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.
As a San Antonio native, I’ve seen the unique growth and investment made in the core of downtown. Seeing the skyscrapers glisten in the beautiful Texas-sized sunsets made downtown San Antonio a dream home of mine. I remember as a kid going to the Alamo on field trips, wondering if there really was a basement, playing in the wooden playground at then-Hemisfair Park and, of course, breezing on by in the river barges of the River Walk. It made me feel like a true San Antonian.
Growing up in the North Central side of town, it was a rarity when we visited downtown. The horse-drawn carriages, live street performers and the hustle and bustle of a thriving city drew in my creative imagination. Fast forward almost 20 years and I can say living in the heart of downtown is a theater production worth watching.
Moving downtown, I realized quickly there are two types of people: those who live/work here and those who are visitors. What was I going to do to make downtown my home? Seeing the beautiful murals mesh along the historic pavement off Houston Street, I knew there was more to downtown than meets the eye. Meeting Andi Rodriguez, vice president of Cultural Placemaking at Centro San Antonio, who also lives downtown, was my key. We co-founded the official San Antonio Downtown Neighborhood Association, better known as the “Urbanistas.” We brought the residents of downtown together to discuss needs and wants and revisit the places that make us a unique neighborhood.
As context, the River Walk is literally my front yard.
Additionally, being the founder of Socialize San Antonio, a local blog on Instagram that covers food, lifestyle, fashion, events and more, made downtown a no-brainer when choosing a place to live. You can find me at The St. Anthony hotel enjoying a delicious Old Fashioned cocktail at Haunt, listening to The Dirty River Jazz Band in the lobby or just going for a morning run along the beautiful trails of the river walk.
Downtown San Antonio has a new wave of local places to go to that aren’t just for tourists. When I want to have a chill evening, I check out Sojourn Trading Co. Nestled across the San Pedro Creek, Sojourn offers an intimate and quaint environment with bright plush seating and hand-drawn murals, giving you a perfect “temporary gateway, an espace,” alongside delectable bites and handcrafted cocktails. The Esquire Tavern, which boasts Texas’ longest wooden bar top, is in the heart of the River Walk where you can find handmade cocktails, all within the walls of a bespoke-style bar filled with taxidermied animals and quirky antique finds.
If I want to relax and unwind, which can be hard to do in the fast-moving pace of downtown, I reground at The Spa at Hotel Contessa. This unique spa offers full-service spa treatments and even a rooftop pool to give you that Texas-sized view. When it’s time for me to stretch for yoga, I look to Hemisfair and Legacy Park, which provides monthly initiatives for us as locals to stretch.
Can’t forget about brunch, one of my favorite meals of the week! Domingo, which sits on the bank of the River Walk, gives a Spanish plaza feel where you can taste my favorite dish, green chile and chicken enchiladas with a side of churro waffles. If you’re looking for brunch all week, you have to visit Box Street Social in Hemisfair. You can’t go wrong with the Eggs Benny!
Most importantly, it’s celebrating the cultura and heritage that makes our downtown neighborhood unique. Yes, visiting the Tower of the Americas is cool, but it’s the celebrations like the Guayabera Fest and The Saga that really help residents embrace San Antonio. It’s the little things like hearing the cars honking after a Spurs win or hearing the clacking of horse-drawn carriages from your room while streaming your favorite show.
Walking the same sidewalks and riding our bikes on the same pavement San Antonians did decades ago makes you embrace where we’ve come from and where we’re headed.
Our neighborhood isn’t a few years old, it’s more than 300 years old. From the nods that we give visitors, helping someone find directions or simply just saying hello, our neighborhood brings that hospitality and love to downtown for all to enjoy.
