They ask what it was like:
- to see the big balloons blown up the night before the parade (AWESOME !!)
- to go to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (if it's not freezing cold it is great to see it live)
- to attend the Radio City Christmas Spectacular (WOW!! The nativity alone is breathtaking.)
- see The Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center (there are no words)
- go to Time Square on New Year's Eve (like most New Yorker's ....never been to it)
- see the Statue of Liberty (yes, I have been to the top and also enjoyed the view from the Staten Island Ferry (which is the cheapest way to see it along with the NY skyline))
- to visit Ground Zero (sad, memorable and to me sacred land.....I went through the World Trade Center twice a day for years as part of my daily commute)
There is so much more to "The Big Apple"!! Having lived there most of my life like many other, I just took it for granted. Whether it be checking out the art deco of Grand Central Station, the beautiful view from the top of the Empire State Building, taking in a Broadway Show, buying a "dirty dog" from a street vendor or roasted chestnuts in the winter.
When I made the move to Columbia, SC......it was like moving to a foreign country. The only times I had been in SC before was as we drove through on our way back from a family cross country camping trip (that would cover several blog entries (2 parents, 4 kids, a tent and sleeping bags in a station wagon for 2 months)) and when my brother graduated from Parris Island. Visiting and making a place your home are very different but I wanted to embrace my new location.
What did I do to immerse myself?
- I attended college football, basketball and baseball games ( I used to hate New Years Day Bowl games...not anymore!)
-I attended the Christmas Tree Lighting at the State House (where my sister and I were amazed the choral groups sang songs of a religious nature)
- I tried eating grits, collards, black eyed peas, boiled peanuts and okra ( I actually love them all and in NY okra is found in the foreign food sections of the supermarket)
- I learned to say Sir and Ma'am (or is it Ma'm or Ma'm)
- Hey replaced Hi.... (I have been in South Caroline for 19 years now but my accent hasn't faded)
- I fly the Palmetto State flag outside my house (actually it is much prettier than the NY state flag which no one flies outside their home...lol)
Now that I live in the Lowcountry of SC, I am learning to embrace new things again:
- how great it feels to cross the bridge leaving Beaufort
- sunrises and sunsets (without city lights that might diffuse it)
- driving down an old unpaved road to buy fresh shrimp just a few feet away from the shrimper
- attending the Pat Conroy Literary Festival
- enjoying the view of the marsh as it continues to change throughout the day
- finally understanding what causes the distinct smell at low tide (we looked it up)
- taking pictures of historical ruins and also some locations made famous in movies
The Big Chill House...under renovation....
The Prince of Tides (Tom's Mother's Home)
Ruins of the Sams Plantation
the roads home.....
also please note: Forrest Gump ran over this bridge although the sign was changed to "entering Mississippi"
As the saying goes.....there is a time to every season (yes, I know it's from The Bible- Ecc.3:1-8). My years in NY from childhood in the Bronx to being a Mom raising Jenn in Pearl River was as it was meant to be. That was my time for PTA, Girl Scouts, Class Mom and all the things you go when your child is growing up. The decision to leave NY was not an easy one but property taxes and thought of an affordable living away college experience weighed heavily into knowing it was time to move on.
Leaving Columbia was about me. What did I want? Where did I want to live? When I retire (although years off) where is the best fit? And of course, being in driving distance to the beach was a must.
I think I have found answers to all of those questions in my new residence in the Lowcoutry of South Carolina........a long way from the 5th floor walk-up in the Bronx where my journey began.
I am embracing this new life and embracing this new location. I think that is one of the keys to happiness....embrace, embrace, embrace it all.....the sounds, the sights, the tastes, the smells, the traditions, the customs, the culture......embrace it all and you will know you are home.
See you next week......
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