I love Columbia. It's a pretty perfect mix the small town from which I came and the big city that holds my heart, Washington DC . Keep reading for explanation.
The town from which I come is small...the sign says 1900ish people, but I'm not sure how accurate that is because of all the...immigrant workers that moved there my senior year. It was a great place growing up. We never locked the house, never locked the car--and in fact, kept the windows down all day so it wasn't 3000 degrees upon re-entry. A mama could take a baby to the Friday night football game, someone would ask to hold the baby. He would likely pass thru at least 100 pairs of hands that night, but he would always wind up back with his mama. Our school didn't offer the best range of courses, but it was more than "ok" and we had AWESOME teachers who loved us and wanted us to succeed.
Other parts, well, I just didn't know better. There was no fast food--unless you count Casey's pizza. But on Friday nights, the Pizza Hut wagon would pull a trailer into the gas station parking lot. Not just any trailer, this one was full of pizza ovens so your pizza was hot, fresh and made to order. How did we order? Duh--we called the "phone from car" payphone, where the little man from Pizza Hut sat, waiting to take our order. I didn't realize the humor in this until the King started going home with me...it was a real treat to call the little man and then go pick up the pizza. I still don't see as much humor in the wagon as does he, because it was AWESOME! Pizza and football? What could be better???
No fast food, only two restaurants. One secret of the town...the "other" gas station made the BEST hamburgers you will ever have in your life. No kidding, Booches has NOTHING on Kozy Korner. Don't even get me started about the tenderloins at Gimpy's...or the vast array of snacks at the liquor store that included both pickled pigs feet and pickled eggs (yes, kids were allowed in to buy "pop" after ball practice--it was across the road, after all).
We still visit home several times a year, back to the family farm. I love it there. It's relaxing in a way I never thought possible. Thing 1 and Thing 2 love it there, Thing 2 would be perfectly happy to live on the farm. Not so much the Queen.
Fast forward to Washington DC, which probably ranks as my favorite place ever because it's the one city in which I've spent the most time and garnered the best memories. I love the REC, their Youth Tour to Washington DC program was a huge part of me and it is very close at heart. I spent 5 stints in DC, 2 weeks at a pop.
I love the metro, fell in love with theatre, fell in lust with Long Island Iced Tea, could give you a tour of all the sites, and take you to the best little hole in the wall cafe, Bob and Edith's. I actually craved their open faced turkey sandwiches while pregnant, but I couldn't talk the king into making that run...in fact, he thinks I'm crazy for loving DC so much. He thinks its full of crime and politicians. Yes, it is, but it's just buzzing with excitement. It's beautiful. Many of the people nearest to my heart were there with me--and I still love them all today. I can't wait for Thing 1 and Thing 2 to get old enough to appreciate the wonders of DC. By then, I am hopeful the King will be ready to see DC thru the eyes of me--and he will love it, too.
And then there is Columbia. It's a good melding. Not too big, not too small. I came here for school, met a boy and turned him into a man when he married me. So here I am, calling Columbia home. And there is always SOMETHING to be seen that you would see only in Columbia. In fact, in my ploy to enjoy life, I have decided that I am going to find something each and every day that I know I would find only in Columbia.
Probably the most memorable "only in Columbia" moment came at Gerbes on Valentine's. While shopping for groceries, the boy checking out in front of me had found the PERFECT gift for his lady friend...because nothing says "I love you" like roses, chocolate, and a box of condoms. LOVE IT!
Tonight's journey to the gym did not disappoint me. I did indeed see the perfect "Columbia" site for today. It was a beautiful shiny black new Mercedes, with the temporary "just purchased" paper plates in the back. This gorgeous car was tucked away neatly for the evening underneath the carport at it's new home in a trailer park.
Only in Columbia...why would anyone ever want to leave??
Your hometown sounds EXACTLY like Bud's hometown. We joke about knowing we've arrived "home" when we see kids, clad in diapers, swimming in the ditch. We joke about it a lot, but it is really relaxing.
ReplyDeleteThat said, we could not live there, and we LOVE Columbia and never want to leave.