Every Monday, we distill the week's social signals — the openings, the festivals, the lines around the block — into one focused brief. Each edition stays online forever, so you can come back and check what Charleston was actually doing on a given week.
Downtown's dessert bars and Vivian Howard's biscuit counter compete for the weekend crowd, while West Ashley's wing-and-margarita circuit holds its own and Isle of Palms kitchens remind everyone summer resort season is fully underway.
Summer officially opens on the water as Pavilion Bar and Salty Mike's pull rooftop and marina crowds, Handy and Hot's Vivian Howard biscuits keep drawing lines downtown, and Isle of Palms beach-resort dining gets its seasonal reappraisal.
Memorial Day weekend sends crowds to Isle of Palms and the rooftop at Pavilion Bar, while Vivian Howard's grab-and-go and a downtown dessert institution quietly own the holiday weekend conversation.
Vivian Howard's downtown counter draws a devoted breakfast crowd, Pavilion Bar's rooftop becomes the unofficial start of sunset season, and a pair of Italian kitchens on opposite ends of the city split the pasta conversation.