A couple of weeks ago, prompted by a vicious and unprovoked attack by an as-yet-unapprehended palmetto bug, I wrote a list of things I really hate about living in South Carolina. At the end of the list, I promised to write a list of 13 things I love about South Carolina, but instead, the next week I wrote about robots and cake. Neither of which really have anything to do with South Carolina, so I guess that didn't count. Anyway, I really do like living in South Carolina, palmetto bugs notwithstanding, so here are thirteen things I love about South Carolina:
1. The weather. For a large portion of the year, the weather is lovely. For three months it's ungodly hot, true, but that's why they invited air conditioning. And the rest of the year is generally fabulous. There's nothing like hanging out on your back porch in shorts and short sleeve t-shirt, waiting for your Thanksgiving turkey to cook.
2. The people. Driving aside, Southerners are a wonderful group of people. They'll talk to you on line the supermarket, they'll hold the door or the elevator for you (instead of madly punching the close door button the way people did in NYC), and they'll inquire about your baby or your mother or whatever you talked about, next time they meet you.
3. The cost of living. Moving from NYC to Columbia, SC was a big culture shock, but it came with a huge advantage. We went from barely scraping by to living a pretty comfortable existence, with only a small increase in our overall earnings (at the time). It was awesome! Which brings me to...
4. The Money Eating House. Yes, it eats money. Yes, it's drafty and creeky and unlevel and out of plumb. And possibly haunted by an overweight ghost. But I've always dreamed of owning a Victorian in an awesome neighborhood full of old homes and great people, and coming to Columbia made that possible.
5. College football. Goooooo COCKS!
6. The pace. Everything moves a lot slower down here, but it's a nice change from the frantic pace of NYC. There's a lot to be said for taking things a little more slowly.
7. Good friends. A lot of the people we knew in NYC were transitory, so it's nice to have friends who are going to stay around. It's especially nice to have great friends just next door.
8. The Bomber. Okay, he's not specific to South Carolina (though he is technically a southerner), but I never would have considered having a child living in NYC. And I'm so grateful to have him.
9. Palmetto trees. I don't know why, but I get a huge kick out of living someplace with palm trees. Maybe because growing up all we had were the usual oaks, elms and pines.
10. Magnolia trees. While I'm at it, magnolia trees are pretty awesome, too. Gorgeously green and glossy-leaved, with amazing white blossoms. And I get to look at them whenever I want.
11. The beach. When I lived in NJ and PA, I was never much of a "down da showr" kind of person, but the beaches here in SC are great. The water is warm, the sand is clean, and the people are polite and courteous (except the visiting yankees, of course). And it's way cheaper to rent a house at the beach in South Carolina than it is to rent a similar one at the Jersey Shore.
12. Grits. Grits are easily my favorite Southern food, especially with cheese. And the grits they serve up north are a pale imitation, at best.
13. The airport. Yeah, you can't fly direct to anywhere from here, but it's 10 minutes from my house, and there's never a line for check-in or security. And last time I flew by myself with H, one of the TSA agents helped me corral H and get myself back together on the other side. Coming back the other way through EWR, no one even looked twice at us, much less offered to help me.
So there you go. All in all, I think South Carolina's a pretty great place to live.
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