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Downtown living - life style change questions


sojay

downtown living life style change questions  

17 members have voted

  1. 1. What activities would you do more if you lived downtown as opposed to suburbia?

    • spectator arts (go to concerts, museums, etc)
      0
    • participatory arts (take arts classes, social dancing, choir singing, etc)
      1
    • spectator sports
      0
    • active sports
      0
    • go more to restaurants, bars, clubs
      6
    • frequent coffee shops more often
      0
    • go for walks downtown/greenway
      5
    • participate in community activities (festivals etc)
      0
    • spend less time on commuting
      1
    • watch less TV
      2
    • take classes
      2
    • nothing would change
      0
    • other? (explain)
      0


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I've lived in the downtown area for so long I can't remember what I did when I loved in the suburbs. Since I graduated from a suburban high school in 1982 I've only lived in the suburbs for 1 1/2 years of the ensuing 24. 3 years on campus at USC, 1 year off campus at Park Circle, bought a house in East Columbia and sold it after a year because of my dislike of the suburbs; shared a St. Andrews apartment with a friend for a short period of time and then spent 5 years in Cottontown, 8 a few blocks from 5 points and now 5 in Earlewood Park/Keenan Terrace. I can tell everyone right now: I will never live in the suburbs again.

Favorite things to do in-town: dinner in the Vista, Five Points or Devine Street, concerts at Finlay Park, plays at Trustus Theatre, films at the Nickelodeon, Carolina basketball at the Colonial Center and Carolina football just outside downtown at Williams-Brice.

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I lived downtown for 9 years in Elmwood park since I was 10....Now I live in Suburbia in a new subdvision out in Northeast Columbia....It's a nice house but the traffic OMG...Communting wasn't bad, when I lived downtown and I drove to Columbia High which was off of Broad River Rd. all the traffic was comin in town while I was going out and the opposite in the afternoon....Everything side Columbia was 15 minutes away...I was close to all 3 interstates in a matter of minutes.....Had to go a little far to shop and grocery stores but that wasn't bad....

I was sitting in traffic on Hardscrabble Rd. yesterday for 20 minutes and was wishing my house was right down the street like it was when my family lived downtown. I mean we have a lawn and we are closer to the shopping centers...But I feel so damn far away from everything that I was used to on the other side of town. Feels like I moved to a different city. lol.

But it's only been 2 weeks since I haven't lived downtown so I got to get used to it to see if I liked it better but the convenience was definately there...Since I JUST turned 20 I guess you can say I lived in downtown Columbia half my live and the suburbs half my life, lol...Hmmm, what did I do when I lived downtown...

I did EVERYTHING on that list except walk to a coffee shop

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I lived downtown for 9 years in Elmwood park since I was 10....Now I live in Suburbia in a new subdvision out in Northeast Columbia....It's a nice house but the traffic OMG...Communting wasn't bad, when I lived downtown and I drove to Columbia High which was off of Broad River Rd. all the traffic was comin in town while I was going out and the opposite in the afternoon....Everything side Columbia was 15 minutes away...I was close to all 3 interstates in a matter of minutes.....Had to go a little far to shop and grocery stores but that wasn't bad....

I was sitting in traffic on Hardscrabble Rd. yesterday for 20 minutes and was wishing my house was right down the street like it was when my family lived downtown. I mean we have a lawn and we are closer to the shopping centers...But I feel so damn far away from everything that I was used to on the other side of town. Feels like I moved to a different city. lol.

But it's only been 2 weeks since I haven't lived downtown so I got to get used to it to see if I liked it better but the convenience was definately there...Since I JUST turned 20 I guess you can say I lived in downtown Columbia half my live and the suburbs half my life, lol...Hmmm, what did I do when I lived downtown...

I did EVERYTHING on that list except walk to a coffee shop

I feel for you, sonofaque86! If I had to live in the 'burbs I think I'd just stay inside of my compound and vegetate. I have lived in University Hill Neighborhood since my retirement in '95 and before that in the middle of other cities (except for a stint in the New Jersey 'burbs of Philadelphia, PA). I'm just a die hard city slicker. We all look forward to the day you have a place of your own, maybe in a high rise on the corner of Gervais and Assembly :).

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I like the way you think! Half the battle towards being successful is believing that you will be.

Doug, I'm jealous, I love University Hill.

Thanks Waccamatt. The only place I'd rather live in columbia is if someone built live/work units in that ugly parking lot on the west side of Richardson (Main) Street between Gervais and Lady. I'd be the first in line to buy one so I could live upstairs and rent the first floor out to my favorite restaurant. :D

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Thanks Waccamatt. The only place I'd rather live in columbia is if someone built live/work units in that ugly parking lot on the west side of Richardson (Main) Street between Gervais and Lady. I'd be the first in line to buy one so I could live upstairs and rent the first floor out to my favorite restaurant. :D

Doug, are you working on getting Main Street's name changed back to Richardson?

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Thanks Waccamatt. The only place I'd rather live in columbia is if someone built live/work units in that ugly parking lot on the west side of Richardson (Main) Street between Gervais and Lady. I'd be the first in line to buy one so I could live upstairs and rent the first floor out to my favorite restaurant. :D

Yes, that parcel needs infill QUICK.

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How many of you knew that when Capitol Center was built, the plans included a highrise hotel in the location of that parking lot?

I did not know that! I just know that it desparately NEEDS something and if it does not include retail, I vote against it.

And yes, Waccamatt, I would love to see Richardson Street revert back to its original name!

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That I did not know. Why did that fall through?

The original developers had financial problems and eventually the building was foreclosed upon. Maybe the current owner will eventually do something with that property, its too valuable to remain a surface parking lot.

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I have lived in the suburbs (at the edge of the country-side) of Columbia all my life, except my four years in FLA and one year when I lived off broad river, and I have enjoyed it.

As a young person I think I'd prefer downtown however. :thumbsup: One of my good friends lives downtown in one of the high rise apt complexes, and while there isn't much privacy and parking sometimes, it is nice to be close to all the great opportunities the city has to offer. I like to be able to walk to a restaurant and other venues.

I do wish there was a movie theatre and stores (like M Street in Georgetown, aka DC) in the downtown area. I know Devine is suppose to be the shopping area, but I must admit I'm a bit of a "label whore." :blush: Spending $100 on a shirt with a name that I nor anyone else i may come into contact with will really recognize doesn't sound like a good idea to me. I think that as I get older though, I'm going to lean more towards a house with a nice private yard where I can relax or entertain, things that most down town living areas don't really allow.

It would also be great to have all of the great areas in downtown to be more jointly accessible. Food, I prefer the vista, bars and club I like 5points, and possible shopping devine. My problem is Icant park my car and just walk to all these places. I'd like to do a little shopping, get a bite to eat at a nice restaurant and maybe go to a bar for a few drink without having to drive around town and hope that when I get to the area I can find a park (ala South Beach, Miami FLA)

I must say however, that compared to many large cities (ATL for expample), Columbia's areas of attraction are a little more jointly accessible. :yahoo:

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Does anyone have an estimate of how many people reside in the Downtown Columbia area? With so many projects for housing under way I hope people will consider moving in. If we do see the downtown population increase heavily there will truly be a need for more forms of entertainment.

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I think its definitely on the way. The numbers I've seen thus far for residential developments have been good, including 1520 Main and Renaissance Plaza, both currently nearing completion. With Vsion's and the Battery's (Arsenal Hill) reasonable price points, I see it doing well also.

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