the notebook: a day in charleston

I'm not even going to ask if you've seen The Notebook - I'm just going to take it as a given, because anyone who hasn't at least seen the iconic love story between Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams is a kind of creature I don't really understand.

We had the opportunity two weekends ago to go to Charleston, SC for a day and a half.
It was a quick trip, but it was just long enough to soak up much of the magic that surrounds Allie Hamilton and Noah Calhoun.

Charleston is a pretty enchanting city.

The fascinating (and tragic) history, the quaint streets, the southern charm, the waterfront, the food.

The fact that it was also the setting for many iconic Notebook scenes is just a really, really big bonus.

Dress: J. Crew, Purse: Target (shop!)

A lot of what we saw was the embodiment of Noah and Allie's first date.
The theater, and of course the place where they danced and then plopped down in the middle of the street to watch the lights change.
It's one of the most beloved scenes. Such simplicity, such romance.
I was glad I looked up the cross streets beforehand, because we were walking around during the daytime and I never would've recognized it. There isn't actually an overhanging stoplight there, either. It's quite different in the film - but the one thing that stands out is this amazing baby blue building.

I'm not gonna lie - I legitimately wanted to try and finagle a way to risk my life and lie down in the middle of the road later that night. 

The problem was, once we parked our car at the hotel that afternoon, we couldn't move it, because it was $20 every time to go in and out of the parking garage. So we had to stick with walkable places within a mile or so and this intersection was several miles away. It was just too far to go back to. 

Still, I thought about it and wished for it. But it just wouldn't be the same, without that overhanging stoplight, without Dusty beside me (who would have had to man the camera), and obviously with the additions of the rush of modern oncoming traffic. Puts a damper on things.

There are so many little corners of the world that I will not go.
Sweet little towns I will not see, darling cupcake shops I will not sit in. Tiny boutiques and gourmet restaurants, historical buildings and crumbling bits of history. Times and places and textures I will never touch.
I may never go to Charleston again. This tiny window of a visit may have been the only chance we ever get, and while sometimes I wish we could have had a bit longer, the sweet brevity of it may have been the best part.
Maybe the charm of a town is its many mysteries.