Dear San Antonio,
A letter seems so trite considering all you’ve done for me over the past four years. Happy anniversary, by the way.
The first time we met, I was about seven. Similar to most folks meeting you for the first time, that trip consisted of three things: the Alamo, Sea World, and the Riverwalk. It was all I knew. Really, it was all that anyone in my world knew. Just a sleepy little town with a ton of history, right? And if a time traveler came to me when I was 18 and told me that I’d be pushing 30 and unable to imagine living anywhere else, well … I would’ve refused to believe they were talking about me.
You already know my biggest secret as a San Antonio transplant: I’m a Houston native. I wasn’t just born there – the city is a huge part of who I am. The home of Clutch City, the first multi-purpose domed sports stadium, my favorite bagel shop, the President Heads, miles upon miles of bayous, The Galleria, and the streets in which I drove around aimlessly as a high school senior, yearning for the future.
And in the summer of 2011, I said goodbye to my apartment, family, friends, contacts, mentors, and a city with three professional sports teams. That three hour drive west – one I had done hundreds of times before – was the scariest of my life.
But I guess I should back up.
In 2004 I went to college and met one of your native sons – in Tucson, Arizona, no less. I was amazed at how firmly his cowboy boots were planted in your soil. He and I weren’t meant to be at the time, but I never stopped wondering why it was he loved you so much. He insisted that he would research living elsewhere after he graduated, but everyone knew you’d lead him home. Almost a decade later, he’s still here – and those cowboy boots are rooted deeper than ever.
And thank goodness, because those boots led me to you. He and I reunited post-college and married in 2012. I have him to thank for our real introduction.
But this isn’t about him – it’s about you and me.
It’s about how within a year of moving here, I abandoned my Houston Rockets fandom to bleed Black and Silver, which my brothers will never forgive me for. I am a huge sports fan because of the Rockets teams of the mid ’90s: the Dream Shake and Clyde the Glyde and Rudy T’s “never underestimate the heart of champion.” But there is no franchise – in all of professional sports – like the San Antonio Spurs. There is no fan base who loves a team more. There is no city that shuts down when their team is playing in the NBA Finals quite like you do. A 9 a.m. meeting the morning after a Finals game? Forget about it. Spurs love is a contagious kind of love, and I caught the bug fast.
It’s about how you can always find a paleta cart.
It’s about how, for two weeks in April, we take to the streets to praise your awesomeness. Fiesta is about history and community and dressing up dogs for parades and celebrating all the things that make you great. Plus, getting to hang my Fiesta wreath on my front door is becoming one of my favorite pastimes.
It’s about the stretch of 281 North between Hildebrand Avenue and Basse Road where all you can see is tree tops and blue sky.
It’s about Penner’s men’s store on Commerce Street, where generations upon generations of guayabera lovers have been shopping for almost 100 years.
It’s about how your nonprofit organizations collaborate better than those of any city in the country. It’s about how generous your companies are (from the big boys to the little guys) in supporting those organizations. It’s about how lucky I am that I’ve gotten to see both sides of this equation.
It’s about the San Antonio Regional Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament that takes place in the heart of the Westside – an event that is more beloved by a community than any I’ve ever been a part of.
It’s about how the Riverwalk down by La Gloria is one of the most peaceful places I’ve ever been.
(And it’s about how I could write a novel to the Pearl, but that’s for another day.)
It’s about how sitting on the bench in front of City Hall on a breezy day makes me forget about everything on my to-do list, if only for a few minutes.
It’s about how I can be at the original Rudy’s from anywhere in about 30 minutes. (There’s always something about “the original,” isn’t there?)
It’s about your exploding culinary scene and the restaurants that have become my staples (Cured, Bohanan’s, Earl Abel’s, Vietnam Gardens, Thousand Oaks Cafe, and Hsiu Yu, to name a few). And it’s about how I can get to a Whataburger pretty much instantly when I’m craving chicken fingers, no matter if I’m out at La Cantera or participating in the MLK Day Parade.
