Slideshow, Charleston City Paper

Columnist Erin Perkins goes to boogie at Republic Reign

Erin Perkins — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

After a long night partying at Republic Reign, we awoke to a tinny buzz in our ears and a mass of jumbled notes. "White girls be twerkin'" was the final line we scribbled down. Someone must have had a good time.

Beer yoga, an Avondale house show, and coffee shopping

Erin Perkins — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

With downtown overrun with new college graduates, their families, and everyone celebrating Mother’s Day, we decided to hop over the bridges and check out what sort of events our neighbors had to offer outside of the 29401 zip code.

Charleston celebrates the Battle of Puebla. Kind of.

Erin Perkins — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:30:00 -0400

We should have known that Cinco de Mayo plus Sunday Funday would equal an alcohol apocalypse for downtown Charleston. We've never much liked the holiday, but we suppose it does fill the gap in themed excuses to drink in between St. Patrick's Day and the Fourth of July.

82 Queen shows off their spring menu

Susan Cohen — Thu, 02 May 2013 13:57:00 -0400

Wednesday night, 82 Queen invited a handful of media and marketing folks to their chef's table for a taste of their spring menu. Seated at a big table on the restaurant's charming patio, we were stuffed silly with six courses of inspired Southern food and wine pairings. more…

A cast of crab lovers embark on an epic search for softies in honor of Bobby Carroll

Stephanie Barna — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

I'm a big fan of soft-shell crabs, and some equally enamored friends and I have been talking for a while about putting together a soft-shell crab crawl, hitting as many restaurants as we can to see what all the chefs are doing with this seasonal treat.

Seeking aesthetic inspiration at CIFF and Jail Break

Erin Perkins — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:30:00 -0400

It's been awhile since we've indulged in Charleston's artistic side. After a few weekends of sports- and beer-centric events, we decided to switch it up and take part in the artsy offerings of our city. And with the Spoleto Festival coming up, we could use the practice.

Finding our sea legs at Race Week

Erin Perkins — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:00:00 -0400

With low temperatures hanging around the peninsula, we're starting to wonder if we'll ever get to break out the bikinis and daiquiris. Like most of you, we've been bundled up and watching our weather app. This past weekend, however, we were fed up and got outside. And what better way to show those rays of sunshine we don't need them than to go on out on a boat?

'CEO of Happiness' Chris Gardner donates $10K to Crisis Ministries

Brooks Brunson — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 20:00:00 -0400

You may be familiar with Chris Gardner from Will Smith's portrayal in the 2006 film, The Pursuit of Happyness, but last night we got the chance to meet the real man behind the story. Gardner, who rose from homelessness to become a multimillionaire, visited Charleston for a Crisis Ministries fundraiser.

SCENE kicks off Spoleto season with a Matsukaze-themed bash

Haley Thomas — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:00:00 -0400

With Spoleto just a little over a month away, the festival buzz has begun. Spoleto SCENE, the festival's young patron's group, kicked off the season with a party at Spoleto HQ on Thursday. The crowd of 20- and 30-somethings seemed to be thrilled what this year has in store for them.

Digging in to Silicon Harbor’s rockin’ tech conference

Erin Perkins — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:50:00 -0400

We spent our entire weekend wrapped up in the inaugural whirlwind that was the Dig South Interactive Festival. Not familiar with the festival? Billed as the SXSW of the Southeast, Dig South was awash in technology, design, music, and a 3D printer. (Did you hear there was a 3D printer? There was a 3D printer.)

The Lowcountry farm family digs in at LLF's Dirt Works

Erin Holaday Ziegler — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:00:00 -0400

The family farm might be facing extinction, but in a sunlit, 10-acre hideaway off of Betsy Kerrison Parkway on Johns Island, Lowcountry Local First is developing its own dirt dynasty. Novice farmers work under the guidance of Sidi Limehouse and Rita Bachmann on land donated by Limehouse's Walnut Hill Plantation with support from a host of local sponsors. Dirt Works is Phase Two of LLF's Growing New Farmers Incubator Project and on-the-ground training for farmers with big hearts and small pockets.

Prowling King Street for post-Bridge Run eats and other adventures

Erin Perkins — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

We may have lied last week when we said that spring had finally arrived. It hadn’t. Now, we realize that spring couldn’t officially begin until the weekend of the Cooper River Bridge Run.

Tagging along with the Festival of Houses and Gardens

Erin Perkins — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:50:00 -0400

A few signs signal spring in Charleston: yellow pollen coating every surface, bikini-clad girls in Marion Square, and visitors taking over the streets. This past Easter weekend, we tried being a tourist in our own town. The Historic Charleston Foundation's month-long 66th Annual Festival of Houses and Gardens was in its second week, and we thought it would be fun to explore the historic districts and learn more about our fair city.

