There's a lot to love about South Carolina's (semi) famous capital. From fine dining to Five Points, Columbia does a great job of keeping your day to day life exciting. Here's a breakdown of some of the key characteristics I've noticed.

Weather.

One second it's a beautiful clear day, and the next it's a torrential downpour with no escape. In addition to the unpredictable precipitation, the temperature easily raises 20 degrees from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. I've recently gone with shorts (under pants), a T-shirt (under three rain jackets), and Bean boots (with a change of Sperrys).

Five Points.

At least a few times a week people will ask if I'm going downtown, and almost every time I'm the only one with an 8 a.m. class. It will be fun for a couple of hours and then you'll realize you're drenched in spilled drinks and your best friend is puking next to a cop. Five Points will either the best of times, or the worst.

"The Bricks."

After crawling out of bed, getting ready for the day ahead, and somehow feeling slightly motivated, $@*! Scattered throughout our beautiful city are sidewalks made up of uneven deathtraps. These poorly laid bricks will destroy any small chance you had at a good day, as well as waves of empathy as you watch your peers go down one by one.

People.

The citizens of Columbia are usually not the classiest though you may run into a couple deranged religious lecturers. Similar to the weather, there's no predicting what will happen, who will come up with you, and what they will do. Venturing off campus in the middle of the night will probably introduce you to a lot of Columbia's finest, but that pretty much applies to every city.

Still golden.

Even with its slight imperfections, Columbia is still the best city around. I can't imagine being anywhere else.