Christmas Spirit - Flash Mob

Recently I wrote about the "new thing" in Charleston, the closing of King Street on the Second Sunday of each month. Charleston's infamous, King Street, is open each second Sunday to pedestrian traffic only, and this temporary redirection of auto traffic has been a total hit. As far as shopping, lots of cool deals and specials are there to be found. The experience seems a bit more fulfilling when one does not have to contend with traffic. Best of all - you are able to walk the street without the foul smell of exhaust wafting up your nostrils. Trust me, that IS the best part! People are loving this and a lot of cool things appear to be happening.

I admit, I did not get out this past Sunday, and there is a small part of me that is devastated to have missed the Christmas party "flash mob." But I heard about it, and thankfully the moment was professionally captured in this beautiful video, made for the Charleston Symphony Orchestra whom, pardon the pun, orchestrated the flash mob scene. This little holiday gathering must have been a real treat to anyone that caught it, and was conceived as a "sneak peak" of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra's Holiday Celebration coming this Saturday night, December 18th, Gaillard Auditorium. The show begins at 7:00 p.m.

Merry Christmas from Charleston - enjoy!

Charleston Pouring into the Streets

Today was the first official Second Sunday Event here in downtown Charleston, and people seemed to be loving every minute of it. As of today, every second Sunday of every month, King Street will close to automobile traffic and be open for pedestrians and bicyclists only. It was gorgeous today, so I walked down to King to stroll the street myself without fear of becoming urban road kill. I must admit, it was very strange a few times when psychological programming related to "never walking in the middle of the street" kicked in causing me to instinctually want to jump back onto the sidewalk. Charlestonians came out in droves to hang on King Street today. All the stores were open with several offering sidewalk sales. A few restaurants were giving away samples while most had street dining set up. Pop's NY Pizza was giving away sample slices, too! YUM! Close to Market & King, one group decided to shag in front of a local retail establishment. They added in a "big band" tune and then it really looked fun. All in all, I'd say this event will gain momentum.

The important thing to remember is that the closing of the street runs from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. every second Sunday of the month. If you are traveling by car, you will obviously have to take a detour as residents and visitors swagger up and down King, finally, sans traffic.

P.S. Here's something interesting I noticed. Without traffic, there's time to take a look at all those bricks people purchased back in the 1990s to help rebuild King Street (remember that project?). Apparently Jimmy Buffett bought one, or did he?