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.
My family and I moved from the Far West Side of San Antonio to the Woods of Shavano on the first day of summer vacation in May 2000. I later spent some time away from my hometown while I attended Abilene Christian University for my bachelor’s degree, and then Texas Tech for my master’s. Shortly after completing my studies at the end of 2016, I moved to San Francisco briefly before taking my first full-time job in Fort Smith, Arkansas for a contract with the National Park Service.
But San Antonio has a chokehold on my heart, and I always knew I’d be back. I returned for good after Thanksgiving 2018.
After saving enough money, I officially moved out of my parents’ house in late 2019 into an apartment in my current neighborhood in North Central San Antonio. Both neighborhoods are growing quickly and they’re both family-friendly. I especially appreciate how dog-friendly my current neighborhood is.
I am near the east dog park at Hardberger Park. My dog Benny and I enjoy taking the Salado Creek Greenway trail to the dog park and over the Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge. It’s a great way to get in some exercise and explore the green spaces here in San Antonio.
The day I adopted Benny and brought him home has to be my favorite memory here. When I adopted him from the San Antonio Great Dane Society, he wanted nothing to do with me. (Side note: Benny is a schnauzer chihuahua mix, not a Great Dane.) Once I brought Benny home, he took a 30-minute nap, woke up, and we were besties. It’s been that way ever since, and I have loved watching him grow up here and make this place home with me.
My favorite places in the neighborhood are mostly places to get food and drinks. I love getting coffee at Medina River Coffee on West Avenue, Earlybird Coffee in Huebner Oaks, and Coffee + Culture off Blanco Road, grabbing a beer at Weathered Souls and occasionally picking up a sandwich from Max and Louie’s. Bars like Dad’s and Wurzbach Ice House are places my friends and I hang out and watch sports (I’m a huge Cowboys, Chiefs, and Spurs fan). Luckily, where I’m located, I can walk to where I need to go for a quick coffee or a snack. But I would love to see more bars and eateries in the area.
Though I’m not part of any neighborhood-specific communities, I feel like my community is San Antonio-wide. I go to events all around the city, and my favorite thing to do is support local small businesses. Since I love to shop, I try to find boutiques and pop-ups nearby to shop at and support. The Elysia Collective Co. at Wurzbach and Lockhill Selma has some of my favorite boutiques, all owned by women.
Now that I work from home full time, Benny and I are outgrowing our current apartment. We love our neighborhood and its great mix of urban and suburban life, so when we look for a bigger space, it will definitely still be here in North Central San Antonio.
