Shopping

The densest and some say most appealing collection of upscale shops in the Carolinas is on King Street. The Shops at Charleston Place, 130 Market St., is an upscale complex of top-designer clothing shops (Gucci, Montblanc, St. John, Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, and so on). A short stretch of trendy, youth-conscious boutiques known as "Upper King Street Design District" (www.upperkingdesigndistrict.com) is where about a dozen avant-garde artisans ply their penchant for jewelry, millinery, and crafts.