among antique furniture.
If money is no object, stay at the Francis Marion hotel. The more affordable hotels that I found were the Hampton Inn and the Days Inn. I could not get rooms in them.
You really need to plan ahead. I ended up by the medical center, a twenty minute walk from the bars, which pretty much destroyed any chances. The only hostel is around there, and got poor reviews including
stuff about quiet hours. It did not strike me as accommodating for bringing girls back.
Conclusion:
Charleston is absolutely worth visiting. From all accounts, there are girls year round and they really are something to see. They have great friendly attitudes and the local men, while often either of Southern or New York aristocracy, are easy to get along with and are not in competition with you. However, if you want to save money and/or suit up, it would be best to wait for the winter months when the hotel prices (hopefully) and temperatures (certainly) fall.
The women of Charleston, in the context of the United States and Toronto-Occupied-Ontario, live up to the hype and there is little competition. However it's not the cheapest place to visit in the Spring.
DISCLAIMER: I didn't have a car while there because I wanted to drink a lot, so I'm only talking about historic Charleston on the Peninsula. As well I did not get any bangs due to bad logistics, mediocre game, and a need to know the lay of the land which I just could not do in 3 nights. I really did not handle the humidity well which may make me sound more negative about Charleston than I am.
Ok, let's get to the part everyone wants to hear.
The Women:
Looks:
For America and Ontario ... WOW. I was at a restaurant bar on Saturday and for at least a 2 hour period I did not spot a single fat and/or unattractive chicks and the ratio was decent 1:1. That's never happened to me even in Manhattan or Montreal.
Was every bar/restaurant like that? No, but you could find them with relative ease if you started the night around 7.
Charleston appears to be a major center for white Southern Blondes and Brunettes. For whatever reason, the coastal plane of the Carolinas just seem to have a lot of women like this. I was surprised to regularly see slender and well dressed mom's with long hair in their 30s waiting by the train stations on the way there and back. As well, it's apparent a lot of white people from the NYC metro area have moved to Charleston. Many of them are upper class and brought hot women as well.
As for women of other races, it would appear that whites and blacks do not mingle much, so I didn't see many black girls. The black girls I did see, however, appeared to generally taking better care of their appearance than the ones I see in DC. I saw almost no women of other races. Any I saw I suspect were tourists. If neither of these are to your tastes, you're going to be disappointed. There is not much else.
Fatty Alerts:
One clearly nice side affect of this part of the south is that the northeast transplant girls know that they need to keep their weight down. It was nice to rarely see girls with the telltale sign of fat arms that indicates they are dressing in girdles or other deceiving clothes to disguise their body. There are still quite a lot of fatties - it is America after all -, but it's definitely lower than normal for the US and there is less false advertising.
Attitude:
Really nice, especially after DC and Toronto-Occupied-Ontario. A situational statement opener (example: "Glad the weather is better today") was all that I ever needed. I only encountered one minor bitch shield, and it was from the engaged mother hen from up north, not the girl who was into me. I won over the rest of the group and then easily her as well. Honestly, her shield seemed more like a legitimate and fair play fitness test, not a cockblock.
When I asked girls for directions, I got lots of nice eye contact and smiles.
The Competition:
Guys don't seem to use much game, but they are definitely on the tall side for the south and good looking. If you were hoping to compete against Cletus the red neck with missing teeth in his mesh hat and Canadian Tuxedo, you're going to be disappointed. Charleston fails the busted dudes test. Though there are a lot of dorky hipsters. Legend has it that PBR's highest sales per capita are in Charleston.
There are a lot of rich kids driving late model german and japanese luxury cars. Their fashion is straight out of J Crew though.
Honestly, it didn't feel like it mattered - there seemed to be plenty to go around and no other guys appeared to be opening aggressively or extreme low probability of success approaching.
Game:
It was really nice to play my sit at the bar game, make space for people getting drinks, and just open while not having to do approaches. That's impossible these days in DC due to all the bars either being deserted or sausage fests. I would do a few legit approaches and openings as I got warmed up as the night went on. All were pleasant and fun.
Nightlife:
Where the actual party is:
Charleston is a bit confusing. If you have not been to the city before, where the girls are is not always clear. The two main nightlife areas appear to be King Street between Calhoun and Spring and the corner
of Market and East Bay Street, with a smattering of places between Calhoun and Broad street on King. This is all in the central area of the city, not towards the southern tip of the peninsular where the really gorgeous buildings are.
