Charleston's - NW Expressway

Bring in the clowns ‘cause this must be a circus. Complete with death defying roller coaster rides. “Come on in and roll on up. It’s OK to scream.”

Now, Charleston’s is a fun place to eat. I’ve always enjoyed it. But the last two times I’ve been there have been since I was in a wheelchair. And, both times, it was a terrifying ride.

The ramps and parking spots have condition issues, as you can see in the photos. There is actually a hole in the ramp on the east end. My wheel got stuck in it. . But what really makes it dangerous is the front sidewalk.

Terror One – The front doors are double doors. You can’t have them both open at the same time because there’s barely enough room for an open door and a chair or scooter. Being that close to the edge is just plain dangerous. So if you’re coming from the west you need to open the east half of the door. And if you are coming from the east, you need to open the west half of the door. Then there’s room to turn into the front doorway. Of course, when we were on the way out, a pleasant young staffer tried to help us keep both doors open. She didn’t yet get the point that there was barely room around her door. I asked her to close it. She did. I got around and she got the point.

Terror Two – The west sidewalk, which is part of a ramp, is uneven. It’s like being on one of those mini roller coasters that lean you one way and then another. And then if the wrong door is opened, you get to experience Terror One.

Inside was better. Lots of accessible tables. And plenty of room to roll and roam.

But the bathroom…… Oddly, the restrooms are in an area that has its own doors. And in that area they have stored all the extra chairs and booster seats. That extra furniture is not blocking access to the restrooms, but it does give a sort of “outhouse” feel to the whole experience.

The door to the bathroom is heavy enough to make Stalone strain. The stall area was small. I could get inside front first. But once inside I could not close the door behind me. Maybe if I had longer arms to reach back. But I couldn’t get it closed. No room for a caregiver in the stall. There was a smaller stall next to it. It would be better to combine the two. I’d be willing to wait for the stall if there would be room enough in it.

Something happened right before we left that sort of sums it all up. A nun in a wheelchair, being pushed by a caregiver, left the restaurant. It just reminded me that when getting in and out of Charleston’s, prayer is not optional.