Barbie Perkins-Cooper, Author

Tag: SC

  • Memories of Hurricane Hugo, Hurricane Floyd, and Soon — Hurricane Matthew


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    Dearest Readers:

    I remember September 21, 1989 and Hurricane Hugo, a category four hurricane when it SLAMMED into the Charleston Harbor. My husband was activated with the SC National Guard. I chose to volunteer at the culinary college where I worked. caring for  60 students in a historical building that once was a tobacco factory. Thru the cracked, olden bricks, I could see lightning flashing. This building had survived earthquakes and hurricanes previously. I was confident we would be fine. I could hear the sounds of the storm, roaring with life like a freight train, or the horrifying roar of an angry tiger. I remember singing and humming to myself, and praying like I could never pray again. I kept myself quiet to the students, but inside my soul, I was horrified. I saw the water rising from the harbor, up to the second floor where we housed the students. No one wanted to move them. I remember saying, I’ll go. The students do not need to see, or hear, the rising waters. I gathered the 60 students, forming a single line up the stairs we rushed to a vacant warehouse. I remember hugging every student as they settled down. I sang “We Shall Over Come,” to a few of them as we lit candles so we could see to walk around.

    Later, most of the students were fast asleep. with exception of one young girl. I found her cuddled like a baby inside a sleeping bag. She held a teddy bear. I stopped to speak to her, and to give her a motherly hug. “We’re going to be fine,” I said. “It’s just a storm. Tomorrow morning we’ll awaken to a brand new day. You go to sleep now. Hug your teddy tightly. We will be fine.”
    Moments later, she was asleep. One hour later, as the storm intensified, I was the only one awake. I do not remember how long Hugo destroyed this city, but when the breaking of dawn arrived, I saw a slight light. I slipped out of the area for a moment, to find a window. There, in the early morning I saw a light. Sunshine. I remember saying a prayer while looking at East Bay Street in Charleston. Debris was everywhere, but we had a moment of hope as the skyline broke into morning, a beautiful sunshiny morning with gorgeous blue skies.
    I, along with 60 frightened students, survived Hugo. Today, as I look outside, I see a bit of sunshine and a lot of overcast clouds. Wind gusts occasionally. I’ve checked with a few neighbors, and much to my surprise, they decided to ride this storm out too.
    Many of us lived in Charleston in 1999 during Hurricane Floyd. During that hurricane, we were told to evacuate. “This is a mandatory evacuation,” the Governor said. Phil and I decided to leave. 1999 was a horrible year for me. I lost my father from esophageal cancer in July. I was grieving and lost. When Phil suggested we pack up to leave, I remember saying to him, “I must pack Dad’s rocking chair.”
    Confused, Phil shook his head. “Don’t ask,” I said. “I must have a piece of my father with me.”
    I remember loading up our dogs, suitcases, and doggie crates. We had just enough room to pack the rocking chair. Since we were leaving at the time it appeared everyone was leaving Mt. Pleasant, Phil suggested taking Highway 41. We left at noon, driving down Highway 17, headed in all of the congestion to Highway 41. Phil was convinced we’d be safer and move quicker IF we took the back roads.
    Driving in separate cars, the dogs with me, we drove down Highway 41, thankful we had walkie-talkies to converse since cell phones were jammed. Moving at a snail’s pace, we remained in the traffic on Highway 41 for nine hours. During the afternoon, the winds gusted. I clicked the walkie-talkie. “Do you think we’ll make it out of here before the storm hits?”
    Phil keyed his walkie-talkie. “When we see a hotel, we’re stopping.”
    “Good,” I said. “I’m hungry and exhausted…and I’ve got to pee so badly I ache.”
    Highway 41 was a parking lot. We moved ever so slowly, inches. Highway 41 did not have the development of other roads, and the only place to relieve mother nature would be the woods.
    I glanced at the speedometer, adding the numbers in my head. At nine o’clock we traveled only 57 miles. We saw an old hotel. We stopped, got a room and rushed inside with our dogs. The hotel room smelled. The air conditioner did not work, and the bedspread felt damp. I opened the trunk of my car, removing a blanket. “I’m not sleeping on this wet, smelly bedspread,” I said, fluffing the blanket over the bed.
    Although I dozed on that night, I was exhausted the next morning. Phil went outside to check the weather. No wind was blowing and the skies were clear.
    “We’re packing up,” he said. “We’re going home.”
    I glanced upwards to the skies. “Thank you, God.”
    Hurricane Floyd moved off shore on that evening, weakening.  Our nine-hour excursion to get out of Charleston, SC  was a disaster; however, the drive home took us 45 minutes!
    Remembering how stressful it was to get out-of-the-way of a hurricane convinced me that when another hurricane threatens Charleston, we will remain safe at home.
    I feel confident we will be fine with Hurricane Matthew. Although we are at OPCON 1 now, I am praying Matthew must be tired now. Maybe he’ll give in and turn back into the oceans and disappear. Meanwhile, I am writing. Isn’t it funny how stress appears to help me find the stories I need to share?
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  • Greenville, SC “A Footprint within a Little Slice of Heaven”

