[ronjon548]

I second almost everything said already having just spent a weekend there. This might sum up some of the things said already: most attractive girls in the country.

This is a long 5.5 hour journey from Atlanta coming out of Friday traffic. My wing and I showed up at this friend's apartment we had for the weekend at 11 PM, made it downtown by midnight.

My wing's friend whose apartment we had for the weekend told us to hit up market st. Unfortunately, we ended up at the Market Street Saloon not knowing any better. Awful.

I pushed for us to bounce to some dive bar down the street at the suggestion of some locals smoking outside of the Saloon. I think this place was called Big John's Tavern. Very small, a shitty college band was playing. What I can only assume were the "groupies" were way to into the loud music.

We go forage for food to get more opportunities at these hot women. No dice.

Second day, we head to the farmer's market in Marion Square. This is the best possible event for day game. There are vendors everywhere. You can talk up girls in line. I bought some beignets, sat down, and I had at least 3 different groups come up to me to ask where I got them. You can hit up chicks in line while waiting for food or just chit chat with the vendors about their crafts. Don't waste your money at the smoothie place.

Then we headed to Folly beach. I opened up a two set laying down, told them we forgot beach towels, and they went to the car to bring one back for us while we watched their shit. I talked to these chicks for about two hours while my wing walks around and meets up with this chick he knows and her two friends.

As I'm ejecting to grab lunch, I get the contact info. Taco Boy has decent fish tacos. The fried fish taco is much better at Taqueria del Sol in Atlanta, $2/$3 drafts available. The seating in front and in the back is packed so close together you should be able to talk to tables next to you.

I found dinner at Dave's Carry-Out off of Yelp. I was the only white person I saw in that place. This fried seafood is excellent. You can't go wrong, and the price point is amazing. Open until 11 PM. Don't spill any hot sauce on your suit before hitting the bar.

For Saturday evening, we went up and down Upper King St. We check out Closed for Business first before scoping out the other venues on the street. McIntosh seemed like it had the best ratio, but we went into the Cocktail Club next door. The drinks are expensive, but the women are fine, and this is a place you can run game all day. It's easy to move around, the staff is friendly, and the girls are easy. Between us, we probably opened almost every group in that place.

The bouncer at Cocktail Club, his name is Sergio, recommended the Double Standard drink. He also said that Henry's House/Envy Dance Lounge on Market St. is the best spot to hit up if you want to get laid. I'll have to make another trip to try to bag one of these southern women.

We had breakfast at Bananas and Caviar on Sunday after deciding Toast of Charleston wasn't worth the wait. There were quite a few hot girls outside of Toast.

Fortunately, Bananas and Caviar had its own hot women walking in and out. Because the place sells specialty foods, you can walk around and chat up customers while you wait for your breakfast. My chicken, egg and biscuit with aged cheddar, gravy, and a side of grits was mind-blowing. The specialty tea was great too.

I can't wait to go back.

Bars

Market Street Saloon: Avoid at all costs.

Big John's Tavern: If you like to dance to bad, loud, live college bands, this is your place.

Cocktail Club: Good, fancy drinks. This is a G Manifesto spot you could walk up into suited down. The acoustics are excellent. The women are classy. Talk to Sergio the bouncer.

Henry's House/Envy Dance Lounge: Didn't go, but this was recommended by a bouncer as the place to go.

Day Game Venues

Farmer's Market: This is a must-see for day game and cheap food.

Folly Beach: Hot women abound. You'd be hard-pressed walking into an ugly girl at random

Food

Farmer's Market

Dave's Carry Out: Outstanding, cheap, hole-in-the-wall place.

Taco Boy: $2/$3 drafts, plentiful seating with women abound. Decent tacos, $3.50 a pop.

Bananas and Caviar: Great food, prices aren't bad, and you can chat up women because it's a pseudo grocery store with ample seating and wait times.

[thegmanifesto]

For the Charleston experts:

Is March a good month to visit?

Which is the best hotel? I saw Charleston Place mentioned which looks sick at $500 per night.

Any other options on the hotel front?

----

When is last call?

Can you smoke in bars/restaurants/nightclubs?

Are strip clubs prevalent, or no?

