The Where I Live series aims to showcase our diverse city and region by spotlighting its many vibrant neighborhoods. Each week a local resident invites us over and lets us in on what makes their neighborhood special. Have we been to your neighborhood yet? Get in touch to share your story. If your story is selected and published, you will receive a $250 stipend.
In the Deco District, we’re flanked by the Los Angeles Heights-Keystone, Beacon Hill and Jefferson neighborhoods. Instead of feeling split between all of them, my wife, Shelton, and I feel like each one makes our home a special place to live and raise our almost 3-year-old.
About one year ago, we sold our home off of Potranco and moved to our current home after realizing our workplaces, our son’s daycare and our favorite activities were all more central. When I give people directions to our home I usually say, “Look for the one that’s a little out of place and tall.”
Honestly, this is what first made us look at this house during our house search. We wanted something that was pretty turn-key because the idea of having to update major things in a home while having a 1-year-old felt overwhelming. This house was a new build that was built on a lot that was vacant for a while. As soon as we walked in, we knew we had found our forever home.
The Deco District has a hipster-Hispanic vibe and innovative businesses like Black Potion, where you can grab a drink and play games. Some businesses make you feel like you’re with family, like our favorite place to eat, The Hut Diner. Anytime we enter The Hut, Sylvia, one of the waitresses, waves at us with a friendly smile and greets our son, Knox with, “Let me guess, a bean and egg taco?”
One of our favorite spots in the area is the playground at Los Angeles Heights Park. If you’re like our toddler and love cars, this playground is the place to go. The playground sits atop a hill where you can see Interstate 10 travelers zooming by. Most of the time we go to this park we are the only patrons and have the place to ourselves. People might overlook this area because the entrance to it off the highway can be a little confusing, but it is a gem worth searching for.
Beacon Hill, to me, is the definition of quirk. When we’re in the mood to thrift or eat at the best deli in San Antonio, we take the 2-minute drive over that way. If you’ve never checked out the stores along Blanco Road, then you’re missing out. After hours of thrifting, you’d have to head over to Beacon Hill Market & Deli and grab the most delicious sandwich — but only if you’re lucky. Most of the time when we head there they are already sold out!
Our current home has come with neighbors who look out for each other and send a wave any time we run into one another outside. We’ve even made friends with the neighbor’s dog. When we were house hunting we wanted to find a place we felt comfortable raising Knox, and having neighbors who immediately introduced themselves and their kids has made us feel confident we made the right decision. Our neighbor John is quick to leave toys his son has outgrown on our doorstep for Knox to enjoy next. If you look in our front yard now you’d find about three hand-me-down toys Knox uses daily thanks to a great neighbor.
Having an active toddler means finding ways to keep him occupied while we also get to spend quality time as a family. Our home is about 5-10 minutes from the zoo, botanical garden, Woodlawn Lake, The DoSeum, Olmos Basin Park, Landa Library and The Pearl, which means we always have somewhere to enjoy ourselves — often for free.
For the most part, our neighborhood has been our dream come true, but, like most places, there are things we wish we could change or improve. For us, it’s mainly improving the condition of our roads and adding sidewalks so we can safely take family walks around the neighborhood. When all is said and done, we absolutely love where we live and hope more San Antonians will find hidden gems in our neighborhood like we have.
