Charleston | Pumpkin Latte Love at The Black Door Cafe 🎃☕

The Black Door Cafe is tucked inside a downtown Charleston hotel lobby — modern industrial style with warm wooden accents. It offers simple brunch options (mostly sandwiches), plus grab-and-go yogurt bowls, fruit cups, salads, and croissant sandwiches — perfect for a quick tourist stop! 🥪🥐 ☕ Pumpkin Latte: So good! 🎃✨ Light pumpkin and cinnamon notes balanced the espresso’s bitterness perfectly. 🧀 Grilled Cheese: A small but mighty sandwich with four cheeses — stretchy, gooey, and packed with tomatoes and spinach. So filling I only ate half! (+ tip = $20 💸) 🤔 Cafe Culture Observations: Every U.S. cafe seems to sell merch (even restaurants!) — but who’s buying these overpriced items? 😂 Tips here are steep (18%, 20%, 25%) — a small latte hits $10 after tip. But hey, it’s a wealthy area (hotels run $500-600/night!). 🏙️ Travel Reflections: Charleston felt deeply divided — the most overt white privilege I’ve experienced. Former slave-owning families built fortunes here, and their legacy lingers. Downtown was overwhelmingly white; I saw fewer than five Asian faces in three days. Most Black locals were street vendors weaving sweetgrass baskets — a painful contrast to the city’s history. Still, the slave history museums are powerful and essential. I’m grateful for the education, but once was enough for me. #Charleston #TravelThoughts #CoffeeCulture #SocialCommentary 🧭✊