[Rttnkd84]

(02-26-2013 03:40 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

For the Charleston experts:

Is March a good month to visit?

Which is the best hotel? I saw Charleston Place mentioned which looks sick at $500 per night.

Any other options on the hotel front?

----

When is last call?

Can you smoke in bars/restaurants/nightclubs?

Are strip clubs prevalent, or no?

G, I live in Columbia and frequent Charleston quite often. Charleston Place is dope. Be there for Sunday brunch, lots of fly rich girls. Last call is only really enforced on Saturday at two, but there are always after house spots open. No smoking in bars or clubs. In strip clubs, which i believe you can smoke in after a certain hour, stick to three, Jaguars, Thee Southern Belle, and Club Fantasy. ronjon548's post is pretty spot on.

Edit. I forgot the other hotels. The place I always stay now is The Restoration on King http://www.restorationonking.com/ . Its set up like an apartment, I believe its mostly an extended stay hotel, but super dope non the less. I have also have frequented The French Quarter Inn, at late hours in the evening due to a very fly front desk clerk, got to love HRTM majors, and its also worth a look. http://www.fqicharleston.com/

Shoot me a pm and I will give you a heads up about the newer places.

[thegmanifesto]

(02-27-2013 06:24 AM)Rttnkd84 Wrote:  

Edit. I forgot the other hotels. The place I always stay now is The Restoration on King http://www.restorationonking.com/ . Its set up like an apartment, I believe its mostly an extended stay hotel, but super dope non the less.

That place is $500 a night too.

Is that just the going rate there?

[beta_plus]

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.

[TheBMan]

I was there in August a couple years ago and couldnt believe how much hot young ass there was. The per capita ratio of hot girls was higher then anywhere I have ever been. If you think it was hot there this time of the year try August - w/the humidity it was ridiculous.

There is a decent hostel in a good location called notsohostel - you can get a private room there for a decent price or a shared room for like $20. If you really want to see Charleston and are on a tight budget check it out.

[thegmanifesto]

(04-15-2013 08:16 PM)beta_plus Wrote:  

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.

Can we get a name?

[TheBMan]

(04-15-2013 10:06 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

(04-15-2013 08:16 PM)beta_plus Wrote:  

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.

Can we get a name?

the best way to pick a spot there is just walk up and down the main street and see where the action is

[thegmanifesto]

(04-15-2013 10:15 PM)TheBMan Wrote:  

(04-15-2013 10:06 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

(04-15-2013 08:16 PM)beta_plus Wrote:  

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.

Can we get a name?

the best way to pick a spot there is just walk up and down the main street and see where the action is

Thanks for the news flash. Real helpful.

Yeah, I am familiar with how life works.

I would have asked for super vague worthless advice if I wanted super vague worthless advice.

----

Can we get a name?

[Sourcecode]

If you wanna pick up hot chicks that are easy.
Go to mynt on Marion square.
It's. 21+ club. Anyone younger is denied. The max age is like 26. It's right next to the college. Lots of girls have apartments or live in dorms that are 5 minute walks away.

5 to 10 dollar cover.
I've jumped the little wooden fence a couple times and pulled a roosh move...stealing drinks

[beta_plus]

(04-15-2013 10:21 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

(04-15-2013 10:15 PM)TheBMan Wrote:  

(04-15-2013 10:06 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

(04-15-2013 08:16 PM)beta_plus Wrote:  

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.

Can we get a name?

the best way to pick a spot there is just walk up and down the main street and see where the action is

Thanks for the news flash. Real helpful.

Yeah, I am familiar with how life works.

I would have asked for super vague worthless advice if I wanted super vague worthless advice.

----

Can we get a name?

O-Ku on King Street.

[Black Quixote]

I am going to make a grand updated data sheet on Charleston. What all do you guys want to know about? I know the city like the back of my hand.

[chyamor]

(04-22-2013 03:03 PM)Black Quixote Wrote:  

I am going to make a grand updated data sheet on Charleston. What all do you guys want to know about? I know the city like the back of my hand.

Cheap hotels, Major events to visit during, how are the cougars, best time to visit, parking situation, best time to visit folly beach

As mentioned earlier Charleston always looks expensive in terms of hotels year round.

