Midweek Mini-Pub Crawl on Folly Beach...
The key element of a pub crawl at the beach is simple: beer.
Another smart addition is parking your car and walking from spot to spot.
I found that mid-week in October is a good time to check-in to a beach front property.
Great location and not a bad price.
Certainly less expensive than getting a DUI. And a lot safer too.
No meters so parked on Center Street, right across from City hall (ever notice the shark hanging over the entrance to a lawyer's office.) Some sort of professional courtesy.
Technically, I did stop on Folly Road to revisit The Bohemian Bull for a beer.
The nice bartender lady was kind enough to suggest I might enjoy having another one at
The Barrel, a new place, just before you cross the two bridges - still being expanded - and drive onto Folly Island.
No problem when you're only about a mile from parking the car for the next 24 hours.
So one beer there and a
chance to admire the dog-friendly areas out back.
Not only plenty of room to run, but also a body of water just begging for Labradors to check out.
Bring your tennis ball.
This where I heard the old Toll Booth stood during a period when it took a ticket to ride.
The door is a sturdy barrel - complete with iron straps around the staves.
Well not an actual barrel. Just a thick "slice of one."
Got to Folly, parked the car and checked into the hotel to see what kind of view is afforded from the 7th floor of the 9-story lodging. Way cool!
In plain sight were a half-dozen places where I planned to drop in and sample their brews.
It was still Daylight Saving Time so I had a nice. sunny afternoon ahead of me. I started atop Skipped Jack's, my previous favorite place to have an overview.
Now, I was looking down on it. LOL.
Checked out Rita's, The Crab Shack, Planet Follywood and the cozy Jack of Cups Saloon next to it that used to have a sign out from that said "NOPE."
Well, until 5pm, then the "N" was moved to the far right to say "OPEN."
Saw some beach whimsy next to "The Shack" with several small, gaily-painted joggling boards.
Nobody was sitting on them and I have had the experience of explaining to a visiting New Yorker what they were and how they were used.
He also had never tasted boiled peanuts before.
Without smiling, I advised him to open them first and throw away the shell.
He thanked me for that bit of shared knowledge from a native.
I'm not saying the island was deserted.
But, looking down from Skipper Jack's at the only traffic light on the island, it was not exactly buzzing with cars, bikes and surfer dudes.
My membership card in the
Sand Dollar Social Club had expired but if you have the old one, you can get a new one for one dollar and not have to wait 24 hours to use it.
I saw that quirk being explained to a couple just inside the door and asked if they would be allowed to come in as my guest.
They were extended guest privileges and still bought a card to use another day.
Feeling good that I had helped a fellow traveler, I ambled up to
Taco Boy for a bite ..and a Dos Equis.
I recall when that building had formerly been the
Islander Shag Club, restored after severe damage from Hurricane Hugo more than 25 years ago. I even came and helped build the deck out back that still stands.
Another beer and a snack at the
Surf Bar, which was decorated for the upcoming Halloween hijinks.
Funky and relatively crowded - for a Wednesday - I looked around and had to ask about a particularly gruesome figure with a rat in its teeth.
It was looking down over the crowd at the bar and I was told the owner of the bar saw it in one of those airline magazines _ Sky Mart? - and thought it would look great in the "Best Bar On Folly Beach" as his sign proclaims out front.
Some cotton was stuffed in the mouth as foam, a hand-made palmetto rose added for class and no reason was given for the dangling rat.
Could not tell if the fire hat was an authentic one from the FBFD. My eyes were tired and my bed at TIDES was calling me.
This is the sight that greeted me from my 7th floor aerie the next morning.
Obviously I had slept through what I am sure was a fantastic sunrise but this pleased my eye.
I have many photographer friends who trek out to the beach to catch a sunrise (or sunset) here and they produce terrific results.
Have not seen one from this elevated angles.
$99 for a good night's sleep, listening to the gentle roar of the surf.
If you live here, enjoy the treasures we have in our own backyard.
(Click on the photos for details.)
Of course, moderation in all things.
Labels: Bohemian Bull, Crab Shack. The Barrel, Islander Shag Club, Jack of Cups Saloon, Rita's Seaside Grille, Sand Dollar Social Club, Skipper Jack's, Surf Bar, Taco Boy, The Tides Hotel.
Just A (January) Day At The Beach...
I bought a BOGO (Buy One Get One free) coupon for a meal at Folly Beach.
Good deal until my buddy pointed out it had the be used Dec-February.
Not ideal beach weather but we got lucky yesterday.
It got up to 75 degrees, no wind and beautiful clouds.
Lunch out on the fishing pier at
Locklear's Beach City Grill was delightful.
Yes I had my camera that has a fisheye lens effect.
It also has a 20x optical zoom which is new to me after 10 years of being limited to only a 3.8x zoom.
It allows me and my small digital P/S (Point and Shoot) to reach out for shots I never could make before.
I mean, you really CAN'T just step a little bit closer to a surfer while he/she is catching a wave.
