Abberly at West Ashley Blog

If you have just relocated and moved into your apartment in Charleston, SC we thought we would share with you this article on Charleston restaurants featured in the Chicago Tribune. Native Charlestonians and recent transplants may find it nice to know that northerners are talking about our food city too.
 
Charleston, S.C., is perhaps my favorite city in the South. Good-looking, friendly and rich with history — its history being especially relevant this year, the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. And the downtown area is cluttered with one good dining option after another. Downtown Charleston is an attraction-packed and eminently walk-able downtown.  Here are my walking-distance picks:

Husk
Sean Brock's restaurant-in-a-mansion is the dining spot of the moment, thanks to Bon Appetit magazine, which last month named it the best new restaurant in the country. The dining room is a flat-out charmer.

SNOB
The acronym actually stands for Slightly North of Broad. This restaurant offers some of the best shrimp and grits in a very funky restaurant.

Champagne Bar
Next to the Peninsula Grill, the marble-topped bar and ebony-wood back bar of the Champagne Bar offers plenty of different and stylish cocktails and a fun appetizer selection.

Mercato
Duck into Mercato, a cozy and casual Italian restaurant with romantic décor and live music.

Other place to consider:

• Fig – regional American specialty menu items
• Sticky fingers- serves hickory-smoked ribs, pulled pork and beef brisket in a variety of styles.
• Jestine's Kitchen-long waiting line, this is a frill-free but comfortable dining room with great food

Train for 5K alone or with a friend--even a 4-legged one!

Did you maintain your health and fitness over the long winter months? If you’re like me, you let it slip. Bad. The short days, the cold, and the demands of work, kids, home and my waistline is much lumpier than I’d like.

This blogger, named Brandon, shares his inspirational story of how he started running and lost over 70 lbs! He shares tips and encouragement in his helpful blogs, like these 5 tips from his article “Beginning Fitness: 5 Baby Steps”:

1. Create a Food Log. Record every meal and every snack that you eat.

2. Cut 500 calories per day. Over time they really add up. And that much won’t kill you.

3. Begin cardio you can stick with. Save high intensity for later. Start with 30 minutes daily (or 3-5 times per week) that gets your heart rate up and let’s you break a sweat.

4. Add strength training. Select a good variety of machines (6-10) and do 2 sets with 10 repetitions in each set. This accelerates fat loss.

5. Train for a race. Give your exercise a specific purpose.

If you’re like me, you are tempted to blow off that last step; however, he states that it’s a powerful motivator and a key step in the process.

If you’re willing to push yourself that little extra bit and get serious about your fitness, Charleston is hosting 5Ks and other races that might help you kick start your fitness goals—giving you that “deadline” that Brandon says was so beneficial to him. Here are a couple coming up. And how ironic the first one on the list! That’s exactly how I became so “lumpy” over the winter—those darned (delicious) Krispy Kremes!

Charleston Doughnut Run
Charleston, SC Sat 04/16/2011 5-K

Leslie McCravy Memorial 5-K Run/Walk
Folly Beach, SC Sat 05/14/2011 5-K

So hit the fitness center here at Abberly at West Ashley Apartments and start training for a 5K in Charleston! Happy Training!

photo credit: exercisemydog.com

Whiskey 'n' Ramblin, Charleston's "good time" band, plays at Home Team BBQ

For a fun-filled evening out with friends in Charleston, pair up good food with good music at one of the many restaurants with live music in the area. Sample the foods and the sounds at one of these local hot spots:

Mad River Bar & Grill will feature live music all day March 12^th and 17^th for their St. Patty’s Day events. They always feature live music Fridays and Saturdays. A DJ rocks the crowd the rest of the week. They are located at 32B Market Street.

Obrion’s Pub hosts acoustic duos or full bands several nights a week. Enjoy their authentic Irish pub fare at 520 Folly Rd, Ste #A (in the Publix shopping center).

Silver Star has been around for more than 10 years at 478 King Street. Listen to jamming live music in one of Charleston’s trendiest nightlife establishments.

