Hey COLAday, Jess + Sam here. Between the 2 of us, we get the privilege of sharing the news with 55,134 of readers in COLAtoday, daily — both through our newsletter + social feeds.

We’ve got some new faces at COLAtoday, so you can consider this our official meet-cute (no cinematic, albeit awkward, coffee spill bump-ins required). 😘

Meet Sam 👋

Q: What’s something every new Soda Citizen oughta know about?

A: The community in Cola is unmatched. Columbia is mostly made up of small businesses. We truly love to celebrate each other, want to see each other succeed, and show up for 1 another. If we’re just talking #ProTips, you don’t have to pay parking meters after 6 p.m. or on weekends.

Q: What makes you the local expert in Columbia?

A: I was raised here and my boyfriend at the time, (now husband) and I have never stopped exploring Cola as 2 broke students. We've always tried to find a new activity or date night go-to. There’s no one I can think of that knows Cola better than us, so I think I have the coolest job ever.

Q: You’re taking someone on a date in COLA. Where are you going?

A: That depends on the time of day. I’m more of a brunch gal, so I would go to Cafe Strudel or SmallSUGAR. Some dinner date options would be either Cantina 76 or Deluccas in West Columbia. We would finish the night at The Nickelodeon Theater, Transmission Arcade, or WeCo Bottle and Beergarten for drinks.

Meet Jess 👋

Q: If you were taking someone on a tour around Columbia, where are the 3 places you’re going?

A: Anytime friends or family come into town Soda City Market on Saturday morning is a must, then we take the pups to the Riverwalk, and grab a beer at 1 of Columbia’s breweries — my usual go-to is Steel Hands or Hazelwood.

Q: What’s something every new Soda Citizen oughta know about?

A: As someone who is not originally from Columbia, the community is very welcoming and there is always something to do. The Soda City has some of the best rooftop views in the state, go explore Congaree National Park, and expect traffic on malfunction junction at rush hour to be the worst.

Q: You can only choose 1 local restaurant menu to bring with you to a deserted island — which one is it + why?

A: This is so hard but seeing as how tacos are my favorite food group I would have to say Real Mexico, but a close second would be Boca Grande Burritos.