Let's see Charleston top this
'Today Show' travel editor looks at North Charleston, tells vacationers: 'Don't Go There'
By Brian Hicks
Sometimes you've just got to feel bad for North Charleston.
Its problems get an inordinate amount of attention, its successes are often wrongly credited to its sister city. Folks there really know what it's like to be Jan Brady — everything's always Charleston, Charleston, Charleston.
So now, North Chuck finally gets its own notice in a national travel guide, one that doesn't include a single mention of the hoity-toity Holy City. Of course, there's a catch.
The book is called "Don't Go There!"
Peter Greenberg, travel editor for NBC's "Today Show," has put together his "Essential Guide to the Must-Miss Places of the World," and, yes, North Charleston is one of them.
He warns people not to wander into the city thinking that they are headed for that other, similarly named coastal South Carolina tourist destination. He laments the city's struggle for an identity, and notes that right now "that identity includes a lot of drug-related crimes: homicides, shootings, stabbings, robberies."
Not exactly "See Scenic North Charleston!"
As you might imagine, the mayor is not going to rush out and buy a copy, and he won't be using a Greenberg blurb in any visitor bureau ads. He says Mr. Greenberg doesn't know what he's talking about, that his city is more than just a collection of crime statistics (which are dutifully included in the book).
"That jerk has never even been to our city, and he can keep his butt where he is," Mayor Keith Summey says. "We don't want him here."
Of course, the book doesn't mention any of those things the city is most proud of: the development around North Charleston Coliseum, the Tanger Outlet Center, the Hunley, the urban revitalization at Park Circle, the Greater Charleston Naval Base Memorial at Riverfront Park, which is part of that Noisette thingy.
There's nary a mention of all those new restaurants, like Evo's, and no appreciation of blue-collar bars like The Mill, which attracts people in part because the town is one of the few remaining places where you can actually smoke.
This is Marlboro Country, and they are darn proud of it. Nobody wants to take away your rights here.
Does this guy think he knows better than the Eagles, who are about to make their second appearance in North Charleston in four years? How about Bruce Springsteen, who really had a good time in North Chuck in August and said he'd like to come back?
Of course, maybe that's not a good point since The Boss' favorite place on Earth is New Jersey, a state that includes another "Don't Go There!" city: Newark (which, Greenberg says, recently bragged of going 33 days without a murder — for the first time in 40 years).
The book goes so far as to single out specific neighborhoods to avoid in North Charleston, places like Chicora-Cherokee, Ferndale, Dorchester Terrace and Waylyn. But those aren't tourist destinations, Summey says, and aren't fair targets.
"We've got some wonderful areas," he says, "and things are changing. We're working in the neighborhoods with problems to cut out these problems."
Tony Levine, North Charleston's citizen of the year and president of the Chicora-Cherokee Neighborhood Council, just laughed when he heard how his neighborhood made its travel guide debut.
"It's ridiculous," Levine said. "I've lived here 10 years and I feel very safe. I'd like to invite him to come out to one of our CPADs — Citizen Patrols Against Drugs — and let him see for himself."
Just don't come looking for Manhattan amenities. The Saks and Guccis are in that other Charleston. This is a working-class city, one of those places some politicians might call "the real America." It's not elegant, like Charleston, and it's not a suburban promised land of Mounte Pleasante — a town so cute that it puts an "e" on the end of everything: Palmetto Grande, Towne Centre, Ace Hardware.
No, North Charleston is the real deal. They don't need an extra "e" to make themselves feel special. This town is tough, and the folks here are tough. They don't care what some travel guide says about them.
They just go about their business and look at the bright side: At least "Don't Go There!" didn't mention Spruill Avenue.
Reach Brian Hicks at 937-5561 or bhicks@postandcourier.com.
E-mail this story
Printer-friendly version
Comments
CedarPosts (anonymous) says...
Just another sign that North Charleston is heading over the abyss.
East St. Louis, South Central Los Angeles, South Side of Chicago, North Charleston all are near a very attractive cities and have become the waste land for their neighbors.
It will take more than a lot hot air coming out of someone like the mayor of North Charleston.
Being quoted in the P and C as saying:
"That jerk has never even been to our city, and he can keep his butt where he is," Mayor Keith Summey says. "We don't want him here."
Now how is that is going to help?
How about a new name for North Charleston? Re-branding seems to help corporate America so why not North Charleston?
How about South Summerville? Sounds nice and peaceful doesn't it?
I'm sure Charleston won't mind at all.