    Greenville, SC “A Footprint within a Little Slice of Heaven”


    Greenville, SC “A Footprint within a Little Slice of Heaven.”

    by

    Barbie Perkins-Cooper

    Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains is a jeweled ‘footprint within a little slice of heaven.’ Greenville, South Carolina is a grand city where music, wine, food, and entertainment create a tantalizing atmosphere where meeting planners and travelers may enjoy a destination that has something for everyone.

    On a recent site visit to Greenville during Euphoria, I was mesmerized by the atmosphere and charm of this unique city. Some of the most incredible discoveries were the revitalization of beautiful Downtown Greenville and the beauty of Falls Park located on the Reedy River Basin. Falls Park landscapes the beautiful Liberty Bridge, a 355-foot suspension bridge overlooking the waterfalls of Downtown Greenville, SC. An easy walk-to-destination, Falls Park is located in the Historic West End, a picturesque setting for family gatherings and a delightful atmosphere to unwind while enjoying the rushing waters and bridge.

    Downtown Greenville has been described as “a footprint with a little slice of heaven,” said Todd Bertka, Vice President of Sales, Greenville Convention and Visitors Bureau. Greenville has a cornucopia of amazing things to do, many within the pedestrian-friendly sidewalks of historical downtown.

    Euphoria is a unique music, food, and entertainment festival held every year in September since 2006. Euphoria was founded by singer-songwriter Edwin McCain, and restaurateur Carl Sobocinski, promoting cooking demonstrations, wine seminars, live musical performances and a tantalizing selection of food tastings. Euphoria “educates, entices, enlightens, and entertains.” As a travel writer targeting hospitality, Euphoria was truly everything and more for me. I was impressed by the city, people, atmosphere and the mystical ambiance of Euphoria. The music, food, cooking demonstrations, people, celebrity chefs and so much more complimented every event at Euphoria.

    Another amazing discovery in Greenville is the BMW Performance Center Ultimate Driving Machine experience. Feel the need for speed? Plan a visit to get a thrill of the BMW Ultimate Driving Experience. Looking for a place to host an unusual, thrilling meeting? The BMW Zentrum Museum has meeting and events facilities to delight and thrill your meeting audience.

    A major $26-million renovation is lmost completed at the Hyatt Regency Greenville. Located on North Main Street, “Hyatt Regency Greenville has a vibrant history as a community hotel,” said Heather Meadors, Director of Community Relations, JHM Hotels. “From its inception in 1981 with the leadership of Greenville’s Mayor, Max Heller the downtown community embraced it. The public park space in the lobby was innovative and drew the community in. Today, Studio 220 does the same thing by donating the space to charities to let Greenville know that we are grateful to be a part of the community.” Studio 220 @ NOMA has 6,000-square-feet of new meeting space with beautiful hardwood floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, dropped ceilings, gallery lighting, all in an inviting setting on the corner of Beattie and Main.

    I met with Todd Bertka, providing me a bird’s eye view of beautiful Downtown Greenville. We stopped at Stellar Restaurant and Wine Bar while I discovered that Greenville, SC is truly a meeting planner’s paradise. “Downtown Greenville has over 100 local restaurants, and plenty of local boutiques, galleries and everything imaginable for destination getaways and meeting planners,” said Bertka. The more I learned about Greenville, the more I wanted to extend my trip.