It’s about how my future children will grow up in a place where the color of their skin, the religion they practice, and the person whom they fall in love with are all irrelevant.
Perhaps most importantly, it’s about the friends I’ve made, the people I’ve worked with, the places I’ve been lucky to work, and the mentors – both personal and professional – I’ve gained. All of these people don’t just feel like home…they are home.
And we met because we had one thing in common: you.
I’ve stopped wondering why my husband has always loved you as much as he does. It’s because there are no strangers here. It’s because no one in the world loves a city more than someone who lives here loves you. That’s a lot of love – and every ounce of it is warranted.
I’m proud to be from Houston. But you’re my home now. And I can’t think of a better compliment than that.
Viva,
Lauren
*Featured/top image: The author and her dog Duncan, circa 2015, in front of their house in San Antonio. Courtesy photo.
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That is a great story, it is the consummate take of, if you aren’t here, you just don’t get it. This city may tend to shut down early, but when we are up and at ’em, we are the friendliest place on Earth. You will not find a shortage of people offering assistance, no matter what the project is…a rare and unique situation in today’s world. San Antonio is my home, but it us more than that, it is a way of life. We are raised right and strive to make everyone feel welcome. I am glad you have been converted. I always loved the old San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau slogan, “Uptown, Down Home”…just sums it up perfectly for me.
Great letter!! My heart swells with excitement & pride….you get it, friend!!
Thanks for making me cry this morning. I love S.A.
Even though I was born in Mexico and legally immigrated at the age of two San Antonio is my home and I know matter where I have gone to live before always return to San Antonio a great city
Mike Patterson – this is for you!
Thanks for the love, all!
I’ve always felt San Antonio was my home base. No matter where I travel there is something about coming back to San Antonio that warms my heart. I love being in a city I can walk up to a stranger and possibly walk away with a life long friend.
Lauren, I feel the same. I moved here from New York, 10 years ago and this is it…..home at last!
I love that stretch of 281 🙂
Right, Gil? Makes sitting in traffic bearable!
I love your article! I am from San Antonio and I’m glad our pride for our city shines through 🙂
Side note: I loved seeing Vietnam Gardens as one of your staples. My husband and I having been going there since a year after they opened. He loved Christine, and the food so much, he worked there for awhile. She treats everyone like family, and our boys are growing up with their love and food.
Christine and Louie are the best!
Great read, I love San Antonio! I grew up there and have since moved away. After 14 years of being away from the city I still love dearly, I am returning by the end of the year 🙂
Thanks for the kind words, Joe!
This made me tear up! The funny thing is that I am a native San Antonian, born and bred since 1962. I even went to UTSA when it was just a baby school. I lived just north of Houston in Conroe for a year and fell in love with it. But that wasn’t meant to be because I was also in love with a young man who would not move there from San Antonio. I moved back here, to SA, in 1986, we got married in 1988, and here I am today. We have raised 4 children here, 3 blocks from where my husband grew up and 2 miles form where I grew up. Most of my family is still here. I will probably never move anywhere else. Rarely do I go anywhere that I don’t run into someone who knows someone in my family. You have chosen well. San Antonio has my heart. I LOVE this place.
Yvonne – San Antonio also has my heart! Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful article, but the even on MLK Day is a “march”, not a “parade”.
Thanks for joining us in the Alamo City. 🙂
It seems to me that we transplants appreciate San Antonio almost more than those who lived here their whole lives. I’m also from Houston, moved here in 1972 and could never imagine going back. I moved to Dallas for a couple years for a job but kept my place here and every month when I came home I felt at peace. When I finally made the decision to come home for and drove that U-haul home, I finally got a good night’s sleep.
So true, Lynn!
Most of my college friends left SA to find their lives, but most came back. Some of us knew a good thing and stayed here. I love Houston, a nice place to visit but………..
Beautiful thoughts and I totally feel the same
Hearts.