November 14, 2008 at 3:25 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
HomeGirlie (anonymous) says...
I lived in North Charleston as a child and wouldn't be caught after dark there now. It is an eyesore and the crime is so out of control the city seems about to combust. Sad but true.
November 14, 2008 at 5:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ColdBud (anonymous) says...
Both cities have very bad areas. Neither is any better or worse than the other. I avoid both when I can.
The problem is... crime is getting bad all over... not just in Charleston and North Charleston. The signs of decay are starting to show all over up in the Summerville area too.
November 14, 2008 at 5:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Nonsense (anonymous) says...
There are some nasty looking places in Mount Pleasant, along with robberies - you have to be vigilant everywhere you go anymore. It's a sad state of affairs in America.
November 14, 2008 at 5:49 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
karmann (anonymous) says...
I love living in North Charleston. My neighborhood is safe, my neighbors are great. My only complaint are the school in the North Charleston. I continue to make my plea to North Charleston City Council that they lean more on CCSD. Be the squeaky wheel along with the citizens whose children go to the local public schools. It just isn't about new stores and the coliseum.
November 14, 2008 at 6:11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
watchdog (anonymous) says...
I do not understand why they named a city N. Charleston, thats not a name, its a direction. They need an identity, name your city, you numb nuts......Give you something to be proud of.
November 14, 2008 at 6:19 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Neponset (anonymous) says...
N. Charleston (NC) certainly has had lots of problems, but they are made worse by gentrification in Charleston - NC has become the dumping ground for the trash in Charleston that can no longer afford to live there.
I don't know the statistics for Charleston, but they are not good, even down town.
Yes, I think a name change would be good - can't think of anything good, but will throw out "Twin Rivers". Lets hear some suggestions.
November 14, 2008 at 7 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ColdBud (anonymous) says...
Well, I guess Charleston has its own name and right now I don't see a whole lot to be proud of there either. As I said, I avoid both cities when I can, but when you boil it all down, it appears to me the North Charleston has more to offer local residents than Charleston. Once you're out of town family and friends have seen the Battery and Rainbow Row, there's just much of a reason to venture in to Charleston unless you enjoy driving through the worse slums in the area. I'm sure there are some nice restaurants and stores, but I see no need to drive all the way down town to buy stuff I can buy elsewhere. I won't take my family through the area of Charleston at the end of I-26... it's too dangerous. Of course, there are areas in Goose Creek, Ladson, Summerville, West Ashley, Mt. Pleasant and everywhere else that I don't want my family in either.
I was sitting in a waiting room at the doctors, browsing through a Travel magazine that rated cities all over the US in several different areas. The rating was put together through reader questionnaires. Charleston, of course, rated #2 for "nice people" (I think Seattle was #1, I'm can't recall exactly). Charleston rated last or next to last in every other area including entertainment, hotels, roads, night life, and restaurants.
This area is a great area to live. The problems we face are the same problems being faced all over the US. To quibble over which area is THE best area just seems kind of silly since each "area" of the low country provides it's own vital input to the overall quality of life here. Yes, crime is out of control... all over the low country. Yes, traffic is bad... all over the low country.
To Brian Hicks, I'm disappointed in the story. Are you happy that the portion of the low country that provides the meat and potatoes that the rest of us need is having its difficulties? You do realize, don't you, that without the services that North Charleston provides, Charleston would be non-existent? You've written better... not often, but you have.
November 14, 2008 at 7:01 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
nelsnjef (anonymous) says...
I really cannot see where the city is doing anything to help in neighborhoods such as Dorchester Terrace etc....
Rarely see police patroling and the code enforcement well that's just a joke ..I mean they send out letters telling people when they are coming through a few weeks ahead of time instead of enforcing code all the time and catching people off guard seems to me people would keep things cleaner if they knew they were being expected to keep there houses and yards in good shape all the time not just when they get a letter forewarning them of an inspection !!It's a shame to me that Mayor Summey wants to continually annex property into the city when its way too apparent that the city cannot take care of what it already has, instead of new housing why isn't there redevelopement going on in the older neighborhoods? There are some pretty or could be some very pretty streets in Dorchester Terrace etc ..... so again why doesn't the city do more for these areas ???
November 14, 2008 at 7:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
exorcist_pencocky4u (anonymous) says...
So how are you going to fly in or drive in or train in to the City of Charleston without going through The City of North Charleston?
We stand before the superior intelligence of Peter Greenberg, travel editor for NBC's "Today Show,".... just goes to prove how stupid Northern Liberals can be.
