Here are my parents in front of the old hotel where we stayed.

We stayed in the Andrew Pinckney Inn in downtown Charleston. Andrew Pinckney was an old leader of Charleston.

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Here are my parents in the lobby of the hotel. Notice the old bricks on the wall behind them. Some of the original buildings are

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This is a large Charleston home on "the Battery" (which is a famous park in Charleston). The bay is on the right. In Charleston, the Ashley and Cooper rivers come together and flow into the Atlantic Ocean. The city of Charleston sits between the two rivers.

Another Charleston home at "Battery Park." Notice how the house is narrow and long. That's because in the 1800s, families had to pay taxes based on the length of the house on the front street. So houses became long and narrow to have a bigger house with fewer taxes.

Here is a newer Charleston home that faces the bay. Notice the tall Palmetto tree in front of the house. This tree is the "State Tree" of South Carolina. Each state in America has its own tree, song, motto, flag, and flower.

Here is a replica of a canon from the American Civil War at Battery Park. Here the word battery is military word meaning many canons for fighting. The American Civil War began on the coast of Charleston.

This is the old Slave Market of Charleston. In the 1700s, Africans were brought to Charleston to be sold as slaves here. Now the markets have been converted to shops and craft markets.

Here are market workers setting up their wares for selling to tourists. I saw market workers from Europe, China, Africa, and America here. Some of the Chinese things for sale are the same things you can buy in Beijing's silk market!

Here is a horse-drawn carriage for touring Charleston (this one actually had donkeys!). Tours cost around $25/person (200 RMB).

This is me at the "Isle of Palms" just north of the city. This is a quiet and clean beach with many expensive houses and hotels.

Here is a row of houses on the Isle of Palms. Beachfront homes on Charleston beaches sell for 4 to 8 million US dollars each!

Here is the coast along "Folly Beach", another beach in Charleston.

I took this photo of Folly Beach from a long wooden pier.

Here is a sea gull on the pier over the ocean.

This is a pigeon.

Here is my dinner at a fancy Charleston restaurant called "Charleston Grille." I ordered flounder fish, which is a white sea fish. It was delicious!

My parents and I ordered dessert here. It is chocolate mousse served in a white chocolate teacup that we could eat! The spoon is a little cookie, and the "sugar cubes" are also little cookies. This meal was in an expensive restaurant, and the three of us ate for $280 US dollars! (2240 RMB)

This is good fried southern-style seafood at a less expensive restaurant called The Variety Store. Each plate of food costs about 8 to 10 US dollars (60 to 80 RMB). I ordered fried shrimp, crab cakes, and flounder. Behind the plate is a bowl of grits (ground corn served in the Southern region of America). To the right of the plate is a small bowl of "slaw" (shredded cabbage with mayonnaise salad sauce).

My mom ordered "Greek style southern grits" which is ground corn with cream and Greek Feta cheese and vegetables.