Small Town Girl…Big City Dreams

By Amy Coward

I grew up in a small central Florida town about the size of a peanut. That translates to a population of about 4000. And while there are lots of things to love about small towns, I really love big cities. Give me New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco…I love them all.

In the last few years, I’ve been able to travel to several big cities and I’ve loved every minute. There’s so much energy in a place where there are so many people. They’re everywhere! Just last week, I was in New York City and was amazed once again that literally any time of day or night, there are people on the streets of the city, going somewhere – lots of people. For someone accustomed to being in bed by 9 p.m., I have to wonder where they’re going and how they are awake. But it’s apparently true that the city never sleeps.

There’s so much to do in a big city. It’s really sensory overload. There are all the different areas to explore — each with their own personality. From the touristy, glitzy areas full of high-end stores to the quaint, quiet streets with unique local shops to the areas drenched in an ethnic richness that makes you feel like you’ve traveled abroad. And if you’re a foodie like me, it’s the perfect time and place to try food from all over the world because it’s the real deal. Cities like New York are a virtual smorgasbord of Italian, Asian, Ethiopian, Indian and everything in between in every variety at any time of day. This is pretty awesome for someone who grew up in a town with “The Coffee Shop” as its only restaurant.

In addition to the food, I love walking the city. There’s no better way to really see a place than to walk through the neighborhoods, stop in the local stores, pass by schools and watch people play basketball at a park. On my walk through New York, I saw ballet dancers at the barre in a second story window, Chinese senior citizens in the park playing Mahjong and businessmen grabbing rental bikes to make their way to work. I really got a taste of what it’s like to live there.  I even went for a run along the Hudson Riverfront one morning alongside people with strollers and pets — all with the Statue of Liberty in view. I thought, “Ah…to be a New Yorker!”

I’m sure that if I actually ever migrated to big city life, I would find that it’s not always so great. Having to race to the train every morning might become a drag when I’m so spoiled by hopping in my car and driving directly to work. Paying a cab driver $25 to take me a few blocks at a pace that threatens my life might lose its humor after a while as well. Fighting all those crowds of people just trying to get to the grocery store or to the office would definitely get old. When it’s just a few days in the city as a tourist who really has no schedule or timetable, it’s totally different from living there I realize.

Upon my return from New York, I decided to focus on the things I really love about living in the South. After all, I’m a true Southerner and always have been. After leaving my “peanut” home town, I moved to Columbia and have called it home for more than 30 years. Even Columbia was a big city to this small town girl when I first arrived. We have arts and culture here, great restaurants with locally-grown foods, SEC football and beautiful beaches right down the road. In my own neighborhood this very morning, I ran with a view of a bright orange sunrise and passed no fewer than 3 cotton-tail rabbits along my route. There was a peace and quiet that is lost forever in the city – a quiet that is overtaken by sirens and trucks and horns.

I guess I’ll keep on being an occasional tourist – traveling to cities now and then, taking in all they have to offer. Then I’ll return home for the comforts only found here. The warm (or shall I say “famously hot”) weather, the seersucker and bowties, the Southern drawl and the fireflies. Yes, I’m here to stay. Maybe I’ll even have some sweet tea at lunch today.

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