The camera is so small (unlike a full-sized DSLR) that you can get away with taking street shots and people don't seem to mind.
Or they don't feel intimidated as they would with a "professional" camera stuck in their face.
I still am amused by the distortions created with the ersatz fisheye effect.
I keep my eyes open for zany ways to use it.
A colorful poster in a shop window on Center Street seemed a likely candidate.
I had rented a VW bus for a week when I lived in California.
It was NOT painted anything like this one.
Nice memory-flogger though.
A few doors up from Planet Follywood is a small
Brew Pub with an unusual sign hanging out front.
It caught my attention because the place was closed and it simply stated
"Nope, not open yet."
At the appointed hour, the owner stepped out, swapped the ""N" and the "Star" and we were invited inside.
The coupon that brought us out to Folly on this glorious day provided a delicious meal of fried shrimp and flounder.
Hush puppies, fries and cole slaw.
My doctor knows I eat like this very seldom (ahem).
I also believe cabbage slaw is a healthy vegetable that lowers cholesterol.
Of course I left room for dessert but I did NOT request whipped cream.
That just came with it and who am I to question a seaside chef?
That man (or woman) is a professional.
Further down the beach at the
Tides Oceanfront Hotel, we stood at the bar -
Blu - and sipped a draft.
Surfers were plentiful (hey, isn't Friday a work day?) and were actively riding the pretty good waves.
Several paddle boarders were added to the mix.
I thought they stuck to rivers and creeks.
But apparently they can catch a wave, tuck the paddle under their arm and hang ten.
On the tables at Blu I saw heavy, metal miniature palm trees. I suppose they held menus or napkins.
Nice touch.
Overall, it was a nice day to be at the beach.
Upper seventies temps had drawn many people out to lie in the sun.
Others were wading into the water and splashing around.
I saw a man lazily tossing a ball to his small child who swung hard with a red plastic wiffle bat.
He missed but got a hug from his dad.
Before we left and headed back to town, I had one more shot in mind.
A zoom lens lets you get really close to fidgety, wary birds.
Johnathan Livingston did not respond when I suggested he lift BOTH legs.
(Click on the pictures for more details.)
If you ever get a chance, play around with using a fisheye lens.
Do NOT take a self-portrait of your face.
Resist the temptation.
It'll distort you and people will laugh.
Even the seagulls.
I heard them.
Labels: Blu bar, cole slaw, ersatz lens, fisheye lens, Folly Beach Brew Pub, hang 10, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Locklear's Beach City Grill, paddle boarders. surfers, The Tides Hotel., VW bus
"...with my hat in hand."
A nice Wednesday spent walking around Folly Beach!
Temps in the low 70s, sunny, small crowds.
A quiet little pub crawl perhaps.
Uh oh. Leaving one beachfront place, heading for another, and my Smartphone starts ringing. It SOUNDS important.
"We have your hat," a pleasant voice says.
Thank goodness
Tilley Hats have a large label where you are encouraged to write your name and phone number.
I hustled back, thanked the nice people at
Rita's Seaside Grille and resumed my afternoon stroll.
The surf was really small this day.
But, some people keep their boards handy. Hey, conditions could suddenly change.
Sunroofs and surfboards work great together.
So many places to stop and relax at the bar for a while. Some have been there forever and others opened just recently.
Did I mention it was a sunny day?
Not completely cloudless, but very close.
Technically, I was BORN on Folly Beach.
I can show you my
long-form birth certificate.
Actually I was born at the old St. Francis hospital on Calhoun Street but the documents in those days listed where the mother was living and that was at the beach.
Saw a vintage poster in a window on Center Street that probably went back a little further.
Bet my Mom and her sisters looked a lot like that when they played as island girls growing up back in the dunes in the 1920s.
Compared to Myrtle Beach, the 3 and 4 story condos do not dominate the skyline. The newly-named TIDES hotel appears to be the tallest place around.
Sitting at the outdoor bar at Blu in the former Holiday Inn, it was easy to spot the pale visitors who were determined to work on leaving with a tan from their time here on holiday.
Not too many hills in the Lowcountry but I saw a painted mural that included a cute takeoff of an iconic California landmark.
Inside Follywood looked about how I remembered wolfing down a Sunday morning brunch or stopping in for a killer hot dog.
But, this evening, I sat down to a tasty meal of skewered steak and shrimp at
The Grill ..on the edge on Center Street.
It was opened last August by a trio of noted local restaurant owners and appeared to have a steady crowd coming in.
Looks like another success story on my favorite island - Folly Beach.
(Click twice on the pictures for more details. Recovering my $70 Tilley hat - with a $20 bill tucked inside - equals about 4 months of what I pay for my Smartphone. Good ROI.) Thanks for beach combing with me today.
Labels: Blu restaurant, Follywood, long-form birth certificate, Rita's Seaside Grille, Sand Dollar Social Club, St. Francis Hospital, The Grill..on the edge, The Tides Hotel.
