re: Charleston is a poor man’s New Orleans

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Charleston is way better than Nola. Edisto, Folly, IOP. The food is great in both cities. 

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I really like Charleston and the surrounding area. But the food was not what I would refer to as great. To each his own I guess.

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Although many of the Charleston ghettos are now hipster havens, there is still plenty of crime to go 'round there. And the traffic has become Atlanta-level unbearable. I give Charleston a meh-plus these days. The saltmarsh and cool beaches like Folly and Edisto are sweet but the overall un-livability and cost of living have made it much less desirable for me personally over the past 15 years. 

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This entire post is spot on. The town is now filled with transplant hipsters who don't think the world exists outside of the peninsula. It's the South's version of Manhattan. We used to regularly day trip there for lunch, as I'm only about half an hour from Georgetown, but now we stop at Seewee in Awendaw to avoid the mess.

Awendaw. There’s a town I forgot about! I’ve heard. Mount Pleasant is inching further and further towards there.

I miss Charleston but I know nothing is how it was when I left. I’d be disappointed if I went back. I left there for Nashville ten years ago. Sure I’ve gone to visit a few times but it seems to be selling it’s soul more and more daily.

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Is Charleston on the verge of replacing Nashville as the next cool city? 

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Charleston has certainly become a destination city the past 2 decades. The problem with this is that Charleston is less equipped than most cities to deal with the population influx because of its historical design and zoning laws. So much more than other places, Charleston's sprawl is crippling in terms of traffic and environmental issues.

Charleston is New Orleans without the trash, crime, corruption,potholes, and overall laziness.
The food is not as good though.

Having lived in Charleston for four years now I can echo many of these statements, especially from GasMan. I’ve enjoyed my time here but not heartbroken to leave as it becomes more difficult and expensive to live here on a day to day basis.

The food, however, is fantastic and comparable to New Orleans. The variety is very good. Nola may win on fine dining but Charleston can compete very well in the mid range restaurant game.

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One is a major American city while the other is a vacation spot for a bunch of schmucks decked out in Vinyard Vine outfits living beyond their means.

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Which one is the major American city....because I’ve seen plenty of the later in both medium-ish sized cities being discussed here.

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Charleston is way better than Nola. The food is great in both cities.

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You can't be serious. I was born and mostly raised in Charleston, wound up in La and went to LSU. Lots of time in both cities. Charleston is great but it in no way compares to the uniqueness of NO. The music scene by itself makes New Orleans more interesting that most other US cities IMO. The crazy nightlife, cuisine, architecture, many more diverse neighborhoods, New Orleans dwarfs Charleston in terms of culture.

As someone who lives 40 minutes from New Orleans, Charleston is better. My wife even commented while we were in Charleston that “she hasn’t felt unsafe once” while walking through alleys and side streets.

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a poor man’s New Orleans

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I believe this is called hell