“In winter I love to ski. In the summer I do a lot of
camping, a lot of drinking, and a lot of not
teaching. I love to read.”
[last vacation]
Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee where her
boyfriend Rod proposed.
[favorite book]
Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
[favorite movie]
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Tiffany’s being where
her engagement ring came from complete with the little
blue box)
[she can’t pick just one]
Being an English teacher and an avid reader, Tommie
expands on her books and movies. She is in the middle of a
couple of books, recent favorites being Devil in the White City by Erik Larson and
Everything
is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. She recently went to
see Cars “It was hilarious, it was a stitch, very adult
humor,” she says. She also saw the blockbuster Superman Returns but only gave that one a so-so review.
Another one of Tommie’s favorite movies is
Pride and Prejudice, starring Keira Knightly. “Usually I
hate adaptations of books, because Pride and Prejudice is
one of my favorite classic stories, one of my favorite love
stories and so I was nervous about seeing a movie adaptation of
it, but it was very well done I thought.”
[on a space of her own]
Tommie graduated from Miami of Ohio where she
studied English Literature. She and her boyfriend at the time,
Rod, (now her fiancé) both went to Miami and moved to Columbus
together. “After graduation, a lot more opportunities offered
themselves up here in Columbus,” she says.
“I remember we were living with Rod’s parents
right after we graduated. And we were ready to find a place of
our own,” she says. They looked at places in Olde Towne East,
but weren’t sure about the neighborhood. While they waited to
meet with the landlord of their current apartment, they found a
little coffee shop nearby and had coffee. They sat and took in
the area and realized they really liked the vibe.
“For me, coming from a small town and a smaller
college, I was really nervous about moving to the quote, unquote
big city. For me to find an area like this with a strong sense
of community in a very urban area, I think it’s comforting and
it becomes very familiar to you very quickly.”
[east vs. west vs. midwest]
Tommie also visited Seattle recently and
compares it to her home. “West Coast cities are similar to
Columbus. There is a West Coast feel in the sense that you have
the smaller communities that make up the larger scale,” she
explains. “It’s very artistic, very laid back, very
liberal—which I love. If you get out to New York or other East
Coast cities you find that they have more of a conservative,
typical downtown feel.”
Tommie says it’s easier to find a niche in
Columbus. “You have specific areas. You have the Short North,
Italian Village, German Village and others, so I think it’s
easier to find a community to fit your personality. Like a
Seattle or Portland area.”[on green space and tang martinis]
Tommie’s favorite restaurant is Betty’s in the
Short North. “By far, Betty’s is one of my favorites. The
Tangtini is my favorite drink,” she says.
What Tommie really likes, however, are the
green spaces surrounding the city. “The park is the biggest
thing for me. Living in the downtown area, you don’t expect to
see that much green, but having a park so close is a highlight,”
she says. “I love the park. I love Goodale Park, it’s
beautiful.”[should they stay or should they go?]
When it comes to their surroundings, it’s all
or nothing for Tommie and Rod. They plan to stay in Columbus but
they don’t know if they will stick with the urban setting.
“I can’t see myself being anywhere else, but
whether I will stay in the downtown area is yet to be
determined,” Tommie says. She and Rod are still deciding whether
they want to stay urban or go rural.
“It has to be one or the other for me. I
couldn’t do the suburbs. If I’m not in the downtown area I will
have to have property somewhere. I either have to be out or in,”
she says. “Your either on top of each other but you have the
community and the cool places to go, or you have the space,
acres of yard. I couldn’t do the suburbs where you have like
three feet of yard before your neighbor is staring through your
bathroom window.”
[on summer in the city]
For now, the city is her home and Tommie plans to
spend this summer tutoring, reading, planning lessons for next
year with future plans to return to school, get her PhD and
teach at the college level.
we need your help!! think-urban.com is looking for some of the
issues that you come across when looking for an urban community
to live in. what can't you find? what would you like to know
more about? who would you like to meet or have us interview?
What restaurant reviews would you like to see? anything else?
CONTACT US HERE.
