Time travel online

This article is devoted to dining in Charleston's historic downtown area, mainly because that is where I most enjoy exploring on foot the beauty and history that makes this city such an interesting locale to visit. During my last visit, The Planter's Inn on N. Market Street provided the perfect location to begin what I hope is but one of many visits. I mention the Inn because they serve up an excellent continental breakfast, offer iced tea and lemonade during the early afternoon before setting out hot tea around 4 pm and the wine and cheese in the evening. By the way, The Citadel is a must-see while visiting Charleston. It is just stunning, even on an early Sunday morning in January.

Charleston is also noted for its cuisine offered by many fine restaurants that I look forward to visiting on future trips. In the ones my wife and I were fortunate enough to dine, I hope I can do them justice in print, because we truly did not have a bad meal the whole time we were here.

Because we arrived in Charleston late at night on this trip, our first sample of the local dining scene was T-Bonz Gill and Grill, which served up a truly awesome steak sandwich in addition to offering a great selection of import and domestic beers. Over the next three days, we sampled the seafood at Hyman's Seafood Company, tried to get into 82 Queen without a reservation, and indulged ourselves at Wet Willie's, which serves up frozen daiquiris and assorted specialties while also offering a small but tasty selection of Southwestern fare that goes well with their frozen alcoholic concoctions!

I have nothing but praise for the folks at Poogan's Porch, a lovely restaurant on Queen Street named for the famous "porch pooch" who used to keep an eye on things from his spot on the restaurant's front porch. Afterwards, it's was off to Kaminsky's, a nice little café known for its outstanding desserts, coffee drinks, and other beverages. We also dined at Captain Stacks for lunch and decided to try the seafood buffet at the Palmetto Cafe in the Omni Hotel. All in all, another excellent weekend complemented by the outstanding service and accommodations at the Planter's Inn on the corner of Meeting and Market downtown.

Upon arriving in Charleston and settling in at your hotel or inn, I strongly suggest finding a copy of The Menu Book, which is free and provides an exhaustive rundown of places to eat and dine, maps to get you there, and reviews of almost every restaurant in town. I found the reviews to be accurate and the menus helpful in selecting different restaurants so as to maximize our cash outflow.

No trip to Denver would ever be complete without a visit to the Colorado State Capitol. It is a magnificent building that has to be seen to be appreciated. Keep reading and learn a little bit about the history of this incredible building and learn why you should add it to your must see list.

The Colorado State Capitol is an incredible building made from white granite quarried locally in Colorado. It was built in 1886 with great care and designed to stand for centuries. The dome of the capitol building is particularly fascinating and dominates the Denver skyline. It rises to a height of 272 feet and is covered in gold leaf which was also obtained in the state. Inside the building you will find murals representing the history of the state, tapestries, stained glass windows, presidential portraits and you can get a great view of the underside of the dome. It really is a magnificent piece of architecture and art that words can not do justice to. The best way to see the capitol is by taking a guided tour. Tours are available for free and they will teach you the history of Colorado, the history of the capitol construction and about the lawmaking process. Tours take only about forty five minutes so they are easy to fit into any schedule. Hopefully by know you have decided to go for a tour of the capitol. It is an experience that you are sure to enjoy.

If you would like to visit the Colorado State Capitol while you are in Denver you can find it downtown at the intersection of East Colfax Avenue and Grant Street. The capitol is open Monday through Friday but is closed on most holidays. For more information you can call the information line at 303-866-2604. Have fun.