Home Team BBQ serves up BBQ rubbed ribs, chicken, and pork shoulders that will knock your socks off! They host open mic nights and weekly live local bands at 1205 Ashley River Road.

High Cotton offers the best lowcountry fare with live jazz every night. They are located at 199 E. Bay Street.

And finally, for Charleston’s freshest seafood, it’s Coast bar and grill. They are located at 39-D John Street and showcase live music Sundays between 7 and 10.

Music and food make a great pair in Charleston!

photo credit: Home Team BBQ

King St, Charleston, SC

The 2011 Original Pub Tour of Charleston began January 1^st. Its last day is February 28^th. I do not know about your experiences but I have never participated in a pub tour. The idea is to go from bar to bar, drinking and eating in each bar. Some people might have experienced this, but not as an organized event.

According to The Original Pub Tour of Charleston website, it is based on the European pub tours. The pub tour is located in historic downtown Charleston. Abberly at West Ashley Apartment Homes is just a 20 minute drive from 40 N Market St. The 2 ½ hour tours occur from 12 p.m. until 7 p.m. Appetizers are free for those participating in the pub tour. Group discounts will be available for tour participants.

For more information about The Original Pub Tour of Charleston, visit its website. You can also visit it to purchase the $30 tickets. You must purchase your ticket in advance.

Image courtesy of Jack Duval via Flickr

Living with someone else can be a great thing when everyone come together on the same page.  But when things don’t seem to click like clock work, oh boy… the tension can build up quick.

Sometimes we have the luxury on picking and choosing our roommates but sometimes we don’t.  Here are some very relevant questions to ask your future roommate to keep things on the straight and narrow, up and up… you know, on the same page.

Best Roommates Ever!

5 Questions Every Future Roommate Should Be Asked:

1. What’s your stance on overnight guests?
2. Do you smoke – cigarettes or otherwise?
3. What time do you wake up and go to bed?  What are your morning and nighttime routines?
4. How often do you think cleaning needs to be done?  How would you split up cleaning duties?
5. How often do you party?  Do you drink?  How much/often?

When you think about your new roommate answering these questions you can see that a very clear lifestyle is being revealed.  Take a look at more fun college facts and questions from College Candy.com

Abberly at West Ashley Apartment Homes

Friday Health Tips for Health Nuts and Lazy People

Why is it important to eat healthy food?  This question itself is very important and would seem extremely obvious, right?  Well, if it’s that obvious why don’t more people practice healthier eating habits?

Our body needs necessary nutrients to function properly on a day to day bases.  We eat healthy for the creation of new cells, to clean toxins out of our bodies and to have a high energy level so we won’t be slothful everyday all day.

The more we practice eating correctly right now the easier it will become as we grow older.  Eating properly now can prevent major diseases in the future.  Diseases like diabetes and cancer can be prevented by a right diet and proper exercise.

Take a trip to our apartments fitness center this weekend.  Our community has a great fitness facility.  Enjoy your weekend Charleston!

Would you like to Learn Healthy Eating Tips for Kids and Adults

South Carolina Boiled Peanut in Shell

Let the Peanut Party Begin!

Since 2006 Governor Mark Sanford sketched it in black and white that our official state snack is boiled peanuts.  Okay, We can live with that.  Those warm, soggy, can’t-get-enough-open-at-the-same-time boiled peanuts are invited to any luncheon or event that we host here at Abberly at West Ashley Apartment Homes.

It all started about 29 years ago, August 28th, 1982 with the first Peanut Party.  Back then it was only a one day event.  This year 2010 South Carolina kicked off the Peanut Festival with the SC Peanut Princess Pageant on July 31st.  The Official Party isn’t until Friday, August 13th and it’ll start with the ‘Blessing of the Pots’ along with with a dazzling performance from th Pelion High School Band.  There will be events going on all through Saturday the 14th.  So you can make a weekend out of it.

The 29th SC Peanut Party will be chopped full of carnival rides, music and live entertainment.  Al G.’s Roadhouse Band will keep our attention as Friday’s entertainment and on Saturday it’s truly an honor to have Black Cotton Biscuits bless our stage with their presence.

Here is the link for more information about the 29th Annual SC Peanut Party