Having spent a week and a half in classes, I could not let the past 3-day weekend go to waste!  My colleagues and I have been taking classes in the CLS building and while for some of the classes our professors are in our classroom, others are conducted via distance-ed learning with our partner campus at Charleston with the Medical University of South Carolina.   Sitting in the classroom, we listen and watch our professors teach us from Charleston, and we hope that neither one of the audio or visual go out.  Well, my fellow pharmacy colleague, Anthony, and I decided that we had had enough of Charleston via the AV system.  It was time for a CHUCKTOWN ROADTRIP!

One of our undergraduate pre-pharmacy friends, Kim, actually is in the Charleston campus right now.  She decided that she wanted to be in the lowcountry, so Anthony and I decided that the labor day weekend was the perfect time to go visit her!

Here's Charleston in pictures for y'all!

This is the College of Pharmacy building at MUSC.  Kim gave us a quick tour and showed us where the other half of our classes take place!

A quick lunch trip at Necter's in James Island was much enjoyed!  Anthony kind of ruined the picture, but we had a great time.  For great food, go visit this place.

Dinner at Downtown Charleston was fun.  I had a bucket of 3/4 pounds of peel 'n eat shrimp.  I could not believe that I finished it all!

Of course, Shawn was with us on the trip.  We had the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge in the background, but my camera's not good enough to capture it in the dark!

A trip to Charleston would not be complete without  a trip down to the beach.  Here's the pier at Folly Beach!

We might be counting pills for the rest of our lives but we sure do love to have fun too!  Pharmacy colleagues for life! 

Here's the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge by day!  It looks gorgeous.  The weekend weather held up as we enjoyed a day through Downtown Charleston.

Here's the picture of the Labor Day Weekend Crew!  We had to squat because we had to take the picture by timer.  Hehe!

The great thing about being in Carolina is that you make such great friends, and hey, they don't have to go away!  Anthony and Kim were my pre-pharm buds during my undergrad years and well now they're my pharmacy colleagues for life!  Hehehe!  Also, as I've blogged in the past, Columbia is such a great location for being in close proximity to anything and everything the state of South Carolina has to offer.  Charleston is only about an hour and a half to two hours tops!  With the rich history, shopping, and beaches of Charleston, there's so much to do for even just a quick day trip!  And, of course there is Lake Murray just about 20 minutes from campus, the mountains a bit up north about 2 hours away, and the beaches of the coast about 3 hours away to the east.  Not that football during the fall season won't keep you already busy, but weekend trips are definitely great options here in Columbia!

Well, until next time again folks!  Catch y'all later on the flipside, Gamecocks!

Posted by Kriska at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Okay, so I'm sure by now that y'all are just jealous of all of the beach adventures I've been writing about, eh?  Well, let me give y'all some more to drool over...

Myrtle Beach: Driving through King Street to see all of the competing Eagles, Wings, and Pacific beach stores and also through Ocean Boulevard to see all of the towering hotels and resorts, you can't help but feel like it's summer already even if it's still months away.  The water may still be a little too cold, but dipping in for a little bit to get the ocean water and the sand in between your toes is a must!

So, what exactly does Myrtle Beach have to offer that it has made its way through many top ten lists of must-see-vacation spots?  Well, here are my personal favorites:

• Broadway at the Beach: This open area is a mecca to all shoppers, diners, and partyers.  With stores to shop until you drop, restaurants and bars to dine and wine, and a gazillion other things to do, it's the place to see and be seen!  There is a huge man-made pond that is in the middle of the entire complex where people can feed huge carps.  The fishes are so humongous that they look like they're on steroids!  There is also a putt-putt place and an IMAX 3D to enjoy.  There's just so much to do for everyone of all ages!
• Myrtle Beach State Park: Tupelo trees out-the-whazzoo greet you on the parking lot.  Big picnic shelters are available for big groups to have a nice potluck get-together.  The ocean view is just so nice since for the entire stretch of the park there are no tall buildings obstructing the beachfront.  It's just gorgeous!
• Myrtle Beach Coastal Grand Mall: This mall is the state's largest mall.  With many department and retail stores, you're bound to atleast spend an entire afternoon walking through the area.  Ladies, this is a must see!

Kiawah Island:  This place is just GORGEOUS!!!  Kiawah is a barrier island about 20-30 minutes away from historic Charleston.  It is a luxurious place for vacationers who love to golf, play tennis, and lay out in the sun.  The beach was amazing.  There were so many perfect and beautiful shells all over the shore.  The seaside houses were a sight to see!  Oh, I was so green with envy.  How I wish I could afford to buy myself one of those properties.  Actually, even the ones in-land were amazing!  My friends and I were on a 10-mile bike ride all over Kiawah Island Golf Resort, and my gosh!  The houses all along Governor Road, the greens, and the marshes were just breath-taking!  I am setting the goals high here, guys.  Get my Pharm.D.  Work for several hundred years.  Then, finally afford one of those places!  Hahaha!