Life under the tents and on the fringe of Charleston Fashion Week

Erin Perkins — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:00:00 -0400

Even if you didn't attend Charleston Fashion Week this year, you could still stop by one of the numerous unofficial pre- or after-parties during the five days of fun and high style. We were determined to hit them all. Here's a little peek into our week.

Photos: Tickled pink at Color Me Rad

Erica Jackson Curran — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 12:40:00 -0400

Local runners donned their brightest whites and headed to the Exchange Park Saturday for the Color Me Rad run. The nationwide phenomenon makes running fun by pelting participants with brightly dyed cornstarch. As they trotted around the park, runners were hit with "color bombs" in shades of blue, pink, purple, green, and yellow. Proceeds from the event benefited Happy Wheels, which brings toys and books to MUSC Children's Hospital.

CFW Night 2: Attack of the adorable kids

Erica Jackson Curran — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:45:00 -0400

Wednesday night's Charleston Fashion Week show had the three Bs: Babies, boobs, and buff dudes. And really, that's all you need at a fashion show, right?

We jest, of course. more…

Irish for the day on East Bay and Park Circle

Alex Keith — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0400

St. Patrick's Day may have been Sunday, but that didn't stop hordes of revelers from taking to the streets early Saturday in search of that ever-elusive pot of gold — or at least a frosty green brew.

PICS: Schmoozing with winners at the best party in the world

Erin Perkins — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 12:00:00 -0500

Judging from the number of texts and emails we received asking if we could help score tickets, the Charleston City Paper’s Best Of Charleston party was the place to be on Wednesday. Driving up to the Johnson Hagood Stadium, we spotted emergency lights flashing in front and were concerned the party was already shut down. As we got closer, we were relieved to see the fire truck was actually a Fireball Whiskey vehicle — this was sure to be an interesting evening.

Beef tongue and tom-yum-goong at Salute to Chefs

Erica Jackson Curran — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:00:00 -0500

Charleston's hottest restaurants were missing their star chefs Thursday night, because they were all at the Aquarium. It was the site of the Salute to Chefs, the official kickoff to the Wine + Food Festival. more…

Getting hoppy at Brewvival and its fringe events

Erin Perkins — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 10:00:00 -0500

Forgive us our beer belly. It's difficult to resist a cold one, with offerings from local breweries like Palmetto, Westbrook, Holy City, and COAST on tap at every reputable bar in Charleston. But when Brewvival rolls into town, we can't abstain from the extra hops and barley. In its fourth year, the festival is a collaboration between COAST Brewing Company and the Charleston Beer Exchange bringing the best and brightest in brewing to Charleston. More than 1,600 people lined up this year for a chance to try craft beers that you probably won't find anywhere else.

Diving into the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition

Erin Perkins — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:00:00 -0500

When we decided to cover the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition last week, we'll admit to having a few preconceived notions about how the week would look. Visions of big trucks, large buck heads, and a town crawling with camo-wearing rednecks left us researching shotgun models and catching up on Duck Dynasty to prepare. But we were pleasantly surprised.

A week of indulgence before Lent

Erin Perkins — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:20:00 -0500

We're relieved that Lent is upon us, because we've been partying like it's Mardi Gras for the past week. Charleston knows how to host amazing celebrations, and this week we checked out two events that had us reaching for the aspirin the next morning.

Prepping our palate for the Super Bowl

Erin Perkins — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 14:00:00 -0500

Even more than the Fourth of July, we think Super Bowl Sunday is the quintessential American holiday. Barbecue, fried foods, and sitting on the couch with a beer may not make us the healthiest nation, but we still celebrate in gluttonous style every year. This week, we decided to train for the big game. And no, we weren't on the field running plays or sacking quarterbacks; we were preparing for the debaucherous tailgating and viewing parties.

A whirlwind tour of topless models and traffic lights

Erin Perkins — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 13:00:00 -0500

Why do we love art openings so much? It gives us a chance to exercise our liberal arts education, much of the downtown crowd is in attendance, and more importantly, there's usually free wine. This past Friday, we had four happenings marked in our calendar between the hours of 5 and 8 p.m., and we were determined to make an appearance at all of them.

Late night adventuring in Elliotborough

Erin Perkins — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 12:00:00 -0500

If the names of Charleston neighborhoods were based on their residents, Elliotborough — with its scads of skinny jeans-wearing, ironic facial hair-sporting folks — would definitely be Hipsterborough. Independent restaurants and unique boutiques keep this area on the cool kid's radar, so for this week's column, we explored the neighborhood after dark.