City of Charleston and the Carnival Fantasy

So Dave and I decided to visit the beautiful city of Charleston and while we were there, we'd do a ship inspection on the Carnival Fantasy.  We arrived on Friday afternoon and to be honest, Dave and I weren't seeing the charm that we've heard about time and time again.  The roads into town are a bit confusing (until you get use to them) and the folks drive like they are on their way to a fire.  We decided to try out two different hotels while we were in Charleston.  The first one is the Holiday Inn on Calhoun street.  We were impressed how clean and charming the hotel was, especially for a Holiday Inn.  The rooms are spacious and reasonably priced.  The pool is a typical rectangle, but it looked clean and was very busy while we were there.  It is a very hot summer and it was full of children.  To our surprise we heard that beginning January 1, 2011 it will no longer be a Holiday Inn and is switching over to be a Courtyard Marriott.  I think that is a great thing, being that the closest Marriott to downtown is on the west side, by the marina.  We had reservations there, because I am a Marriott Rewards member, but we cancelled it to stay closer into town at the Best Western King Charles Inn on Meeting Street.  I will let you know how that is, once we arrive and check it out.  The Holiday Inn is about a 20 minute walk to Market Street.  Market Street seems to be where all the night life, restaurants and bars are.  There is also a Market (go figure) you can browse through to do a little shopping.  Last night Dave and I ate at the Charleston Crab House.  This was a neat little place and very busy.  Service was great and you didn't have to wait long for your food.  I had the Wasabi Crusted Tuna with Collard Greens and Red Rice.  The dish was good, but I was disappointed with their Wasabi.  The crust itself didn't seem to have wasabi in it and the dalop of Wasabi they served with the dish was bright green and didn't have much flavor.  For any of you who knows wasabi, it shouldn't take very much to burn your nose hairs.  Well, I was smearing their wasabi on every bite and never really got that reaction.  The tuna itself was fabulous, so I guess their downfall is their take on Wasabi.  Dave had a Lowcountry Boil.  For those of you who is not sure what that is, it is steamed shrimp, corn, sausage and potatoes.  My brother Mark, who lives in Savannah, has spoiled us on this with no one's low country boil living up to his.  While this was not bad, the portion size was small, and it was kind of bland, not having the flavors steamed in that we are used to.  We followed dinner with drinks at the Noisy Oyster and Aroma's.  While there was nothing memorable about the Noisy Oyster, other then the drinks being a bit pricey, Aroma's was a nice find.  It is a quaint little bar with good service, drinks, and pricing.  A local jazz/blues band/duet named "Cotton Blue" was playing there.  Their music was good and provided a nice atmosphere.  We will be returning there during our trip. This is where we ended our night.  Tomorrow is a ship inspection on the Carnival Fantasy and my brother Mark comes for a visit.