    “Downtown Greenville offers all of the amenities of a larger city without all of the hassles,” added Meadors. “Downtown Greenville and Hyatt Regency Greenville are excellent locations for planners looking for activities for their attendees, with dine-arounds in the evening, music and shopping for all. Hyatt Regency Greenville stands out amongst the competition because of the people. Our employees are dedicated to the success of each meeting and group. Each of our employees is empowered to make guests stay an exceptional experience. We generate authentic hospitality in everything we do. Our culinary team is extremely talented, and they are constantly creating fine dining experiences in our meeting space. Our Convention Service Managers are committed to our planners, making sure they have a successful meeting.”

    Among the new enhancements at Hyatt Regency are an additional 13,500-square-feet of meeting space, ROOST Restaurant with a casual, inviting atmosphere, an office space, exterior curb appeal, and a beautifully refurbished hotel lobby complete with comfortable seating, improved lighting and a water feature compliment this amazing hotel. The plaza will be renamed NOMA Square and it will be more open with a built-in permanent stage and water features with a disappearing water edge. The round bar in the lobby will be ORB™ Lounge, offering coffee drinks daily and cocktails for nightlife.

    Meadors adds, “Hyatt Regency Greenville has over 34,000-square-feet of flexible meeting space. Our largest ballroom is over 14,000-square-feet with several different supporting breakout rooms. With the additional space, we are able to attract larger conferences looking for great space, larger breakout rooms and a unique atmosphere. With our newly renovated meeting space, we will have a designated meeting planner office for planners to coordinate materials and have a better presence for attendees. The layout of our hotel meeting space also makes it conducive for attendees to get from their breakout space to their general session and meal function rooms in a matter of seconds. Hyatt is always coming out with new offers throughout the year, and we are happy to provide customized pricing for groups and the needs of meeting planners.” Hyatt Regency Greenville is a three-star, three-diamond property.

    Another unique setting for conventions with plenty of meeting space is the TD Convention Center, located within close proximity of Downtown Greenville. TD Convention Center is “One of the largest convention centers in the United States, featuring 60,000-square-feet of meeting space including a 30,000-square-foot ballroom, 18 meeting rooms, two outdoor venues, plus 20,000-square-feet of pre-function space, three exhibit halls with a total of 280,000-square-feet of space,” said Elizabeth Lyons, Director of Sales. A $22-million renovation was completed in 2008, which enlarged the Ballroom, and pre-function space throughout the building. “Recently upgraded in September 2012 the Center provides complimentary Wi-Fi access throughout the building.”

    Debbie Motz, Executive Director of Eastern Outdoor Reps Association attests to the service received since 2001 at TD Convention Center. “Eastern Outdoor Reps Association is a not-for-profit association that services the independent and non-independent sales representatives of outdoor human powered gear.” Their meetings have been held at TD Convention Center since 2001 with three shows per year, and over 1,200 attendees. “We’re in a lot of facilities throughout the year and the TD Convention Center is by far our favorite. Everybody is so helpful it always makes us feel we are amongst friends.” TD Convention Center is involved in keeping the Green in Greenville, working to expand recycling, and using Green Seal approved environmentally safe products for cleaning. During my tour of the property, the restrooms and all meeting facilities were sparkling clean with wonderful aromas. No one would have known a large event had occurred only hours before the tour.

    Once considered the “Textile Center of the South,” Greenville, South Carolina is truly a city coming of age, making it a graceful state-of-the-art community filled with history, amazing culinary cuisine, music, festivals for all to enjoy, waterfalls, recreation, museums, galleries and so much more. Make time to visit the Upcountry History Museum to get a full perspective of the footprint of Greenville that provides a delightful slice of heaven. The people are so pleasant to meet. While walking along Downtown Greenville, people spoke, men nodded and children smiled. No one seemed to be in a hurry with cell phones attached to their ears. Greenville is lively with culture, with plenty of space for meetings, events and entertainment. Home to Edwin McCain, the Greenville County Art Museum, Shoeless Joe Jackson, the Children’s Museum, Fluor Field, beautiful Downtown Greenville, South Carolina could make an amazing impression to host meetings and destination events. Describing Greenville to my friends after my visit at Euphoria, I said, “Greenville is a spicy town with much to offer. In one word, Greenville is ‘Euphoric!’”

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
    Barbie Perkins-Cooper is a freelance writer who loves the journey and exploration of hospitality, travel, and health. She works full-time as an editorial photojournalist, publishing many articles and photographs for regional health and beauty and travel publications including Convention South Magazine. Barbie resides in Charleston, SC with her husband Phil and three precious schnauzers.