Shuttle Trolley Once Quaint Now Crowded

Tight fit on the Harbor Walk bus

As a long time CofC employee, I have for years parked in the city garage near the South Carolina Aquarium. I have always walked the several blocks to campus or have ridden the free CARTA shuttle bus to and from campus.

But with the recent start of the new school year what had been a quaint and quiet bus ride has become, at times, crowded and uncomfortable. The reason: the College of Charleston at Harbor Walk.

CofC is leasing 45,000 square feet of space at the Aquarium Wharf facility situated next to the aquarium. The college needed this "swing space" while renovations are being made to the Rita Hollings Science Center and soon to the Simons Center for the Arts. The computer science department is also now based at Harbor Walk.

Once home to an IMax theater and a military museum, Harbor Walk more recently has served as a set for the CBS drama "Reckless." Viewers of the Sunday night show might recognize the location as the Charleston Police Department headquarters in "Reckless."

Harbor Walk is part of  the "Reckless" TV show

Harbor Walk is about a mile from CofC's campus. Walking takes between 10 and 15 minutes. The CARTA ride from campus takes half the time, depending on traffic.

Harbor Walk features modern architecture and great views of the harbor, the port, the Ravenel Bridge and the Yorktown aircraft carrier at Patriots Point.

The college inked a seven year lease for the waterfront property with an option to renew for seven more years.

New signage at CofC's Harbor Walk 

A College of Charleston Harbor Walk FAQ site can answer most basic questions students and others may have.

If crowded CARTA buses aren't your thing, the walk up and down Calhoun Street is good exercise and can be pleasant so long as the heat index isn't in triple digits- as we've had a lot of since school resumed.

The seven year lease seems a clue that doing the "Harbor Walk Hustle" won't be a short-term deal.