Thanks

[thegmanifesto]

(04-22-2013 03:03 PM)Black Quixote Wrote:  

I am going to make a grand updated data sheet on Charleston. What all do you guys want to know about? I know the city like the back of my hand.

Best places with hottest girls each night.

Best hotels or places to stay in an apartment.

Best restaurants all budgets.

Best lunch spots.

That is all I need.

[Black Quixote]

For Lunch spots, to drink and eat or just to eat, high end since it's you? or do you like little hole in the wall joints with fye food as well?

[thegmanifesto]

(04-22-2013 08:32 PM)Black Quixote Wrote:  

For Lunch spots, to drink and eat or just to eat, high end since it's you? or do you like little hole in the wall joints with fye food as well?

Hell yes.

I said "best". Which implies "best" regardless of cost.

If I wanted "high end" I would say "high end".

[beta_plus]

(04-22-2013 03:52 PM)chyamor Wrote:  

(04-22-2013 03:03 PM)Black Quixote Wrote:  

I am going to make a grand updated data sheet on Charleston. What all do you guys want to know about? I know the city like the back of my hand.

Cheap hotels, Major events to visit during, how are the cougars, best time to visit, parking situation, best time to visit folly beach

As mentioned earlier Charleston always looks expensive in terms of hotels year round.

Thanks

Definitely agree on the hotels part. Is there anytime of the year where hotels on the Peninsula are not at Manhattan like levels?

[snoop]

(04-22-2013 06:22 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

Best places with hottest girls each night.

Best hotels or places to stay in an apartment.

Best restaurants all budgets.

Best lunch spots.

That is all I need.

From what I've seen downtown doesn't really have a "go to X on Y night" kind of thing. The East Bay/Market area seems more college bar type, while Upper King is a little more grown. Luckily most everything is in one of those two areas and close together, so its easy to pop in and out of a bunch of places. You can usually tell just by walking past a place if its gonna be worth walking into.

Upper King: Hall's Chophouse, Cocktail Club, Macintosh.

East Bay/Market St: SNOB, Vendue Inn Rooftop Bar, Market Pavilion Rooftop bar (kinda pricey, not necessarily a good crowd, but a good spot to take someone)


Hotels are all pretty pricey (unless you have a connection here, charleston is prob not a place for people too worried about the price of their trip). The Charleston Place is probably near the top of the price range (but also the best location since it is between the two main areas), so some of these are a little more reasonable.
Upper King: Francis Marion, Embassy Suites, Courtyard by Marriot

E Bay/Market St: Doubletree, French Quarter Inn, Andrew Pinckney inn, Mills House Hotel, Harbourview Inn, Vendue Inn.

Lunch spots
Cru Café - Never been but hear a lot about this being a best kept secret kinda place
Jestine's - home cooked southern food
Fleet's Landing - mid price place on the water
Jim and Nick's BBQ - Best BBQ downtown
Closed for Business - get the pork slap sandwich. Good selection of craft beers
Leaf - nice patio, excellent mid priced food


Hanging out at the parks during the day is good too. Battery Park or Francis Marion Square. I'd also recommend a carriage ride to get the lay of the land and see some of the sights. its like 20 bucks for an hour tour, but I've found its way better than walking around in 95+ degree heat with terrible humidity.


Dinner Spots
Coast - Mid priced seafood place
Hank's - Higher end seafood place
Il Corte Del Rey - Italian, but more of a Mediterranean type of Italian, fish and steak dishes, not just pasta
Basil - Thai food. Doesn't take reservations and kinda small so gets crowded


Some other options that aren't right there, but fairly close to upper king
Recovery Room - dive bar kinda place
Barsa - Spanish tapas place. Was mostly empty last time I went, but a great spot to take someone.



Also, check out http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com to get listings for local events, bars and restaurants, and live music. You can also search this site for the surrounding areas like Folly Beach, IOP, Sullivan's Island, West Ashley and Mount Pleasant.

There are really so many options there for such a small city that it is hard to go wrong.

