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.
At 2 p.m. dismissal from Howard Early Childhood Center, Grandpa was always first in line. My parents both worked and went to school, so we had our grandparents, the best babysitters in the world. It definitely helped that they also lived in Alamo Heights — and right next door to us. I remember spending a lot of time with my grandparents and younger brother in my early years. And while I don’t remember all the details, my memories of my grandfather telling us stories are some of my fondest.
Our community was tight-knit, and everyone knew everyone. This was both a blessing and a curse. You always knew you could count on your neighbors in times of need, but they also knew all your business. If I got in trouble, there was no keeping it secret.
Everything I needed was right there in the community. H-E-B was around the corner, St. Anthony de Padua down the street, and family and friends were always within arms reach. Walking to and from school brought me so much joy. Evenings were spent at the ball fields with Mr. Gattis’s pizza, candy, sodas and cute girls. The agony of FOMO was full throttle on the nights I had to spend inside because of unfinished homework.
I loved baseball and being competitive, even after realizing it wasn’t quite my calling. My dad was very involved with coaching, and I cherished any opportunity to practice in the backyard when he got home from work. I miss those days.
After a few years of getting to know other parts of Texas, I realized I missed the community I left behind in Alamo Heights. Though it has certainly changed over the years, and there’s definitely more traffic these days, I’m glad I came back.
Trips to the San Antonio Zoo and golf at Brackenridge Park are two of my favorite activities in the area. There are some great bars and restaurants nearby, especially being so close to downtown and The Pearl. Good Time Charlies is my favorite spot; the chicken fingers are the best in town.
Live music pulsates at family favorites The Pigpen and Broadway 5050. Being a musician, taking the stage in front of a hometown crowd is exhilarating. It’s one thing to perform in front of strangers, but to open yourself up to be that fragile with a crowd of your peers or family, that takes guts.
We’ve cultivated a happy hour crew that looks forward to getting together at our spots. I love the opportunity to meet up with friends that I haven’t seen in a long time and catch up on updates on school, work and new families. I have experienced other places, long commutes to work and sprawling cities where just getting to the grocery store feels exhausting. It’s made me more grateful for my hometown. I love Alamo Heights and know this is right where I want to be.