I too am a transplant from Houston. And while there are many things I love about San Antonio, there are some things I just can’t get used to. What’s crazy to me is how the most affluent remain mostly white in a town that’s so brown (and why do they congregate in one part of town). And, I will never understand why native San Antonians drive so slow. Nor will understand why so many entertainers go to austin yet pass up SA. And I still haven’t gotten used to the whole water restrictions thing. And how is it that Dallas can secure an MLS franchise, but the eighth largest US city that’s chock full of rabid el trí fans who refuse to call it anything other than fútbol cannot? so while I love me some SA I can’t shake the feeling that we still have a long way to go.
This is easily my favorite piece of all of the wonderful ones written about San Antonio in The Rivard Report. Lauren, you so beautifully captured the sentiment and affection of so many of us that love San Antonio. Having moved away recently, this piece resonated with me in ways I can hardly explain. Thanks for sharing – so well done.
Thank you for your kind words, Kelly!
This, exactly this. I’m originally from Ohio. Moved to TX at 14 and went to high school in a little town 90 miles SW of SA. Went to college at Texas Tech and spent waaaaaaay too many years in Lubbock only wanting to come back to SA. Finally got the opportunity in 2010 and just celebrated our 5 yr anniversary being SA residents. We love this city, we love our life here, and we have no plans, ever, to leave.
Happy 5 year anniversary, Erica! I hit 5 in 2016.
I’m not a Houston Native, I’m a Houstonian. Maybe just semantics, but I am puzzled as to why so few from Houston seem to use ‘Houstonian’. I also call it a ‘feeder road’, not an ‘access road’, right Houstonians? 🙂
I have lived here 16 years, also left behind my Houston basketball love (Akeem, then Hakeem) for the Spurs and never looked back. I love it here.
I read this thinking there was going to be a catch but it never came. Here are my thoughts and opinions on both cities (which may spark debate)
What both cities share:
-Friendly people
-Great food
-Hot summers
– Chips on their shoulders
– for Houston b/c it gets an unfairly bad rap nationwide who think Houston ‘sucks’ when it doesn’t.
– for SA b/c we think saying 7th largest city in the US will make us shine brighter than Dallas, Houston and increasingly Austin when in fact we’re the 26th largest media market and that’s all that really matters so we need to get over it and just run our own race)
Pros for Houston, relative to SA:
– World class arts scene
– World class medical center
– Truly multi-cultural city (not just bi-cultural)
– More welcoming of transplants (in my opinion)
Pros for San Antonio, relative to Houston:
– no traffic – this is really huge
– richer cultural history
– very appealing cost of living
– better weather
– brighter future – our best days are clearly ahead of us.
– 5 rings!
I think both cities are great but I’ve planted my flag here.
Robert – it is ABSOLUTELY a feeder road!
I’ve lived here my entire adult life after my dad was stationed here 3 times. We are considering moving away to retire but your article gives me pause…
Michael, I think SA is appealing for everyone – from millennials to retirees. Thanks for reading!
Okay, Lauren. I also grew up in Houston and after having lived in SA for the past two years, I have to say that it would take an awful lot to change that status.
Cutting to the chase: I grew up in Clear Lake City and I think I recognize that street in your childhood picture. Am I right? Small world…
Hi Tami – not too far away . . . Fondren Southwest.
Ah, yes. Same vintage of hood…
Lauren!
Loved the article. I am from south Louisiana (Lafayette area) and came by way of the US Air Force over 26 years ago. I spent my whole 4 year enlistment here, and cannot imagine living anywhere else.
Thank you, Angie!
No matter how big San Antonio gets nor how many millions of people call the Alamo City home, S.A will always be a special place to visit and to call home. San Antonio will never lose its soul!
Couldn’t agree more, Pablo!
As a Jersey transplant (38 years) I share your love for our city. And if you want bagels better than Houston visit Chicago Bagels (they are better than NJ or NY bagels too).
You aren’t the first person to suggest Chicago Bagels! I will have to check them out. Thanks for reading, Warren!