[snoop]

(04-24-2013 09:59 AM)beta_plus Wrote:  

(04-22-2013 03:52 PM)chyamor Wrote:  

(04-22-2013 03:03 PM)Black Quixote Wrote:  

I am going to make a grand updated data sheet on Charleston. What all do you guys want to know about? I know the city like the back of my hand.

Cheap hotels, Major events to visit during, how are the cougars, best time to visit, parking situation, best time to visit folly beach

As mentioned earlier Charleston always looks expensive in terms of hotels year round.

Thanks

Definitely agree on the hotels part. Is there anytime of the year where hotels on the Peninsula are not at Manhattan like levels?

Nope, since there aren't many hotels and there is a high demand.

Not really a city for someone looking for a budget trip unless you know someone that lives there.

although you can stay across the bridges in one of the suburb areas like West Ashley, Mount pleasant or James Island. Cabs will get pricey in a hurry though.

[Vuk]

Nobody has mentioned anything about an after-hours scene...does it exist in Charleston? Thanks

[RougeNoir]

(07-10-2013 10:47 AM)Vuk Wrote:  

Nobody has mentioned anything about an after-hours scene...does it exist in Charleston? Thanks

Nobody mentioned what?

[Vuk]

(07-10-2013 04:45 PM)RougeNoir Wrote:  

(07-10-2013 10:47 AM)Vuk Wrote:  

Nobody has mentioned anything about an after-hours scene...does it exist in Charleston? Thanks

Nobody mentioned what?

Nothing in your report mentions after-hours spots chief..

[Enigma]

I'll provide a little update on Charleston since some of this information is outdated or not necessarily the most accurate. I grew up in North Charleston and still live here and have also lived in downtown Charleston, James Island, Goose Creek, etc.

Surrounding Cities

I would suggest staying away from North Charleston in general. The North Charleston Market Street Saloon that Ali mentioned got shut down. Something about some blonde guy giving all the employees chlamydia It was one of the better spots in the area when it was open but the downtown location is terrible.

I hate Wild Wings North Charleston. I haven't been there much for happy hour but it sucks at night. They often have a live band but the setup is terrible and it's always loud as fuck. The downtown location is the same issue. They did used to have a lunch buffet in NC...can't really beat all you can eat wings and there food is pretty good. King St. Grille across the street is better in my opinion. Their setup is awesome and the building open into an outside bar with patio.

Charleston is undergoing some major gentrification. The city is known for it's historic architecture and they have strict guidelines on how buildings can be renovated. They've started to loosen some of those restrictions though.

The magazine Conde Naste Traveler named Charleston the #1 tourism destination in the world for this past year and it was #1 in the US the year prior (this was voted by their readers). "Upper" King is being developed like crazy. I haven't been down there in a few weeks but they've got a few hotels and store fronts under construction. Restaurants and bars are popping up left and right.

As the bad areas in Charleston are renovated and housing prices go up, these communities are migrating to the North area. North Charleston is on the way down in a fast way. I know cats who have been victim to armed home invasions and armed robberies in neighborhoods that were once considered "good". Police presence is too high for me to feel comfortable personally.

I negotiated a deal on one of the nicer spots (not high end but good for the area) over near Charleston Southern University but after a year or so passed the neighborhood started declining hard and then you had people getting murdered out front. This is coming from someone who was living in one of the worst neighborhoods in North Charleston back in '06-'08 when we were top 10 in murder per capita for a few years running.

I don't have time for that shit these days and it's just not worth it, especially when you can drive 10 or 20 minutes down the road and have nicer everything, including a huge increase in women. A girl that stands out in North Charleston is run of the mill in Downtown Charleston.

Park Circle, which is considered "downtown" North Charleston and is much closer to Charleston, isn't bad but I don't know too much about it. I've been to a couple spots out there but can't remember much about them. Madra Rua Irish Pub is popular but I don't recall the quality of women.

Downtown Summerville is about 10-15 minutes from North Charleston in the opposite direction of Charleston and has a decent bar scene. The second Madra Rua location is here. Montreux Bar & Grill is usually popping. On the lower end, fairly younger crowd. The building is long and narrow. There's a bar as you come in the door, then you walk back to pool tables, then you can walk out the back door to find people playing beer pong outside. The Ice House is another dive bar that is very popular.

