National Bike to Work Day
In the United States, today is National Bike to Work Day. I woke up this morning to overcast skies that lulled my brain into wanting to participate……only, I work at home, and my bike was at MTM’s office. Not to be deterred, I walked the two miles from the concrete jungle to MTM’s work place, snapping some pics of our new Charleston ‘hood along the way.
A remnant of the old Cooper River Bridges that used to cross to Mount Pleasant. It’s Charleston’s version of The Gates.
I have often wondered what kinds of grub they serve in Hannibal’s Kitchen, on Drake Street in Charleston’s East Side. The name has always been a bad association for me, as I tie it with another Hannibal………the one who ate people.
Once upon a time, things were actually manufactured in downtown Charleston. Here’s an abandoned cigar factory. It was being converted into bazillion dollar condominiums before the downturn.
Ah, now THIS is starting to resemble the Charleston readers see in magazines. The last of the Confederate jasmine. Can you smell it?
I couldn’t resist the composition of this shot along Alexander Street. I love the sleeping cat. I wonder if it put the bricks there, too.
Scene from a proper Charleston garden in a courtyard around the corner from MTM’s office. An urban evolution in the span of two miles and a few city blocks.
Riding my bike back home, I mean, to work, I was inspired by the East Side, a rough-and-tumble African American neighborhood this city has forgotten. Oh, the South-of-Broaders/Ansonborough‘ers remembered it when they wanted the cruise ship terminal moved there, away from their own upscale neighborhoods. Otherwise, it is a swath of historic Charleston nobody visits.
And, they should.
When I was a little girl, most of downtown Charleston looked like the East Side. Peeling paint. Boarded up clapboard. Burned out shells. Bedraggled snarls. Nothing antiseptic or picturesque about it. People trying to get by. Living life.
Just like me.
Very nice pictures…. Thanks for sharing…
It was a great morning walk.
Great way to celebrate Bike To Work day! Love the garden shot with the brick walkway.
I’m with you . . . Hannibel’s Kitchen is NOT what I would name a restaurant . . . unless I planned to Silence the Lambs.
It is a more standard Charleston shot.
Too bad the loft/condo conversion of the cigar factory had to be stopped. That would be a cool place to live. By the way, who even knew there was such a thing as ride-your-bike-to-work day.
It would be an interesting place to live. They started the whole thing at the wrong time.
Like most of, Andra, to varying degrees. So many neighborhoods that need a bit of money infused into them and that could thrive and bring jobs to its residents. Ah, I won’t wax on. The day is too gorgeous here. I might even dig out my bike.
I have missed having mine, Penny. It will be great to tool around on it again. Enjoy your afternoon!!
So once you rode it to work, did you ride it around inside the place for a while? Just to get proper milage out of it?
The East Side is very interesting. Lots of history and stories there. So much of it is associated with the age when things turned industrial and a lot of that area was where the folks who worked the railroads, ferrys, ships and waterfront lived. If you take the time to slow down as you go through that area and really look at the buildings and the people and the layout, it is fascinating.
I rode two or so miles from MTM’s office, so I just brought it upstairs with me and put it in the guest bedroom. They have bike locks downstairs under the building, but MTM doesn’t think it is secure enough. And, bike theft is a notorious problem in Charleston.
I am going to do a series set in that neighborhood. May not be too popular with certain people. We shall see.
actually the remnant of bridge reminds me of a Torii
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torii
I think those inspired The Gates as well.
they are one of the many things I look forward to seeing when I finally have the ability to travel to Japan!
Someday, I also want to see Japan.
You are so AWESOME!!!! Thank you for sharing!
It is just good to have my bike back.
Today is also International Museum Day, Visit Your Relatives Day, and No Dirty Dishes Day — who knew? More importantly, who actually celebrates such things?
Particularly love the photo of the old cigar factory juxtaposed on the new(er) Ravanel Bridge…..
The City makes a big effort for Bike to Work Day. Every year, they have quite an event.
Ooooh! I loved “And they should” which implies that the icky wharf has no place in the beautiful perfect buildings, getting flipped on its head to suggest that the upscale neighborhood doesn’t DESERVE that much awesome. Just like it doesn’t deserve you.
I have much to say on this matter, Jessie. However, sometimes it is best for me to speak through fiction……
Amazing how biking-or not biking – to work allows you to see so much around you. Thanks for this tour, Andra
I’ve never walked through this neighborhood, in the two-decades-plus I’ve lived in Charleston. So, it was time.
It is so hard to see some of our potential revitalization projects stopped midway, too, during this economic downturn. I have had limited exposure to Charlestom, yet it was memorable. I really enjoyed your tour! Thank you! Debra
Whatever one sees of Charleston, it always makes an impression, Debra.