I am not yet hip to Technorati, or for that matter, to any other tagging system, but give me a week and I’ll get up to speed. Then I can do this right. But in the meantime, ten places in my city:

1. Holy Apostles Orthodox Christian Church. The coolest thing happens here every Sunday: heaven and earth collide, and for a little while, we worshippers exist outside of time and fully in the presence of God. You really should try it sometime.
2. Richland County Public Library, main branch. This is the best library system anywhere, hands down.
3. Cafe Streudel in West Columbia. Fun and funky. Not too hip for me to feel like I can’t eat there unselfconsciously. Art I appreciate on the walls, and most of it is for sale.
4. The SC State Fair in October. Our state fair is a great state fair. Don’t miss it. Don’t even be late.
5. Main Street. The trees have little white lights in them and the buildings are, for the most part, old and charming. Nice view of the State House from there, too.
6. Riverbanks Zoo and Botanical Gardens. Beautiful and always improving. It’s so lovely that I can forgive the smell.
7. EdVenture, the children’s museum. Those of you who have been to the Children’s Museum in Boston will be unimpressed, but for SC, it’s really pretty nice. Especially nice is the room for tiny children, two and under, although I guess I won’t be hanging out in that room for too much longer.
8. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts on Knox Abbot Road. When we moved to Columbia eight year ago, we ate here every single Saturday morning. There’s something really special about watching the doughnuts ride down the assembly line, then eating a hot one just after it rounds the bend out of the glazer.
9. Little China Buffet on Decker Blvd. The quality here varies more than I’d like, but it’s still our favorite Chinese restaurant. I could happily eat Chinese food every single day for the rest of my life.
10. Five Points, the intersection of five streets downtown. Lots of groovy little stores and cafes. One of the few pleasant places to walk.

It must be said that although Columbia is pleasant in many ways, and is a good place to live, with a good highway system, several decent museums, two library systems, adequate retail outlets, ample downtown parking, and a number of good restaurants, it’s simply not the magical, picturesque, happening sort of city I would choose to live if I were thinking only of myself. I can come up with ten really magical places in some other cities, no problem—like Charleston, SC, or San Francisco. I had to really concentrate to come up with ten places worth sharing here in Columbia. I don’t want to give the wrong impression about my city; I do feel it’s very liveable. But it’s certainly not very sexy.