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"IN MEMORY OF MARY LOGSDON" - IN NOTE SECTION OF CHECK

JUNE 27, 2006 - "IT'S RAINING, IT'S POURING, THE OLD MAN IS SNORING"

OK, I know this isn't going to be a charming visual image,but the wrnkles on my butt cheeks are not made of cellulite, it is the fact that I have been immersed in water far longer than a victim on CSI Miami has. Man, it either R A I N E D or it didn't. That sounds odd, but when it didn't rain, it was very hot. Every time I took my rain suit off, I got wet.

The rain would come down extremely hard, then quit. Both the starting and the stopping came without warning, even though the sky was cloudy. I think that the dark clouds waited for me to get under tham and then FLUSHHHHHHHHHHHHH, I was wet. I made it without incident, other than the raisin pucker look to my skin, in good order. I had mistakenly punched in NORTH Charlston in the trusty GPS, and it dutifully took me there.

Oooooh, did I ever goof. I got out of there with haste. Let's just say that I was not met with friendly stares when I even considered stopping to ask for directions - which I did NOT do - due to a wish for continued good health and welfare. I did make it to the Visitor Center in the old section of Charleston, though.

If there are any parallels that can be drawn between Detroit and Charleston it is this:

They are both very very old.

This is where any similarity stops. The Visitor Center is the first one that I have seen that actually warms up to you as you move through it. The staff are more than friendly - and - GET THIS: (I hope you are sitting down) THEY TELL THE TRUTH.

One of the staff helped me find an affordable room with wireless ability within easy access to downtown. She continued to recommend various establishments for dining. She discussed how best to maneuver the motorcycle in the historic section. She gave an excellent overview of what Charleston has to offer, including the pivotal rolls that the city played in both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Both Ft. Moultrie and Ft. Sumpter are here. The old aircraft carrier Yorktown is here. Old mansions and warehouses have been updated and preserved. There is a world class aquarium with an IMAX theater attached.

The streets are awash in humanity after it gets dark. Yes, you read that correctly. People - and this is such a novel idea - actually go downtown to walk the streets and take advantage of the shopping that is truly unique and plentiful. Remember the movie "The Notebook"? Part of it was filmed here, and the photo of that location will be in another submission. I am amazed at the downtown liveliness. Obviously this sort of thing is missing from our home city of Detroit. How sad is that?

While Charleston revels in it's place in history, Detroit has a collective case of amnesia. While Ft. Sumpter and Ft. Moultrie are actual destinations to be proud of, Ft. Wayne in Detroit is treated as an embarrassment at worse, and an afterthought at best. Charleston is a city that will have my face visiting it again, in the future. It is vibrant, artsy, cosmopolitan, interesting, fun, and great to move around in.