What I do and don't miss about Columbus, GA (Atlanta: fit in, apartment)

[terrence81]

Well I went home for mother's day. I drove it's about 11-12 hours. Had an awesome time so good to be home.

What I don't miss about C-town:

Nagging from my mom about gaining ten pounds since I moved. I'm 143 pounds I'm not fat. Also hearing questions about getting married and providing grandchildren gets old on the phone pretty quick. It gets old at lightening speed in person.

Of course her nagging is what I would miss if not for cell phones. She reminds to do errands and gives me the occasional wake up often when I've been out all night and need a verbal kick in the you know what to get going in the morning.

The redneck/ghetto mentality. Basically feeling like an oddball because I"m not ghetto enough. This doesn't apply to everyone but yeah down home I get a lot of "Why do you talk like that?" which means I'm not talking black enough to suit my southside peers. It's annoying it's rude and a little insulting. Why do I have to talk any sort of way. Why can't I just talk like Terrence?

Lack of sophistication. Yeah people spend too much time talking about what they did in high school versus what's going on in the world. In DC and VA it's so easy to slip into a conversation about politics or current events.What I missed?

I miss the lack of congestion. As I type this I'm practically a prisoner in my own home because this time of day I don't do anything or go anywhere because of the traffic. So it was nice to go to Walmart or to a restaurant without having to worry about a ton of other folks doing the same.

I miss lower prices. Drink prices are more reasonable and don't get started on the housing prices compared to Northern Virginia.

I miss the friendliness. Some people have accused Southern hospitality of being fake. Like that's a bad thing. Part of being hospitable is being nice when you really don't want to. I miss that. I miss people just being nice for the sake of politeness. I was at Walmart and the cashier was as sweet as she could be. In the DC area customer service is considerable optional and barely advisable.

I miss the familiarity. Living in Columbus all my life I know it pretty darn well. I know where every store in the mall is. I know just all there is to know. It was nice to drive all town and not once needing to think about directions or which route has the least traffic. I just drove.

I miss Grateful Deads. Ever heard of a Grateful Dead? Well a lot of DC bartenders surely haven't. In C-town I say Grateful Dead to a bartender and I get a strong mixed drink that's way sweeter than a Long Island that's just as strong. Boy oh boy did I savor my last Grateful Dead yesterday during lunch.

I miss bumping into random folks and catching up. There's always someone who you bump into in Columbus especially at the mall on the weekends. Unfortunately I was not in Peachtree Mall last weekend so there was no bumping into anyone when I went in the middle of the day on Monday. But boy oh boy do I miss that. It's just nice you bump into someone and catch up. While yes in the big city I;'ve been here long enough to bump into people but it's usually at some bar that I go to a lot and it's always an old hookup that I try to avoid. Come on I know I'm not the only one who's done the duck and hide at a bar.

I miss my family and friends. Especially my mom. Yeah I miss being able to call up a friend to go to the movies. I even miss my ex. I miss having folks over at my apartment for get togethers. I've had trouble making friends since I moved up here but I'm trying to get back on that horse.

Southern accents. Many will tell you that I don't have an accent but it comes out every now and then. It's nice to say things like fixin' to or better yet fi'in' to (next time you hear it notice that a lot of black folks drop the "x") or "too-mah-rah" or "I ain't studyin' him"

I won't miss the lack of job opportunities for me outside of AFLAC and TSYS (applied for jobs there that I didn't get). In VA there's just so much opportunity the sky's the limit. For some Columbus is the best place to be careerwise for it is not. It was hard seeing other peers do well and be successful while I'm struggling to get by on minimum wage (with a bachelors degree).

At the end of the day there are times I think about returning home. It was my last two years in Columbus that I finally began to appreciate it. I always thought it was a curse to be born in Columbus. The oddball that travels too much that will never fit in. I always dreamt of leaving Columbus behind and never looking back. Now I have left and I'm still looking back.

So? Anybody miss or don't miss Columbus? Anybody plotting their escape?

[Southern Soul Bro]

AT THIS CURRENT TIME..I don't miss it. Maybe the reason I feel this way is because of the escalated expectations I had about Columbus before going there, which maybe wasn't fair to Columbus. Well, before I went to CSU, I figured Columbus would be just right for me. I thought it would be a city not as big and congested as an ATL, MIA, or even Charlotte but yet still a little larger than a Macon. Considering that, I expected there to be a VISIBLE difference between Columbus and Macon. The thing is....I expected Columbus to be more urban and have more things to get into....and to me... it was the complete opposite. Columbus was slower paced, very spaced out (tough when you dont know your way around that much...and didn't really have the gas to be running around every where), and as a black male just entering young adulthood....the hang outs and clubs for a young black crowd...were much more trashy and in rougher locations than the ones in Macon.

If I was married and/or settled down ready to have and raise a family it would be fine, but for a young, vibrant person I wouldnt recommend it.

[WanderingImport]

I can relate with the whole oddball who travels too much comment.

