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 moved to Whispering Oaks during my freshman year of high school, an exciting and eventful time for many teenagers. With my high school just a five-minute drive away, I spent the majority of my teenage years bringing friends to my house to swim and hang out after school and during the hot Texas summers.
Whispering Oaks is characterized by large oak trees and hills, great for long walks and spending time outdoors. A grassy valley with a connecting bridge divides the neighborhood in half, making it the perfect place to play sports, walk dogs and spend summer evenings watching the sunset.
The tennis courts and pool are gathering places to mingle and engage with neighbors, and I had many friends who worked as lifeguards for the pool or grew up swimming for teams there. A train track runs directly behind my house, which may sound inconvenient but is a fun feature to point out to new guests.
Every year since my 14th birthday, I have hosted birthday parties for both myself and my friends in our backyard. These parties are easily some of my fondest memories, reminding me how simple it is to have a good time with good company. I loved going for a swim, eating barbecue cooked by my parents and then walking around the neighborhood until it was time for everyone to go home. Even my neighbors would comment on how much joy it brought them to listen to kids just having fun.
One of my favorite spots close to my neighborhood in high school was the Alon Town Center. The center, which is just a mile away, is home to one of my favorite H-E-Bs in San Antonio, multiple restaurants and small shops. Pho VN Bistro is one of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants. I enjoy their quick service and delicious entrees.
I would frequently visit the Alon Town Center after football games, for high school lunch breaks and to pick up groceries for small house parties. I even learned how to parallel park in the parking lot. It was not uncommon for me to receive a text from friends asking to meet at “The Alon.”
Another well-known spot close to my neighborhood is Phil Hardberger Park. The park has two entrances, one on NW Military Highway and another on Blanco Road. The parks were more recently connected with a land bridge that allows animal and human residents to cross between the parks over Wurzbach Parkway. I love going for runs on warm days and utilizing the bridge to cross over between the two parks. I frequently walk my dogs here and love seeing other families on the trail. My friends and I would visit the park to go for walks, play basketball and have picnics. Many people I know have used the park for senior photos, engagement shoots and family portraits.
I could not have asked for a better area to spend my high school years. While COVID-19 stifled a lot of my high school experience, I enjoyed the opportunity to spend more time at home in my backyard and enjoyed the alone time with nature. My parents are gardeners, spending hours planting and cleaning up the flowers and landscape of our yard. Though I now spend most of my time on the Trinity University campus, I love coming home from college on the weekends to see the updates they have completed and the projects still taking place.
