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.
Waking up for the first time in a new home is at the top of my list when it comes to cherished experiences worth repeating.
The morning sun peeking through the windows of your new space, the slight disorientation, the thrill of wondering how you will make it your own. Empty walls, new places to explore and sounds to hear. A clean slate.
I experienced this just two weeks ago when I moved into the Stone Ridge neighborhood, a small strip of modest homes just northeast of the San Antonio airport.
Having been raised here in San Antonio, I’ve had my fair share of zip codes — from 78210 on the near East Side and within walking distance to Hemisfair and St. Paul Square to 78209, with quick access to Central Market and a quick bus ride to downtown on the 9 bus that passes along the museum district.
Flanked by Mud Creek and McAllister Park, Stone Ridge is nestled among some of San Antonio’s most amazing outdoor areas. Within seconds I am immediately transported from my somewhat urban dwelling and into what I call “the bamboo forest” along the Blue Trail route at McAllister Park.
Just steps from my semi-dense residential street, I can take a quiet, nature-filled walk without the sound of anything except the occasional crack of a bat at the McAllister Park Little League fields, or an incoming or outgoing plane from the airport.
McAllister alone boasts nearly 1,000 acres of parkland and connects to the popular Howard Peak Greenway Trail.
As I’ve aged, I’ve learned to value the amenities a neighborhood can offer its residents more than I ever did before. A small pocket park down the street from me provides a safe space for my daughter to learn how to ride her bicycle and for the local dog walkers to take their furry friends for a stretch.
As a bit of a coffee nerd, I typically make my cup at home with my preferred beans and roasts. But if I do venture out to a shop, Curator Coffee is my first choice in my area. Located in an unassuming strip center near the H-E-B at Thousand Oaks and Jones Maltsburger, Curator brings not only good coffee drinks but a cozy vibe and locally crafted ceramic goods for sale.
Every neighborhood needs a hardware store, especially for this gearhead, and I’m lucky to live near the Five Oaks Ace Hardware. Tools, home repair parts and various types of glue are just a small portion of the goods offered by Five Oaks. On a recent trip, I found a large rack of disc golf discs greeting me near the front doors. I’m well past my disc launching days but the nearby McClain Park Disc Golf Course was calling me when I saw the rows of iridescent plastic saucers.
I’m still getting acquainted with my new neighborhood but if I’ve learned anything from my time in Stone Ridge, I might hang around this zip code a while.