I would stick to King between Calhoun and Spring unless someone invites you for a specific event somewhere else. That part is much closer to College of Charleston. I got the false impression that stuff happened
on Broad street in the south of the city, but except for a few historic pubs there did not seem to be much. I was surprised to discover that much of that street is residential.
Also, historic Charleston is bigger than it looks. Despite being an old city on a peninsula, the peninsula is actually quite big for walking. Getting around is annoying due to the long walking distances, lack of parking,
and lack of cabs. I regret not looking earlier into the local buses there, but I was not too impressed with the one set up for tourists. Weird routes and long wait times.
Vibe:
Charleston is definitely about bar/restaurants. If you are looking for a club or lounge scene, you will be sorely disappointed. Lucky for me, I love bar/restaurants and hate clubs.
People are open and friendly. Even out of towners from grumpier areas of the country and world get in a good mood.
However, at midnight on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, it all turns into a sausage fest. I usually wrapped up my night then.
Boring but essential stuff:
Getting There:
Flying:
The airport has limited destinations to mainly NYC, Boston, Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, and DC. Flights are not cheap, even on Southwest. Expect to pay $450 + taxes round trip.
Driving:
My impression was the roads in South Carolina are pretty decent. I was told to expect to pay $20/day for parking in the historic district.
The Train:
I have discovered a nice train in America that's not the North East Corridor. The Palmetto train leaves everyday from DC at 10 AM and delivers you to the Charleston suburbs around 7:30 PM. Be sure to call a cab 40 minutes before the train arrives. There is zero talent on the train, but it's extremely relaxing. You can work on your laptop and play video games on your phone.
Prices:
There is always a catch. The historic area of Charleston is expensive, at least during high season in Spring. Drink and food prices were only about a dollar less than Washington, DC in the places where the women were - though the food was good and the service was excellent. Hotel rooms start at about $250 and go up from there. I am determined to return during the off season from November to February for hopefully lower hotel costs and for nicer weather for suiting up.
Food & Drinks:
Every restaurant I went to was good in downtown Charleston. While probably not at the level of New Orleans, they know how to cook. Beer, wine, and liquor selection are what you would expect in any upscale American night area.
Weather:
If you like suiting up, which I do, the weather is going to be a problem. I grew up in DC and have visited places like Egypt and Malaysia. The forecast said high around 73, low around 58. A bit warm for a suit, but perfect for nice slacks and a pastel dress shirt, I thought.
The humidity was other worldly. I ended up almost getting heat stroke from walking around in black cotton pants and a dress shirt when it was 71 degrees and cloudy. What I thought would be perfect day game attire given the men's lack of fashion sense quickly became a liability. When your options are shorts, shirts, and sandals, your ability to stand out using style tend to fall. Also, the pollen in the spring can be so bad that
you can see it in the air. I don't normally suffer allergies, but my eyes got so bad that I could barely open them. A claritin took care of that, but if you get bad allergies in normal places you may find Charleston to be miserable.
Getting Around:
This part is annoying and why you should try to be as close as possible to King between Calhoun and Spring. I was in Savannah a while back and just walked everywhere without any problems. I expected the same for Charleston. That is not the case. The city is old narrow streets with little parking. The walking distances are farther than you would expect. Cabs are surprisingly scarce with bad attitudes even worse than DC. While I did not look at the local CARTA bus system, they had a tourist bus system that looked like it was for seeing the sights - not getting from A to B quickly.
Where to stay:
Logistics are not that affordable. You really should be aiming for something near King between Calhoun and Spring. Most of the hotels are not around there. As well, many are Bed & Breakfasts which I doubt are accommodating to bringing girls back and charge a fortune to sleep among antique furniture.
If money is no object, stay at the Francis Marion hotel. The more affordable hotels that I found were the Hampton Inn and the Days Inn. I could not get rooms in them.
You really need to plan ahead. I ended up by the medical center, a twenty minute walk from the bars, which pretty much destroyed any chances. The only hostel is around there, and got poor reviews including
stuff about quiet hours. It did not strike me as accommodating for bringing girls back.
Conclusion:
Charleston is absolutely worth visiting. From all accounts, there are girls year round and they really are something to see. They have great friendly attitudes and the local men, while often either of Southern or New York aristocracy, are easy to get along with and are not in competition with you. However, if you want to save money and/or suit up, it would be best to wait for the winter months when the hotel prices (hopefully) and temperatures (certainly) fall.