With apologies to to Marc Cohn’s excellent “Walking in Graceland,” this shoot was accomplished in just three hours. This historic southern city is a gorgeous combination of old and new, historic and modern. I went there to be with my young cousin on the occasion of her Bat Mitzvah. A talented and smart young lady, she conducted an entire Shabbos ceremony, sang from the torah and her haftorah. She and her parents and sister were as gracious and welcoming as is the rest of this magnificent Southern jewel. However, Saturday afternoon, after all the excitement of the morning, I got to leave the girls to go shopping while I wandered down King Street. I was delighted to find a city that was amazingly alive with the modern day bustle of Ambercrombie, The Gap and Starbucks mixed in with the inspiring “Corners of the Law”.
Here’s some background on this wonderful city.
Charleston is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is the largest city and county seat of Charleston County. The city was founded as Charlestown or Charles Towne, Carolina in 1670, and moved to its present location (Oyster Point) from a location on the west bank of the Ashley River in 1680; it adopted its present name in 1783. In 1690, Charleston was the fifth largest city in North America, and remained among the ten largest cities in the United States through the 1840 census.. Charleston is known as The Holy City due to the prominence of churches on the low-rise cityscape, particularly the numerous steeples which dot the city’s skyline, and for the fact that it was one of the few cities in the original thirteen colonies to provide religious tolerance to the French Huguenot Church. In fact, it is still the only city in the U.S. with such a church. Charleston was also one of the first colonial cities to allow Jews to practice their faith without restriction. Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, founded in 1749, is the fourth oldest Jewish congregation in the continental United States. Brith Sholom Beth Israel is the oldest Orthodox synagogue in the South, founded by Ashkenazi (German and central European) Jews in the mid 19th century. Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim is the synagogue where my young cousin was being Bat Mitzvah’d and the main reason for my trip to Charleston. An amazing job by an amazing young lady. I am very proud of you Emily.
Downtown Charleston, SC – Images by Drew Selman
The population was estimated to be 118,492 in 2007, making it the second most populous city in South Carolina, closely behind the state capital Columbia. Current trends put Charleston as the fastest-growing municipality in South Carolina.
The city of Charleston is located just south of the mid-point of South Carolina‘s coastline, at the confluence of the Ashley and Cooper Rivers. Charleston’s name is derived from Charles Towne, named after King Charles II of England.
America’s most-published etiquette expert, Marjabelle Young Stewart, recognized Charleston 1995 as the “best-mannered” city in the U.S, a claim lent credibility by the fact that it has the first established Livability Court in the country.
Thanks to Wikipedia for this information. If you ever have a chance to work or simply visit this city you must. Between the beaches, the history and the food (another story for another time), its the perfect place to take your time, explore and simply breathe in and out slowly and relax.