West Ashley and Mt. Pleasant also have higher quality girls than North Charleston but are more spread out and I'm frankly not as familiar with either area. You pass through Mt. Pleasant to get to the other local beach, Isle of Palms. Not much different than Folly Beach but it is a more affluent area.

Mt. Pleasant Towne Centre is a little collection of shops that could serve for some decent day game. You get to Mt. Pleasant from downtown by crossing the Ravenel Bridge (biggest suspension bridge in North America) aka HWY 17. I haven't been too many bars out this way but they have plenty of restaurants. Carter's Kitchen is good. Langdon's Restaurant and Wine Bar is an excellent higher end spot. They have plenty of places to eat on Shem Creek, including Water's Edge and Page's Okra Grill.

West Ashley has a mall, Citadel, with a Target inside where you can catch some cute girls sometimes. There's a spot called Voodoo bar that I've been to a couple of times that wasn't bad. You can just go to Walmart or Target and tell the quality is better than North Charleston. They're not as well known for their restaurants but Paisono's has probably the best pizza I've found in the greater Charleston area. A yankee actually put me onto them.

There's also one on James Island, which I will briefly talk about. To get to JI from downtown, get on Calhoun. Go towards Rutledge, away from Eastbay. You want Broad St. on your left (I will explain these streets further down). Just keep going, follow the signs to James Island and take the connector over the water. When you get to the end of the connector, you will come to Folly Road. Right is mostly nothing, left is the beach (a ways down).

James Island is a laid back beach town. I really like the area but there's not really all that much to do besides the beach. When I lived out here I wasn't 21 yet and there aren't that many great bars out here anyways as far as I know. Keep going down Folly Road and eventually you'll come to Folly Beach. Easy enough.

Anyways, let's get into downtown Charleston. I see cats recommending spots like Noisy Oyster and Fleet Landing and it pains me. Fleet Landing is a tourist trap. Noisy Oyster is a step above Applebee's. This is a city that has produced 3 James Beard award winning chefs in the past 5 years and has an amazing restaurant culture.

Restaurants

Let's start in that same area though (the Market/Meeting St./East Bay St.) Vendue Inn is right there on Eastbay. It's got a rooftop bar and good food. 'Social' is a cool little wine bar nearby. Cute cocktail servers.

A couple streets over on Meeting you have FIG. Rewind. You can pass through the Market on the way here. There is a spot called Kaminsky's that has the some of the best desserts you'll ever have. They're open fairly late too, so hit this spot up if you have a sweet tooth like I do.

Back to FIG. Excellent food, the executive chef won best in the Southeast in 2009. He just recently opened another spot in town, an oyster bar called The Ordinary that I've heard great things about.

Couple blocks down you have Eli's Table, a nice little spot for breakfast and lunch (dinner is good, too, but it's not really fucking with some of the competition in the area honestly; though they used to have live jazz in the courtyard which was cool). Laid back atmosphere with a beautiful courtyard out back. Good prices. Bottomless mimosas all day for like $10 or $12. Sweet potato pancakes are fucking delicious.

They have a pizza at lunch that has a pita crust with pesto sauce, a few kinds of cheese, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, and chicken which is amazing. A couple of really good (but not even close to healthy) salads, too...one with spinach, steak medallions, fried onions, asparagus, and bleu cheese dressing. Another with spinach, fried oysters, and a spicy vinaigrette. They have an awesome chicken wrap and the smoked salmon BLT is not really my thing but some people rave about it.

Right off Meeting on Queen St. you have Husk. Good luck getting in here for dinner, reservations go back for months, but lunch is doable. Higher end spot that opened a couple years ago, really fresh, Southern inspired food. The executive chef is another James Beard best chef in the Southeast award winner and has an older place called McCrady's that's very popular also. 82 Queen is right next door and is very good.

Shifting our focus over to King St.

Side note #1: Getting around Charleston 101.

Eastbay, Meeting, King, and Rutledge streets all run parallel to each other all the way through Charleston towards the water (the "Battery"). Calhoun and Broad streets intersect run parallel to each other and intersect each of these. Before Calhoun is "upper" i.e. upper King. Vice versa, after Calhoun is "lower". Before Broad is "north" of Broad. Vice versa.

