I was so excited to have lunch at the Three Broomsticks at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! The pub, in Hogsmeade Village, is pulled right out of the pages of the Harry Potter series. You can even get Butter Beer, Pumpkin Juice and several WWoHP-only beers during your visit. The pricing wasn't much more than you'd find in a traditional British pub in the United States and the food was comparable, too.
This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7.
I've been going to Wild Dunes since I was about six years old and I've always looked forward to seeing the alligators. They're all still there but many of their homes have been upgraded in recent years. If you were an alligator about town, you could do a lot worse than this nice little fenced-in pond, replete with fountain. It's even loaded with turtles and fish to snack on!
This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300.
We took a cruise earlier this year on the Carnival Ecstasy. It has been recently renovated but it was like walking into a time capsule of 1960s "Rat Pack" Vegas. Case in point, the carpet. As our first cruise, we were naturally worried about vertigo and I've got to question the motives of the person who selected this (awesome) carpet for the common areas.
This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7.
These statues are replicas of several of the more than 6,000 life-sized terracotta statues guard the burial temple of Qin Shi Huang. Qin Shi Huang was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of Unified China (221-207 B.C.). Emperor Qin's most memorable project isn't the massive mausoleum in which he is buried, though. His largest — and most memorable — project was the earliest version of China's Great Wall.
This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7.
The Linn Cove Viaduct represents one of the most famous stretches of tarmac on the East Coast. Completed in 1987, the Viaduct was the final piece to the Blue Ridge Parkway.
This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone.
I took this photo a week ago tonight. Every summer, we spend a week staying at the Villages at Wild Dunes for a little beach and pool time. I grew up driving here from Chicago every summer and it sure has come a long way. Sometimes, I wish it was still the simple golf and beach community it once was but there's just so much to do. Wild Dunes has really done a great job of building out the Villages and the Boardwalk Inn hotel after Hurricane Hugo ravaged the area.
This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional Drone.
Travel & Leisure is really trying hard to ruin a good thing. Yesterday, they moved Charleston up from #2 best city in the world to #1. The only thing that could really knock the city back down a notch would be if millions more tourists flocked to the city thanks to the publicity. Such is the double-edged-sword that such magazines wield. It will always hold a special place in my heart whether it's at the top or the bottom of the charts and if Charleston's long history has taught us anything, it's that Charleston is capable of handling extreme highs and lows as well as any other city in the United States.
This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300.
You need a wand? Then you'll want to head to Ollivanders. Conveniently located at both the original location in Diagon Alley and the new satellite store in Hogsmeade Village (pictured here).
This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7.
Poe's Tavern has been feeding the people of Sullivan's Island the best burgers on the planet since 2003 but it feels like it's been around since Edgar Allen Poe was stationed on the Island in 1827. Rumor has it that the Gold Bug that inspired Poe's story is buried somewhere on the Island. Dinner guests queue up around the block to get a seat but locals eat lunch at Poe's, avoiding the hostess stand and grabbing one of the outside seats when they open up.
This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300.
We just returned from a beach week at Wild Dunes and walked past this house often.
This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300. I finally upgraded my beloved NEX-7 for the a6300 and I've been loving it! I need to update my gear page but in the meantime, if you shoot with a NEX-7, the a6300 is a worthy upgrade!