Murrells Inlet:  Known as the "Seafood Capital" of South Carolina, Murrells Inlet is lined with several restaurants boasting of some great fine and fresh seafood.  Enjoy a nice dinner of surf and turf overlooking the marshes.  It's quite the dining experience!

Pawley's Island:  I only got to come here for a short afternoon, but man did I enjoy the place!  Shopping, dining, and beaching.  I know I've been repeating those same three things, but Pawley's puts a spin to their own thing.  Pawley's has a charm of their own, and y'all should also check it out.

Well, y'all, my spring break is unfortunately coming to a close.  But as y'all may have been reading along, I did not waste a second!  Being in South Carolina is great!  There are so many places to see, and the coast is just one area to explore.  Wait until I start blogging about the mountains from the Upstate!!!  As our license plates say, "Smiling faces, Beautiful places."

Catch y'all later on the flipside, Gamecocks!

Posted by Kriska at 10:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Where: Charleston, South Carolina

Distance from USC Columbia: Approximately 2 hours

What to see: The harbor, the history and charm, the shops, the new bridge

What to do: ride around for a scenic route and definitely do some shop til you drop!

Time for my favorite part...

My Charleston day trip in a picture summary....

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Going over the new bridge and under the tall "arches" towards Downtown Charleston.  Isn't it just amazing!

After going over the bridge, here is a view of the full bridge off of another bridge while we were heading to James Island.  Aren't those boats just awesome?!?

Here's a view of the Battery.  This is towards the south side of the harbor.  As you can see on the far left, the bridge kind of peaks through.  I think that just looks cool!  Farther south of this harbor, we saw a dolphin or two popping out of the water.  I tried to take pictures, but those were largely failed attempts! 

My boyfriend and I taking a pose in front of one of the gorgeous houses of Charleston.  The houses in this area are just beautiful.  Some date back to who-knows-what, but they have preserved them well.  Some of the oldest houses can be visited on tours!

Here's a picture of a group rounding out a corner on a carriage ride.  There are many tours of this kind through historic Charleston.  Horse/mules/donkeys pull carriages around the town.  Pedicabs are another touristy kind of ride through scenic Charleston.

There are lots of parks and lots of monuments around this area too as it is just so rich of history!  Here is my roommate and boyfriend goofing around the cannons!  Don't worry.  They get along great...definitely keeps my sanity!  How horrible would it be if my roommate and bf hated each other?!?

Well, hope you guys enjoyed the pictures.  Probably not as much as I enjoyed my trip, but here's to hoping that you guys get to enjoy a historic and fun trip to Charleston some time, too!  Catch y'all later on the flipside, Gamecocks!

Posted by Kriska at 07:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Where: Surfside Beach, SC

Distance from USC Columbia, SC: Approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes

Nickname: "The Family Beach"

Things to see: the beach, birds, piers

Things to do: all the beachy things, pretty good place to pick shells

And my favorite part...the pictures!

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The dunes are picture-perfect!

Me and my roommate enjoying the nice sunny day...

Look at all these shells...

A view of one of the piers... 

Shawn being goofy and proud, as he shows off his home....SURFSIDE BEACH! 

Lots of fun in this beach!  It's not as touristy as Myrtle Beach, but don't be fooled by that statement!  There are lots of vacationers around this area!!!  Their nickname is just really appropriate--the Family Beach.  There are some hotels along the beachside but most are rental homes. If you are looking for a more wholesome weekend, Surfside Beach it is!

Till the next beach adventure!  As y'all can see, I'm not wasting a minute of my spring break!

Catch y'all later on the flipside, Gamecocks!

Posted by Kriska at 07:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Where: Huntington Beach, SC

Distance from USC Columbia: Approximately 3 hours and 20 minutes

Things to see: the beach, birds, the marsh, and the Spanish Castle of Atalaya

Things to do: picnic, enjoy the beach, tour the castle, pick up shells, see some alligators, and RELAX!

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Because pictures paint a thousand words, and my common FYI facts are not enough to describe the awesomeness of Huntington Beach...Here are some pictures of Shawn, Megan, Aaron, and myself goofing around in the Spanish castle Atalaya, the beach, and the marsh! 

One of Atalaya's wings from the courtyard view...

Striking a pose among the palm trees... 

Huntington's a great place for being goofy...

...as it is also a great place for romance! 

It felt like I was at Cape Cod...

Big, old, and branchy trees are fun to swing on! 

And gators can be seen if you're lucky...(we saw one poking out of the water, swimming around!)

Huntington Beach is a place for lots of fun!  

HB is probably my most favorite beach here on the East Coast.  With not a single towering hotel in sight and just all of beach nature scene to be enjoyed, I had a blast!  The historic Atalaya is completely an added bonus experience.  I'd highly recommend paying the $5 per person entrance to the beach (or if you're smart, you and your friends can purchase a $35 SC State Park parking pass that's unlimited visitation for an entire year!)

Hope y'all are having a great week!  Till my next beach adventure.  Catch y'all later on the flipside, Gamecocks!

Posted by Kriska at 05:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)