San antonio has the rudest people (Austin, New Braunfels: loan, neighborhood, taxes)

[Chakapu]

Originally Posted by californiaismyhome

Okay i dont know if its just that san antonio isnt south enough, but what ever happend to this souther hospitality i always hear about. I just moved to SA from sacramento, California. I thought california was supposto be rude, but compared to this town cali has some of the nicest people i have ever met. No one smiles here, no one says hi to my baby, they drive like freakin crazy maniacs. i think Los angeles drivers are better with there eyes closed. Its dirty here and the streets are ****ty, there is only one grocery store that took over the whole town??? What about safeway and winco? The taxes are higher. I still cant get over how rude people are, we thought moving out here would be a better life for our kids and family, yeah right i would never let my kids go to school in this city, let alone walk down the street. I have never gone in a store in california without having at least one person smile at me or say hi.

Whereas I can't go grocery shopping without at least 10 people cooing and touching and sometimes kissing my baby.

Never had a problem with people saying hi. Sometime I'd rather they just left me alone ;-)

[comingtoSA]

I also recently moved to SA from Sacramento, and my experiences have been the exact opposite of the OP. We moved to the Leon Springs area, which is in the far NW, a few minutes past The Rim. Everyone has been extremely friendly and nice. Yes, the driving is a bit crazy, but you get used to it. And I also have a baby - my daughter is 6 months old, and people are always smiling and talking to her.
I would recommend checking out the zoo - the zoo here in SA puts the one in Sacramento to shame!!!! Get out as much as possible, maybe join a mom's group or something. I hope you'll soon see how great your new home is!!!
Good luck!

[goodmanm]

Let's face it, service jobs in general aren't that great. The person you are dealing with at the time may be just having a bad day.

The military in general usually doesn't give you the choice of where you want to go. Where you live once you get there usually is the choice of the member. Money is the factor. Enlisted folks in general don't get enough housing allowance to cover a single family home. If you're junior enlisted you're probably only going to be able to afford a house in the crappy area of town.

Here's a recent example of a total stranger being friendly. I was out christmas shopping the other day and at the checkout I asked the cashier if I could have some tape to better secure the box one of my items was in (it was heavy and the box wasn't in great shape). She had to go to the customer service to get it. I apologized to the guy behind me for the delay, and he was totally understanding. I also had to maneuver the box around so the cashier could scan the UPC code. He held onto the cart so I could do it without the cart moving around. I thanked him for his help, he wished me a merry xmas.

I swear the rudest people on earth live around the beltway area of Wash. D.C.!

[GWhopper]

Originally Posted by californiaismyhome

i live umm i dont really know like off of rittamen road or somethin, its like 5 min from fort sam houston

As a native of SA, I am sorry for your experience as well. The area around Fort Sam is not indicative of the entire city. In fact, many who live around there are temporary transplants cycling through FT. Sam. If you head to areas north of you for shopping and entertainment, I am sure you'll find some friendly locals.

[SweethomeSanAntonio]

Originally Posted by californiaismyhome

i guess it depends where you lived. Cause i was from sacramento, and its a big city. It had its bad parts but it had really nice parts too. I have yet to see a nice part of san antonio.

San Antonio has to be one of friendliest cities. I have friends that live in diferent parts of the country and they always say no where near as friendly. San Antonio no nice parts? Sactown no comparsion to San Antonio. I have family that used to live in Roseville,Ca and they commented once how boring Sac town was compared to San Antonio.

[urbsan]

also there is a whole foods at the quarry thats another grocery shopping option and then of course central market but that is still heb just with a different facade and different food. And again i too am really sorry the san antonians you have met have made you feel unwelcome i havent had that experience, but i also havent had to live through the stress of moving to a completely different city! i hope your sa experiance gets better. as for nicer parts of town i would say there are many downtown is always fun and now always changing!!!! and then you have southtown wich has neat little shops and good restraunts broadway hildebrand area is fun i believe you said you had kids i would suggest taking them to cheesy janes even if you dont have kids it is one of my favorite burger joints of course there are many other spots around town. when i moved to austin one of my favorite things to do was hop in a car until i found something interesting walk around and enjoy myself and the city. exploring really is a great way to learn the city. good luck with your new move i hope everything turns out right !!!! : )

[sixcloars]

We've been here almost 3 months now. San Antronio does not have the hospitality of some southern cities, but I can't say that I think the people here are rude. My neighbors brought us cookies the week we moved in. Another stopped and introduced herself.

I love HEB. We moved here from a Kroger-only city, and HEB has cut my grocery bill by $50-75 a month. Love it, love it, love it!!

Drivers-- I'm not sure I'll ever really get used to driving here. SA drivers certainly are in a league of their own.

[01Snake]

Originally Posted by sixcloars

lf.

I love HEB. We moved here from a Kroger-only city, and HEB has cut my grocery bill by $50-75 a month. Love it, love it, love it!!

I'm with you. So what if HEB is the only "grocery" store in town. Its by far the best grocery store I've shopped in. I'm currently working in Minneapolis and they seem to have 2 main stores up here. Rainbow and Cub Foods. I've found both the be pretty crummy. I miss HEB everytime I am on the road.

[Eily71]

Welcome to San Antonio!! Tho I no longer live there, I still consider it my hometown.....as much as a MilitaryBrat can have a hometown. One thing my dad would always remind us......it's not bad, it's just different...and it usually isnt forever. I have had to remind myself of that more than once after several moves as an adult civilian lol.

I am not very familiar with the area where you live, tho my mother lives in Kirby, which is very close to Ft Sam. I would utilize any resources the post has available as military posts/bases are a community all their own. Maybe park the car at Ft Sam and take the city bus around if you dont want to drive. Go downtown, to the Zoo etc. I agree, the Botanical Gardens is a great suggestion. Drop into the lobby of a nearby hotel and grab some tourist brochures....great for seeing what is available.

One thing that is a part of the Hispanic culture here is that when someone admires your baby or child, they will often touch the child to "ward off the evil eye". Same thing if your are pregnant. Just thought I would mention that as it can be a bit alarming if you come from a region that is a little less "touchy feely".

I hope you settle into your stay in San Antonio...it really does have a lot to offer. Wish I could be there to show you around!!!

[Eleanor Rigby]

One thing that is a part of the Hispanic culture here is that when someone admires your baby or child, they will often touch the child to "ward off the evil eye".

I had to explain this to my pregnant cousin when she came to visit and was totally freaked out by an older lady at HEB coming up to her, rubbing her stomach, saying something in Spanish, and making the sign of the cross before moving on down the frozen foods aisle.