By: Elaine Best and Addie Lawrence, Editors
E: In a rare occurrence of all history, space and time, Addie and I happened to be apart for longer than 24 hours.
A: I spent the weekend in Baltimore, Maryland.
E: And I went to Charleston, South Carolina.
A: Baltimore is an eclectic knit of smokestacks, cobblestone streets and the inner harbor marked by ships. Mountains of salt – meant for melting the ice on the roads – peak at the mouth of the city, where a purple glow from the Ravens’ stadium illuminates the skyscrapers. A four-story Barnes and Noble made my heart drop.
E: Charleston is like a five year old’s birthday party dream: there are rainbows like Rainbow Row, horses drawing carriages, amazing food and plenty of playgrounds and fountains to play in. The historic downtown will make your jaw drop and your wallet hide for cover as you gaze upon gorgeous, expensive houses that overlook the battery. It only seemed fair that since my southern pal Addie was traipsing to the North, I would take my Yankee self and conquer the pride of South Carolina.
A: I couldn’t help but think of Elaine’s adventure while I took part in a Pub and Paint, where a woman gave us beer while teaching us how to paint a crab (apparently crabs are a big deal in Maryland). My crab was enormous, stretching over the entire canvas until it looked like a creature that would fight Godzilla – and win.
E: I also indulged in some crab mania, ordering a giant bowl of she-crab soup at a lovely restaurant downtown. I couldn’t help but gaze out the window across the ocean, wondering what Addie was up to. I assumed she was falling down a flight of stairs somewhere. What a shame I wasn’t the one pushing her down. I also got to play with a puppy while I was in Charleston. Her name is Lyna and she is by far superior to any Godzilla crab in existence and much friendlier than a certain co-editor I know.
A: My friendliness is directly proportional to how much coffee I’ve had on any given day. In Baltimore, I happened to have a chocolate espresso, which is more caffeine than I’m legally allowed to ingest. Rest assured I was bouncing around the picturesque harbor with the strange urge to dive into the water.
E: I was envious of the old men I saw walking around Charleston’s streets in their seersucker suits. Why didn’t I own a seersucker pantsuit? What was I doing with my life? I was inspired to design an entire line for the Old Gold and Black, which I’m sure all our staff members will love.
A: I didn’t see any old men, but a man dressed as the Cat in the Hat pet my jacket and called me ‘Fuzzy.’ After that scarring experience, I explored a visual art museum at the height of my coffee-high. Convex mirrors highlighted the crazed look in my eyes, and giant animatronic poodles threatened to haunt my nightmares. I touched the spine of a stegosaurus built out of beer cans and old McDonald’s toys. An aluminum tree stuffed with pillows devoured children as they vanished inside for what seemed like hours.
E: I experienced a lot of art while I was in Charleston as well. I think the piece that stood out the most to me was the huge Abraham Lincoln head someone had created that was so life-like, my history-major-heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t tell if it was a dream come true or a nightmare come to life. My fellow traveler Maggie Sessoms was “frightened and disconcerted,” as were all our friends when we sent out a charming Snapchat of Lincoln and us. I wondered if Addie and I could recreate a similar larger-than-life bust of ourselves for Wofford to have for forever.
Moral of the Story
A: Avoid art museums when in the midst of a caffeine induced adrenaline rush. There are some things you can’t unsee.
E: It’s pronounced “Chaaaaaaaahlstun.”
