I am not an Upstate native, but I might as well be. I was born in Long Island, New York but was just a toddler when my parents made me quit my job and leave all of my friends to move to the textile capital of the world. As a three year old in New York, I could have cared less about textiles or the Deep South, and still have not forgiven them for making me miss The Ramones show at the CBGB the weekend we loaded up the station wagon and moved to the rising metropolis of Greenville, SC.
Ok, so maybe there is a touch of revisionist history there. My parents never owned a station wagon. But I digress…
To make a long story short, Greenville was always where I lived because I had to. When I did not have to live there anymore, I left. Eight years ago, a series of amazingly poor decisions led me back to the Upstate, where I currently reside. At first I resented this second “sentence” to this corner of the earth, but then something happened.
I grew up.
Instead of making plans to move, or just resigning myself to where I ended up, I actually opened my eyes to the endless beauty and opportunities of the place I call home. Instead of trying to make the best of things, I realized that the best of things were right here in front of me.
I live in a city where my wife and son and I have plenty of food and entertainment options at our fingertips to make every day an adventure. Sure, sometimes we have to look a little harder to find the things we had in bigger cities, but many things are staring us right in the face. Whether you enjoy a good meal, music, a day in the woods, or just trying something new, the South Carolina Upstate has plenty to offer.
In this blog, I will be writing about some of our favorite places. They might not be the most popular or well known, and sometimes that is what makes them better. Also, none of the places or businesses named in this blog have asked me to write about them – I have selected them based on their own merit and nothing else.
I hope you try some of these places and take as much pleasure in them as much as my family and I do. Enjoy!