My tribute to Meggers on her birthday
After graduating Clemson in 2019, our daughter, Megan, accepted her first real job at the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC, in Charleston, SC. She really wanted to figure out if research was her desired path. As a biochemistry major and microbiology minor, she had a lot of choices regarding which career path she should take. For her, it was about academia vs. private sector. Cancer research is an area she believes strongly in, but she's also really interested in diseases. She decided to explore research. #MUSC #Cancer #Cancerresearch #Microbiology #Collegegraduate #firstjob #Charleston #Clemsongraduate #academia #adulting #biochemistry #microbiology #SouthCarolina
In August 2019, my daughter and I set out on a roadtrip to Charleston from Massachusetts, which was long, scenic, but filled with torrential downpours during the last four hours of our journey, unfortunately. We drove with a carful of her stuff and made our way south. We spent the night at a hotel at the three quarter mark, and we made it safely to Charleston the next day. Once I got Megan all settled in to her new apartment, we took in the beautiful city and everything it offered. I was pretty excited to have three whole days of just girl time, which also included having a wonderful dinner with one of Meg's college girlfriend's and her mom..goodtimes! She was lucky that three friends from Clemson were also living in Charleston. #Collegefriends #southernliving #allgrownup #careergirl
The first pic, City Market, is loaded with local artisans. The last pic is Rainbow Row.
Charleston is absolutely beautiful, shopping is top notch, and restaurants are a foodies dream. Our Charleston sightseeing included the following:
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens - https://www.magnoliaplantation.com/
Joe Wiley Waterfront Park - https://www.charlestonparksconservancy.org/park/riley-waterfront-park
Historic Charleston City Market - wonderful to and experience and talk art with the local artists! https://www.thecharlestoncitymarket.com/ #CharlestonCityMarket
Rainbow Row and Townhouses - https://charleston.com/charleston-insider/lowcountry-lifestyles/the-captivating-history-of-rainbow-row #rainbowhouses
Fort Sumter - as a history buff, this was a must - https://www.nps.gov/fosu/index.htm - Interested in a short history lesson: https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/fort-sumter #fortsumter
King Street shopping - top notch! Includes designer, indie, & affordable name brands - https://www.charlestonsfinest.com/sc/exclusking.htm #KingStreet
Dessert at a fabulous dessert cafe/bar - We had cake and wine at Carmella's because hello...carrot cake!! https://carmellasdessertbar.com/ #desserts #dessertbar #cake #carrotcake #wine
Carmella's Dessert Bar
Although her time at MUSC was cut short..as her boss let her know she had accepted a job to head up a research lab at Ohio State University, she did ask Meg to join her team. Always up for a new adventure, Megan happily agreed to move to Columbus in April 2020 to join the team. GO OSU! This time around, my husband (Dave) and daughter (Fiona) helped Meg with her next big move. Covid had just kicked in big time, so flights were out of the question. This meant..driving from MA --> SC --> OH and then back to MA! Lucky for them, a few restaurant/hotels were open in Columbus. They stayed at Hampton Inn Suites, which was pretty much empty and ordered take out from Barley's. All in all, things went smoothly.
Dave, Fiona, and Meg enjoying Rainbow Row in Charleston before leaving for Columbus
Meg's move has been a great experience. Despite Covid, quarantine, and having to work remotely from her condo for the majority of her time there, life is treating her well. She has two awesome roommates and neighbors who have become good friends. Her neighborhood in Grandview is a young and vibrant community with restaurants, bars, boutiques, and much more. Dave and I visited in July for a long weekend..because I was missing my girl big time! We ended up driving from MA..long drive..but the flights were connecting, and we didn't want to compromise ourselves or anyone else with Covid. I have gotten used to long roadtrips, as we did so many to Clemson. #Newbeginnings #Grandview #Parentsvisit
Dave is (obviously) not big on selfies. Meg...happy to see me (of course!)
Even with the new, strange norms in place, our stay was wonderful. We had dinner at some fabulous restaurants..there are many to choose from and shopped on North High Street downtown Columbus, which has tons of boutiques, art galleries, restaurants, and the Ohio State University campus is just down the other end of High Street (opposite all the shops), so it's really settled in the thick of all the action. The shopping on North High Street does not disappoint. They have trendy boutiques, as well as name brand shops such as Anthropologie. Meg got lucky and picked up a gorgeous camel sweater coat on sale there. #greatfind #divastatus #Anthropologie #fashion #sale #goodvibes
Taking in the sights downtown Columbus
Just a sample of the cool artwork worth checking out downtown Columbus #artgallery #collageart #creativeart #mixedmedia #acrylics #painting #
Drinks at the Lincoln Rooftop Social, middle pic of Delmar & cool artwork at Delmar #amazingdinner
All dressed up and having drinks with Meg & her roomies at Lincoln Social Rooftop before dinner at Delmar #loved #goodfood #finedining #goodcompany #nightout
First pic of Grandview Cafe, where we had dinner & other pics at The Avenue Steakhouse #delish #steakhouse
In addition to walking through Grandview and High Street, our sightseeing included German Village, which was nice..more for families than singles, I think. They do have a killer bookstore there called The Book Loft. Meg cleaned house and bought five books or so. If you enjoy reading, this is a must. We also grabbed ourselves a cup of joe at Stauf's coffee house. Next, we walked through the Columbus Park of Roses. This park is beautiful..filled with rose bushes and flowers. There's a gazebo that is a photographer's dream, and It's a great spot for prom/wedding pics. There is plenty of room to have a picnic.
https://www.staufs.com/ - Cool coffee house in German Village & Grandview
https://www.bookloft.com/ - Multiple rooms filled with books
http://www.grandviewcafe.com/ - Fun casual indoor/outdoor dining and bar
https://lincolnsocialrooftop.com/ - Awesome rooftop bar, people watching, and social scene!
https://delmarcolumbus.com/ - AMAZING fine dining w/cool atmosphere! Dress up and enjoy!!
https://theavenuesteaktavern.com/ - Traditional steakhouse. Expensive, fine dining with an older crowd.
http://www.paulsonline.com/ - Paul's Fifth Avenue - old school diner that served all American breakfast. Nice, homey atmosphere.
We stayed at the Hilton Columbus Downtown, North High Street, during our Columbus visit and because the hotel was basically empty, we were upgraded to a suite. The hotel was clean, bedding and bed were comfortable, and the hotel full-service breakfast was good quality. The hotel is walking distance to all the shops and restaurants on North High Street. I highly recommend staying there. #Hilton #HiltonColumbusDowntown #NorthHighStreet
Megan and her roommates celebrating her birthday! #allgrownup #adulting #newhaircut
All in all, we had a wonderful visit with our daughter, were thrilled her condo is in a safe neighborhood with wonderful neighbors, and we LOVED her roommates. I really look forward to visiting again (just me...I'm greedy like that). Columbus is a young, active, and energetic area with a lot to offer. She's in a good place..for now! #Goodvibes