November 14, 2008 at 8:12 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Neponset (anonymous) says...
This is a big problem here and elsewhere - we have this underclass of folks that have little education and little to offer to employers, so they are under employed or unemployed. They can not see that they need to push/help their children to apply themselves, get an education and make a better life for themselves. This hopeless situation leads to a lot of crime, generation after generation. No amount of gov assistance will change this and all we can due is build more prisons.
Wave after wave of emigrants (including my own family) came to this country, not speaking the language, with little education, worked hard at crappy jobs and helped their children be a part of the American success story - but not this group that thinks someone else should solve their problems.
November 14, 2008 at 8:25 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
burton (anonymous) says...
nelsnjef,
Our Code Enforcement does a great job in my community because we stay on top of them. Do you use the Service Request forms on the City's website? This is a powerful tool that we have been using for the past couple of years and it works.
If you have a code enforcement problem, call your code enforcement officer of do up a form and you will get results. If not, get your city council rep involved. I'm not sure how much effort you are putting in on your part, but Code Enforcement works in our area because we stay on top of them!!
November 14, 2008 at 8:43 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jimjones (anonymous) says...
nelsnjef,
When was the last time you were in those areas and did not see the police? I am in there alot for work and can't go around a corner without seeing a cop. Stop drinking the "North Charleston is the devil" kool-aid that the City of Charleston and P&C pass out and get informed. Does N. Chas have bad areas, yes, but so do EVERY other large city in the country. I would much rather go to N. Chas than the City of Charleston!
November 14, 2008 at 8:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
stephaniem (anonymous) says...
charleston city would give people a good idea that it is the business part of charleston
we do need to clean up n charleston. I have noticed that countries like japan and scotland are extremely pretty.. no pot holes, graffiti and the morale (for having a pretty city) keeps crime low vs. my favorite place to travel.....italy which has graffiti everywhere and weather identical to SC (so I go there a lot) and that place is somewhere you have to be careful to not get mugged
mt pleasant is extremely nice and then you have places like moncks corner that look run down
November 14, 2008 at 9:11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
nelsnjef (anonymous) says...
Jim Jones , I live in North Charleston( Dorchester Terrace) .....and again rarely see police patroling the area ,Burton ,I will try harder to get code enforcement involved maybe be a squeakier wheel !! Thanks
And I am not drinking the North Charleston is Bad Kool Aid thank you Jim Jones I live here and think North Charleston has great potential but the city needs to take care of all areas and not just the up and coming areas as well as not trying to annex other areas until they get a handle on what they already have !!!
November 14, 2008 at 9:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
512c (anonymous) says...
Maybe Charleston and North Charleston are feeding off each other? Everyone laughs at me (at first) when I say, most crime is connected to drug sales, and thus we should legalize and make licensed dealers etc for mild-spicy drugs like MJ and Raw (unrefined)drugs like opium and cocaine. We are a culture still recovering from the inquisition, where lucidity and non productive challenging mind states are counter productive and looked down on. In places like India, MJ and opium have been around nearly 8000 years of record.
November 14, 2008 at 9:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
512c (anonymous) says...
pot holes, exposed brick, and a few straggling non planted random plants are beautiful,. I see places like Munich, Stockholm, and Charlotte as TOO TIGHT. We need more Venice, more Amsterdam.
November 14, 2008 at 9:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jhota (anonymous) says...
i don't get why this is news, or why Greenberg even mentioned North Charleston in his book.
North Charleston is not a tourist destination, and i doubt it ever will be. there is no reason to care about a travel writer telling people not to go there.
North Charleston is an important commercial and industrial hub; tourists don't really want to see truck docks and factories, you know.
crime problems? places not to go? every city has those.
this is a tempest in a teapot.
November 14, 2008 at 9:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jimjones (anonymous) says...
nelsnjef,
Well at least you live in the area and aren't complaining from your chair in Mt. P. I live in the North area and have seen vast improvments from Otranto to Aviation. the thing is people have to help out, unless you voted for the messiah (more kool-aid) then it will be done for you on Jan 21. If you don't take pride in your city no one else will!
November 14, 2008 at 9:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wjhamilton3 (anonymous) says...
North Charleston has great potential and some real progress has been made. Reversing the trend of walking away from urban areas to build on the suburban fringe isn't going to be easy, but rising costs for transportation and energy make it necessary. Communities with decent schools, affordable housing and tolerable commutes are a necessary part of the regional mix.
