27 Jun 2016 – Soda City Market
Sat: deeply saddened by the news of Marlene’s passing. May she RIP. Our thoughts and prayers are with Alonzo&family and Jan&family. Jan and I go back to the days when we were in the same travel school together in the late 1980s FL, and we have celebrated many family Bdays together – her first-born and I share the same date and Linn shares the same date with Al, her husband.
Bright and early up to get downtown to Soda City Market (Main St) which happens every Sat where local vendors are there selling fresh produce, food&drinks, arts&crafts etc etc etc. Soda City is a nickname for CAE. Locals often refer to the city with the abbreviation of Cola. and hence the term Soda City.
Like this piece of Palmetto decor which will be a present to L&J.
Main St has many exciting and interesting buildings+historical landmarks.
One of my favourties – Sheraton Hotel is the first (1913) high-rise (18storey) and once tallest building in CAE then is an excellent eg of early 20th century skyscraper sheathed in Gothic revival detail with use of the palmetto tree motif (SC state tree).
Starbucks in the basement with a pleasant blend between historic landmark and modern convenience.
It was perfect timing to make my first visit to SC State House located at the end of Main St sitting on 18beautifully landscaped acres.
http://www.knowitall.org/letsgo/lgsh/welcome.html
Talk about a small world, walked up the steps to have a view of Main St. Watching life from there, saw this guy was carrying his bike up the stairs. Told him how impressed I was to see someone so fit and we got to chatting to discover that Greg knows L&J from church…
Had fun taking pix inside and was the only visitor in the building when it opened its doors which made it most enjoyable in this Greek Revival style building.
Fascinating ornate ceilings and trimmings on the 2&3floors. Wonder what the designer was thinking with these demon-looking heads at the end of every support corridor for the 3level??? Like the openness between those floors ie that they share the same dome ceiling.
The Museum Gift Shop has the most amazing quilt handing on the wall with the SC State song stitched discreetly into the background. The lady working there was most informative and helpful – nowhere in this world can compare to the SC courtesy and graciousness.
http://www.columbiacvb.com/listings/South-Carolina-State-House/15796/
Columbia Museum of Art – the exterior was on my list for viewing…
but seeing the chandelier in the lobby got me to pay S10 (senior) to walk thru’ 2floors of exhibits! Just picking a few contrasting random pix.
One of Dale Chihuly’s (my favourite glass sculpture artist) chandeliers which the museum purchase with funds provided by The Contemporaries. The design was chosen to enhance the asymmetrical shape of the Museum’s atrium and a ‘Carolina Sunset’ color-scheme incorporates Columbia’s ‘Famously Hot’ shades of golds, oranges and reds.
These very contemporary wall-murals are quite neat.
That was all this tired body and mind of a happy tourist could digest and handle – starting from 0800hrs and got back by 1430hrs. SC State Museum originally on the list will have to be another time in one of the future trips – blame it on Chihuly 🙂
Sun: completed last-minute errands@Walmart&Staples before packing. Treated myself to my favourtie Ultimate Omelette@Denny’s and as usual had to doggy-bag half of it.
Have been trying to take a pix of this old barn. Finally today managed to pull into the driveway to buy 1watermelon, 1cucumber and 1tomatoe, all for $4 which are grown in Chapin and not anywhere near this barn on Weed Rd!
Even Zuno got a Sun treat! Hope that this rough map of Lake Murray will do its job for a very rough guideline to see how big and also whereabouts on the lake we are when on the boat! Family arrived home before mid-night, all happily exhausted.