I get lost walking around Charleston all the time but if you remember these main streets, you can use them to get your bearings.

Side not #2: If you like architecture or just want to take a relaxing walk, the area "South of Broad" (past Broad St. and before the water) has some beautiful (and very expensive) houses. One of the things that separates Charleston is the city didn't see much destruction during the Civil War so these are some of the oldest houses in the country.

Back to what I was saying...King St. One street over from Meeting. This area houses the shopping district of Charleston. Everything from Gucci to Urban Outfitters. Also has some decent little lower end spots to grab a cheap bite. Pita Pit is good and very popular with the younger crowd. Think Subway but not shitty and easier to eat. You get to choose your meat (everything from chicken and turkey to lamb), veggies, sauce, etc. It's also really easy to eat so you can just walk around sightseeing while you much on your pita.

Gilroy's is not necessarily the best pizza spot in town but they're open late and they usually have a small pizza and drink lunch special for $6. I used to fuck with the La Hacienda Mexican spot back in college because they were cheap as fuck but Santi's on the outskirts of town is better. I've always been a big fan of Kickin' Chicken, though they can be very hit or miss. Sports bar atmosphere, wings, fried chicken sandwiches, fried chicken salads. I think you can get grilled chicken if you ask nicely but they might spit on it.

You made it to Calhoun St. The College of Charleston's open campus is to your left. Stop for a moment to enjoy the sights Feel free to cut a left and walk through the swarms of co-eds. Double back to King. On your right, Marion Square Park, which is often filled with sunbathing college girls in bikinis.

Upper King. Macintosh is a very popular higher end spot. Also, Hall's Chophouse. Stars Grill Room just opened recently. Another higher end spot. They have an open kitchen and cook over an open flame on a custom made wood burning grill. Possibly the best she-crab soup in town, they have a mini-burger appetizer with oyster mushrooms, I think it's a buffalo milk cheese?, and a black trouffled aioli which is amazing. Really dope rooftop bar that gets bumping on the weekends.

Hom is a little hipster burger boutique place that was pretty good when I went there. There are good restaurants on every corner in Charleston.

Hotels

I don't know much about hotels but I will say that The Restoration on King is MUCH nicer than Charleston Place, albeit a little pricier. It's a smaller boutique hotel but it's straight luxury and the suites all have full-sized kitchens with high end appliances and washers & dryers.

Bars/Night Life

My bar knowledge might not be the best because I haven't been going out much lately but I have a decent idea of the layout. Upper King is becoming higher end as it develops but the bar scene is mostly a college crowd. Midtown is usually packed with college girls. I like their setup too. They have a stage and usually have live music with a little dance area. They have two rooms with two large bars. Then a little patio with an outside bar.

Silver Dollar is another bar that's packed with college bitches, though it's on the smaller side and usually has a line and $5 or $10 cover if you're just trying to scope shit out. The rooftop bar at Stars is nice but they do enforce a dress code and there is often a line to get upstairs. Nice higher end spot though with a pretty cool little arrangement.

If you're walking "up" King (away from Calhoun), past all these bars I just mentioned, bust a left on Spring, then a right on St. Philip there will be a little hole in the wall dive bar called Cutty's a few blocks down. It's just a tiny little joint filled with hipsters and a single pool table but I have been in here nights where there's 20 people and 5 of them are attractive girls. Can be a sausage fest on many nights though.

Further down King is The Recovery Room, which someone else mentioned, another popular dive bar. Moe's Crosstown is also down that way on Rutledge (parallel to King, on the left) but I've only been there like once. Cannon St. and beyond is a rougher area of town so be wary if you're heading out that way late at night.

There are a few other higher end spots that have popped up recently that I can't say much about. There was one whose name escapes me that was nice and they were adding an outdoor bar but it was dead as fuck on like a Friday night when I was there.

Go back to Calhoun, on your left, across from Marion Square Park is place called Mynt. I think Sourcecode mentioned it already. Really popular with the college crowd.

