Neighborhood

It is the day for "N" in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

My theme is America the Beautiful, and today, I return to South Carolina.

Do you have a favorite neighborhood? I should say my favorite neighborhood is the one I live in, but that's not entirely true.

In my dreams, I wander the neighborhood of Ansonborough, the first suburb of the small walled village of Charles Town, South Carolina, dating from 1696.  It was named after George Anson, who won the land (so it is said) in a card game in 1724.  Now, this neighborhood is on the edge of downtown Charleston.. This neighborhood, like too much of Charleston, South Carolina, was rundown once, but thrives once again.

In my dreams, I walk along its narrow streets, past houses built in the 1850's. (Some of the streets are quite narrow, and you are better off walking than driving.)

I walk on Meeting Street, past the areas where the tourists congregate, past a historic engine company with a dalmatian statue and dalmatian fire hydrant .  Not too far away, I walk on a sidewalk in front of a locksmith's store.  The sidewalk is studded with keys.

I pass a beautiful house on George Street.

Detail on a door.

I shop at the Charleston City Market, established in 1807.  I dream of visiting the outdoor Charleston City Farmers Market in nearby Marion Square.  It's outside of Ansonborough but in walking distance.

It's hard, in just a couple of pictures, to explain my love of Charleston.  Why would a city in the South enchant a native of New York City so?  Yet, it does.  I've visited Charleston four times now, and I always return to Ansonborough.


Charleston has hooks in my heart but so does a certain bridge that connects Charleston with another city, and I just may blog about that bridge in a few days, too.

If you could choose, where would you want to live?