"The Palmetto State"

Welcome to South Carolina

South Carolina/North Carolina border on I-95
July 19, 2008

Poor South Carolina. It will always be compared to its cousin, North Carolina, in almost everything, and sadly, it almost always finishes second. It will always be known as the first state to succeed from the Union in 1861, and one of the last to have the Confederate flag flying over the capitol. (It is still prominently flown on the grounds, however.) One thing in its favor is its famous beaches, such as Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach. Both were too far out-of-the-way for me to visit during my trip, but I've heard from people who have visited they are impressive. The state's nickname does seem appropriate, as short palmetto trees are seen frequently.

For all the South Carolina bashing I just did above, I take it all back with this imposing welcome sign. It is the only sign to date that is predominately made of bricks, and it is an inspired choice. It also features the palmetto and moon symbol from its state flag, as well as a trendy tourism slogan. I'm even more impressed there are actual palmetto trees growing behind the sign, making it distinctly South Carolina. My only complaint is the tile background behind the state's name is a little hard to read, but it displaces Wisconsin as my favorite welcome sign. It far surpassed my expectations, something similar to this, located at a rest stop.

With those boring details out of the way, I have to talk a little bit about a piece of Americana that is too bizarre not to mention. About 50 miles from the state line, I noticed a billboard for a place called "South of the Border." It didn't mention what it was, but only that is was 50 miles away. I kid you not: I swear there must have been at least 75 more billboards along I-95 describing all the fun activities and great shopping available at SotB. Sure enough, at the first South Carolina exit, was South of the Border, a sprawling mass of stores and restaurants. I decided not to stop, as the sheer number of billboards (there were still more after I passed, telling me to loop back!) and the poor taste of using a Mexican caricature "Pedro" as its mascot. I hesitate to link to their website, as the home page is in poor taste, as if it were written by Speedy Gonzalez, but just to prove such a place exists, here you go (I am not associated with SotB, nor do I support the use of Mexican stereotypes).

Welcome to Columbia

July 19, 2008

Right in the heart of the state, Columbia is both the capital and largest city in South Carolina. While nowhere near as imposing as Raleigh, Columbia does boast a substantial business district, with the capitol right in the heart of it all. Columbia has more of a collegiate feel than Raleigh, as the University of South Carolina seems to play a more prominent role in the town's vibe than NC State does in Raleigh. One thing that irritated me was a city ordinance that you can't turn right on red at any time. This was especially maddening as I waited almost five minutes at one light with no oncoming traffic in sight. The downtown was rather dead for a Saturday night, with most restaurants around the capitol already closed by the time I arrived around 6:30 or so.

The capitol itself doesn't evoke any extreme reaction the first time I saw it: it neither blew me away nor did I loathe it; it just seems rather ordinary. The grounds around the capitol are impressive, with well manicured grass and palmetto trees all over the place. I was a little disappointed to see several homeless lurking around the grounds and was also an ironic statement about public policy. There are several prominent statues and memorials, including the Southern staple of a memorial to those lost in the Confederate army. Perhaps a little surprising is the nearby monument to African American history, which seems to be a reminder of the complicated history of race in America.

Miscellaneous South Carolina Symbols

State Route Sign

License Plate

Seal

Quarter