I've had friends robbed in the parking lot of Mt. Pleasant Town Center, so N. Charleston doesn't have a monopoly on crime.
What we need to reduce crime are jobs and economic opportunity for working class people and its possible to put that together, on a bus line with frequent service in N. Charleston. Street level drug dealing doesn't pay better than a decent job. You don't get rich hustling crack. However, if that is all there is, that is what people will do.
November 14, 2008 at 9:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Lovely_One (anonymous) says...
"At least "Don't Go There!" didn't mention Spruill Avenue."
That should have been at the top of the list!!!! Especially if you don't feel like dodging people that are darting across the street right in front of your car.
November 14, 2008 at 9:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
nelsnjef (anonymous) says...
Jim, I did not vote for the "messiah" I already have one !!!
November 14, 2008 at 10:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
KidYendor (anonymous) says...
The loss of North Charleston's Naval Base and shipyard led to many of the problems we have today. Navy personnel left town and thousands of vacant rental homes and apartments were left behind. Social engineering began as HUD housing authority experimenters moved welfare members from project apartments into what were once nice neighborhoods such as Pepperhill, Northwoods Estates, and the Waylyn area under the despised Section 8 programs. Instead of crime being concentrated in the welfare projects near Rivers and McMillan it was spread all over North Charleston. White flight began and the results are seen here today. We are thankful though that smoking is still OK and remember to lock and bar your doors and get a wireless alarm system.
November 14, 2008 at 11:13 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
2cents (anonymous) says...
watchdog---Should we rename the state too?
November 14, 2008 at 11:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
guidedbystewart (anonymous) says...
There are good and bad things about all areas of the "Lowcountry". While few will ever claim that North Charleston is a tourist mecca, I do not feel that is necessarily a bad thing.
While Charleston lately has become more attractive to tourist, there is also more hassle, absurdly high prices and many other things that come along with tourism.
November 14, 2008 at 12:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
chs294 (anonymous) says...
Anyone who has lived in the metro area for 20 years or so will notice that slowly a certain group (lower income, higher propensity for crime) have been moved out of Charleston and into NC. - Neponset, you're right on with the gentrification. I'm sure Mayor Riley is very disturbed by losing these residents. Just look at all the efforts the city has made to support those in "non-tourist" Charleston. They really didn't mean to kick you off your land but intended to bring tourist dollars to your front door via the new bridge.
Yes, Charleston is great to visit thanks to preservation efforts. No one should boast too much. The real work was done 300 years ago.
November 14, 2008 at 5:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Mon_Kie (anonymous) says...
I lived in Dorchester Terrace in the 70's.
Even then it was a friggin' disaster. There were two whorehouses within 2 blocks of my house, and one was frequented by local politicians. (I saw them going in.)
I came home early one day to find a N.Chas Policeman having sex with my roomie on the living room couch. His patrol car was in the driveway and his 2-way radio was on, just squalking away. Another day, I came home early and found a strange guy rummaging through my medicine cabinet. I also had another unrelated burglary, and a crazy neighbor who tried to make a bomb.
I finally moved to Folly Beach and reclaimed my peace of mind, didn't worry about walking the dog after dark, and drinking at the local bar and walking home at midnight.
Now...Folly is out of my price range, but North Charleston is still a S*** Hole!
November 15, 2008 at 6:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Backlash (anonymous) says...
I used to live in N.Charleston about 17yrs ago, what a difference a day make.
Personal responsibility people.
Clean up your areas, and run the Rift Raft out of town....
November 15, 2008 at 9:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Postandcourier.com is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Postandcourier.com does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not postandcourier.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website. Read our full Terms and Conditions.
Users can now build user-to-user connections, follow friends' recent posts, add an avatar that fits their personality, and more. If you have posted here before you'll need to sign up again, or if you've never posted before, start now by signing up!
Thank you for your interest in this story. The comment thread for this article has been closed.
- Most Commented
- Most Emailed
- Shared
- Upper King on rise: Hotels, apartments, restaurants changing face of downtown area
- UPDATE: Missing woman's fiance seen leaving scene of burned SUV, carrying a shovel
- Missing woman case gets murkier
- Magnolia Gardens offering free dream wedding to contest winner
- Body of missing woman's fiance was found near handgun
- Pinterest: Pinning hopes and dreams
- DAVID SLADE: S.C. offers hybrid car tax credit
- Black women today: Strong. Resilient. Ambitious.
- Ex-Boeing worker claims racism, retaliation in firing
- MCDERMOTT COLUMN: Golf business has risks, rewards