Hike all the fucking way up to the Market (about a ten minute walk). You don't really see many people flagging cabs in town, though you can always call one, but there are little bike taxis floating around most of the time. Anyways, the Market. You have Henry's, which can be cool, and NV which was really popular at one time but I haven't been there recently. Dress code enforced.

If you pass Eastbay, there is a hookah bar there at the end called Tabbuli. Usually pretty crowded, attractive waitresses. Double back to Eastbay. There is a string of bars right here but there was a fire a few months back that damaged some of them pretty badly and I haven't been back in that area much. Tsunami is a little sushi spot with a bar. I think Thursday's or some shit they have $1 Blue Moons.

Wet Willie's. You may have one of these in your town. Does yours have $3 Patron shots? This one does. I believe Jack is a $3 also. I don't like this place much but I usually stop in when I'm in the area for $3 Patron because you just can't fucking beat that.

Not really much else in terms of bars in this part of town that I can think of. There are two bars a ways down Eastbay in the opposite direction called The Tattooed Moose and The Royal American (right before the housing projects lol). I've haven't been out there yet because I'm usually on foot but I know they're pretty popular dives. The Mexican restaurant Santi's I mentioned is also right over there.

Crashing House Parties

If you got onto CofC's campus at Calhoun and you go down a few blocks then bust a left, many of the frat/sorority houses are down that way. I don't remember the streets or where exactly they are but I've just rolled up in there with my boys before and partied. There is a street across from the Visitor's Center on Meeting St. between the school they're building/will be built and the Charleston Museum where I've found some house parties. Sometimes I'll just find random groups of people and follow them

Day Game

For day game, College of Charleston campus, Marion Square Park, King St., the Market. They have cruises leave and come in by the Market and you are going to find plenty of tourists in that area. King St. shopping district will be a mix of tourists and locals. Upper King will be mostly locals and college students. Marion Square will be filled will college students with a great ratio at certain times of the day. Many of them will be sunbathing though so you may have trouble opening.

Once you're on CofC's campus, bust a left at St. Philip. Yes! This will probably be the highest concentration of college girls during the day. You will eventually come to an intersection with a little gated grassy area that I can't remember the name of and a CVS on the corner on the opposite side.

The world is your oyster. Feel free to stop into CVS for some baking soda. Taking a left here will take you past their old gym/PE center and you'll see girls walking out this way. Taking a right will pass girls, then you can take your next left and you'll come back out on Calhoun near the school library. Between St. Philip and the street you're on now there is a small Starbucks where you'll find almost exclusively college students who read good books and know plenty about phones. At the corner of King and Calhoun, before you turned onto campus, there is one there also.

If you take that left and continue past the College of Charleston campus, a ways down at Rutledge you will come to the Medical University of South Carolina campus. Tons of little nurses running around out here. Bust a right on campus to find the most people.

Calhoun is good from about Meeting until the connector.

King St. has a nice stretch of people. You can walk from about Cannon to Broad and see decent concentrations. They will be highest from about Calhoun to Market.

Meeting starts a little later, from about Mary St. to Broad. There's a little aparment complex on Mary between King and Meeting where tons of college girls live.

Market St. starts at King before branching into North and South Market after Meeting. These streets run parallel with an open air market in between. High concentration of people in this area.

The Battery (King, Meeting and Eastbay all lead here) has a decent concentration of people but it's more of sightseeing/family type area.

[elabayarde]

I have spent some time in Charleston...i just dont understand it. Its way to hot and cold for me.
I would have nights where chicks approched me regularly and i even woke up with girls dorm keys in my pocket, numbers and all of the above.

But then some nights I got blow the fuck out. IDK

But then again, Im not a big fan of the south.

[Sourcecode]

I get the same general attitude with Charleston. I'll save my data drop for another post but Charleston is really hit or miss.

I prefer to stick strictly top the downtown area.n upper king down to market. anywhere past there becomes a logistic problem for anyone that lives downtown.

I'm not driving, following, riding back with anyone when it's so easy to find a girl with a dorm.

but of course someTimes I get absolutely nothing. other nights I Damn near get raped.

don't forget that bachelorette parties roam downtown Charleston all the time.

wet wellies is full of tourist. I've been there once and to be honest...I didn't think it was too great.