How I would spend a day
...in Charleston, South Carolina
While the whole tennis world talks about the fan experience in Indian Wells and how to circumvent the ticket lottery for the French Open, the real ones know that Rome may be old and Wimbledon classy but Charleston in spring is the place to be.
The Credit One Charleston Open is the first clay court tournament of the year on the WTA tour and it doesn’t only offer dramatic, topsy-turvy, pearl-clutch-moments tennis (Baptiste/Zarazua, hello?), it also has a WALKABLE DOWNTOWN IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA which as a European who spends a lot of time in New York City but occasionally works in L.A. is shocking and satisfying at the same time.
This is how I would spend a day in Charleston, South Carolina, if I were you.
Breakfast - Harken
In a smallish side street named Queen a beautiful café opens its doors at 7am on weekday mornings. If you’re an early riser, you’re in luck. Lines get long at Harken and the wait becomes challenging. Challenging, because the anticipation for a very good cup of coffee and Harken’s equally good pastries becomes nearly unbearable for impatient New York Germans such as myself. On day one, my character was tested. A character built, marbled and defined by years of quick walking, quick ordering, grabbing and paying, no eye contact, no small talk and sporadic “move, move!” yelling when a tourist wandered into my part of town. But when the first drop of fine, black coffee hit my bloodstream and the spiced vanilla glazed scone attached its devilish sugar molecules to my taste buds, my nervous system calmed down and my cortisol vanished with satisfying aplomb. On day two, I asked the barista what a croissant was to take this brand-new thing called SMALL TALK for a spin and I ignored the flabbergasted look on her face. People behind me sighed. But I was ready to defend my new-found personality. I was an angry German for too long. Please avert your eyes while I have my two and half minute chat about croissants.
What to order: Ask for a cup of coffee in one of their beautiful mugs. The more stylish the mug, the better the coffee. I don’t make the rules. All the biscuits are fantastic but my personal favourite is the spinach-artichoke-bun.
Lunch - Basic Kitchen
You’ve had your pastries, you’ve strolled down King Street to walk them off and you might’ve even bought something you will not need back home (couldn’t be me). And now, to nobody’s surprise but yours, your stomach is sending signals to your brain. At first, it’s a whisper, easily ignored. It swells and grows, becomes louder and more acidic until you have to admit to yourself: You’re hungry. Do not fret! I have you covered. Just off King Street on Wentworth is a restaurant named Basic Kitchen. I know you feel a little heavy from all the pastries you consumed at Harken, so you will have a healthy bowl that will regulate your stomach lining and get you all the nutrients you need to get through the day (there is so much more to do!). The best thing about Basic Kitchen is that you don’t have to sacrifice taste for vitamins and fibre. At Basic Kitchen, a girl can have it all. Be cool, sit at the bar, have the young and hip staff call you “miss” (do not feel old, it’s the south) and have a light but hearty lunch before you attack the afternoon.
What to order: Get their Basic Bowl but ask for extra green sauce (it’s delicious) and don’t snooze on the corn ribs. They are maybe the best corn ribs I have ever had. Beware, though, the sauce has horseradish in it and I know some of you don’t appreciate horseradish as much as I do.
Coffee after Lunch - Sorelle Mercato
If you’re anything like me, you drink two coffees a day. A strong one in the morning that just has to do the trick and liberate you from that bleak moment of waking up (taste is a bonus) and another one after lunch. This one is allowed to be a little silly. It may have foam or milk in it or God forbid: fun. Do not do this in Italy, they may not serve you. In Charleston, however, everything is allowed. I like to experiment when it comes to afternoon coffee. I try cappuccinos and lattes, cortados and espressi and I often times treat it like dessert. Sorelle’s makes my favourite afternoon coffee in Charleston. They have an iced brown sugar latte in a perfect sized cup (a perfect sized cup doesn’t fit seven pints of milk) and they make the brown sugar syrup in house. It’s sweet but not too sweet - just like yours truly (me).
What to order: If you have skipped healthy lunch because you are stronger than nutrients (congratulations), you’re in luck. You can have a slice (or two) of Sorelle’s Sicilian pizza. Get them all but especially the Calabrian.
Afternoon Activities - The Tennis
It’s time. You have dabbled long enough without seeing yellow, fuzzy balls fly through the air, the sound of strenuous breathing in your ear, sweat drops from other people on your skin. If you like sweat drops from other people (no judgement here), now is the time to make your way over to Daniel Island and stand in awe of the picture-perfect green clay tennis courts. For the most aesthetically pleasing experience head over to Althea Gibson court and enjoy a whiff of nostalgia, for rallies that are on average 1,5 shots longer than on hard courts get to Stadium court and appreciate the drama. If you’re like me and hate doing anything you can’t walk to, don’t worry. At the new, beautiful public park off Meeting Street, the American Gardens, they have a big screen set up showing the tennis all day long. Take your brown sugar iced latte on a four-minute walk to the Gardens, sit and squint in the sun, and watch the tennis for as long as you like.
Dinner - Halls Chophouse
You’ve pretended to like tennis for long enough. It’s time to get back to your actual passion: eating delicious food (and maybe having a cocktail or two). While Charleston is teeming with fabulous restaurants you would be amiss if you didn’t visit Halls Chophouse. It’s a steakhouse in the way Europeans imagine steakhouses in the US to be. Dim lighting, white tablecloths, Al Capone drinking Templeton Rye in a private room next to your table. Paired with southern hospitality and great cuts of meat, it’s most players’ favourite restaurant in the city. If you want to catch a glimpse of the Charleston champion, chances are they will celebrate their great success right here. In a far, far, far-away future where I turn 55, I plan on coming to the bar at Halls Chophouse - I have in the meantime become a Negroni person and I still look great for my age - to pick up younger men. But only if they are Negroni people, too.
What to order: The side of creamed corn is an absolute must and my favourite cut (and the only right one) is the rib-eye but I respect differing opinions and I just want you to have good time.
Many Americans have gotten the memo that Charleston is a great place to visit. Overseas, however, news are still taking the scenic route on a boat. If you’re from overseas, take this as inspiration to give it a try, preferably during the tennis tournament. And don’t forget to book a hotel that has a gym. You will be eating. A LOT. COPIUS AMOUNTS. Isn’t it the best?
Things that make me happy
Anna Kalinskaya just played one of the more perfect matches I’ve seen this year. She dismantled Paula Badosa 6:4 6:2 and Paula didn’t play badly. In fact, she served a whopping 81% first serves in the first set until the game she got broken. Anna was hitting winners left and right, her average pace was up by five miles per hour and yet, she didn’t miss. That was a lot of fun to watch. And equally great to see Paula back healthy (fingers crossed). It was the first time in 2026 that Paula won back-to-back matches. Hopefully many more tournaments like this to come for both.
Things that make me unhappy
I can’t think of anything that makes me unhappy so what makes me unhappy is that nothing makes me unhappy. I need slight annoyances throughout my week that I can yell about on Fridays otherwise my newsletter is incomplete. That’s what makes me unhappy.
See you all next week with red-stained socks from those fickle clay courts.
Yours truly, Andrea
read of the day!
I loved this article! Tennis coverage is great, but the whirlwind of the tournament must be tempered with the human experience that goes along with the sport reporting, and the daily adventures that accompany the entire experience. As to being called “Miss”, just wait until you get “Mam-ed”…
It is southern manners and means no disrespect, but the first time it happened to me I was gobsmacked.
Please keep us updated and entertained, we are living vicariously through your travels and travails!