[cdw1084]

Originally Posted by King_X

AT THIS CURRENT TIME..I don't miss it. Maybe the reason I feel this way is because of the escalated expectations I had about Columbus before going there, which maybe wasn't fair to Columbus. Well, before I went to CSU, I figured Columbus would be just right for me. I thought it would be a city not as big and congested as an ATL, MIA, or even Charlotte but yet still a little larger than a Macon. Considering that, I expected there to be a VISIBLE difference between Columbus and Macon. The thing is....I expected Columbus to be more urban and have more things to get into....and to me... it was the complete opposite. Columbus was slower paced, very spaced out (tough when you dont know your way around that much...and didn't really have the gas to be running around every where), and as a black male just entering young adulthood....the hang outs and clubs for a young black crowd...were much more trashy and in rougher locations than the ones in Macon.

If I was married and/or settled down ready to have and raise a family it would be fine, but for a young, vibrant person I wouldnt recommend it.

Interesting. I didn't find Macon or Columbus good places to hang out. I went to CSU for two years and would drive to Atlanta almost every friday and when I visited friends in Macon, we would also go to Atlanta. I would much rather be in Savannah than any other 2nd tier city in GA.

[Bjohnson23]

Originally Posted by cdw1084

Interesting. I didn't find Macon or Columbus good places to hang out. I went to CSU for two years and would drive to Atlanta almost every friday and when I visited friends in Macon, we would also go to Atlanta. I would much rather be in Savannah than any other 2nd tier city in GA.

Same goes for military families on base.
The city has just been behind the eight ball since the late 80's and has never recovered.
Thankfully the military at Benning will reap the benefits of a nearly new base with all the extras and won't have to throw their money away in a dismal local enviorment.

[terrence81]

Originally Posted by King_X

AT THIS CURRENT TIME..I don't miss it. Maybe the reason I feel this way is because of the escalated expectations I had about Columbus before going there, which maybe wasn't fair to Columbus. Well, before I went to CSU, I figured Columbus would be just right for me. I thought it would be a city not as big and congested as an ATL, MIA, or even Charlotte but yet still a little larger than a Macon. Considering that, I expected there to be a VISIBLE difference between Columbus and Macon. The thing is....I expected Columbus to be more urban and have more things to get into....and to me... it was the complete opposite. Columbus was slower paced, very spaced out (tough when you dont know your way around that much...and didn't really have the gas to be running around every where), and as a black male just entering young adulthood....the hang outs and clubs for a young black crowd...were much more trashy and in rougher locations than the ones in Macon.

If I was married and/or settled down ready to have and raise a family it would be fine, but for a young, vibrant person I wouldnt recommend it.

I can see where you're coming from. The thing about Columbus is that if you come in expecting a real urban atmosphere then yeah you're setting yourself up for disappointment. But at the same time Columbus has improved by leaps and bounds in the past decade. There's certainly more retail options and downtown was a dump back in the day.

So I will say that looking at where Columbus was and where it is now things are at least better. I had a great life in Columbus except that whole no money part.

[aboutmetro]

Originally Posted by terrence81

So? Anybody miss or don't miss Columbus? Anybody plotting their escape?

Hey Terr. It really does all depend on your perspective. I've experienced a lot of the same thoughts as you. I moved to ATL out of college and lived in B'ham for a while. My SO is from B'ham. It's funny, the redneck/ghetto thing. He thinks that is way worse in B'ham than Columbus. He thinks alot of the black community in B'ham has a 'chip on its shoulder' and in Columbus, the black folks we know are just other people. And that there's a lot more rednecks in B'ham than in Columbus. I try to tell him that theres all types of people everywhere, even in Atlanta... probably in Virginia too.

When I lived on the outside, mostly I missed the ease of finding what I wanted. Columbus pretty much has the same retail as everywhere else (unless you're uber rich and shop at Sax, etc). I don't miss running into random people. I like to get where I'm going and get it done. Especially at Christmas. That said, I am constantly surprised these days when I go out to eat and don't know a soul in the restaurant. Just a few years ago, I'd have known somebody. I honestly don't think the census is very accurate for the metro area. People here complain about traffic. Those people need to do a tour of duty in Atlanta.

When I was in ATL and B'ham, my sister and mother couldn't get me to do projects for them as easily and that's nice sometimes. But I mostly don't mind and I always felt guilty when they needed me and I wasn't there. My next move if there is one will be a really big one, to Ireland or the northwest. But in reality, I've committed to move back to B'ham at some point (after my mom's gone). You know, what I've found is that when you get in and get settled - except for like NY, NY - maybe, that mostly people do your living close to wherever your house is and there's not that much difference living in ATL, B'ham, Macon or Columbus.

[saharaga]

Originally Posted by King_X

If I was married and/or settled down ready to have and raise a family it would be fine, but for a young, vibrant person I wouldnt recommend it.

Well, I'm married and about to start a family and I still can't wait to get out of here.

[Sam552311]

Originally Posted by saharaga

Well, I'm married and about to start a family and I still can't wait to get out of here.

Point well made.

[Charlemagne2009]

Plotting escape - I am looking for a tween town on the way to ATL.

I come from living in or near Midwestern college towns. Columbus has been a tough adjustment to accept...kinda short on progressive thought here.