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Old 08-05-2008, 09:53 PM
 
Location: San Antonio
2,260 posts, read 5,592,587 times
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First, let me say that I love living in San Antonio. I've lived here for 11 years, and really enjoy it.

That being said, culture shock? YES! I moved here from St. Louis, and here are the things that boggled/perplexed me when I first moved. (I'm used to most of them now - it's been 11 years, like I said!)

1) San Antonio is much, much more conservative than St. Louis, politically.

2) Where is the African American population??? (The diversity has improved vastly in the past 7 years or so! That's a good thing!)

3) Why can't I find a really great, inexpensive Italian restaurant? (On the flip side, I couldn't find a really great, inexpensive Mexican restaurant in St. Louis either, so...)

4) Why is the public transportation system so, so, so bad?

5) Why are all the bars outside of downtown in the middle of strip malls?

6) Why is EVERYTHING outside of downtown in the middle of a strip mall?

7) Where are the walkable neighborhoods? Outside of Alamo Heights and Olmos Park, there are no walkable neighborhoods. Am I crazy for wanting to walk ON A SIDEWALK to a neighborhood restaurant or bar, or to buy a newspaper, or even to get a cup of coffee?

8) And where ARE the sidewalks? I remember reading about a neighborhood when I first moved here that didn't want sidewalks. A resident was quoted as saying something like, "We don't want sidewalks because we don't want people walking around". What?

9) WHY do so many children get pregnant?

10) Where are the trees in the newer neighborhoods?

11) And why the heck does every.single.house have its garage sticking out the front???

12) I miss basements.

That's all I can think of right now.

All that being said, I love it here, obviously. I'm STILL here, and I'm here for the duration - I went and married me a native Texan.
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Old 08-05-2008, 11:05 PM
 
Location: U.S.
9,512 posts, read 8,984,978 times
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Default shocked?

I was shocked when I got my first free cup of coffee from Valero. I asked what the occasion was and the clerk said the Spurs won so you get a free cup of coffee. I immediately became a Spurs fan and no longer complained about strong coffee.

PS>>> Go Spurs!!!
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Old 08-06-2008, 09:14 AM
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Location: Ohio
17,107 posts, read 37,960,312 times
Reputation: 14444
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnsonkk View Post
PS>>> Go Spurs!!!
That's a point worth emphasizing. I had never lived in an NBA city, so I was surprised by the extent to which the city embraces the team, especially during the playoffs. Folks new to the city may be shocked at how the emotional zeitgeist of the city is very much tied to the Spurs success.
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Old 08-06-2008, 09:35 AM
 
4,307 posts, read 9,515,405 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bowie View Post
That's a point worth emphasizing. I had never lived in an NBA city, so I was surprised by the extent to which the city embraces the team, especially during the playoffs. Folks new to the city may be shocked at how the emotional zeitgeist of the city is very much tied to the Spurs success.
IMO, that's one of the great things about this city. I've never been a huge NBA fan, I grew up in the LA-area and had no ties to the Lakers or Clippers, then didn't live any other place where a pro sports team mattered (except in England with soccer). Then I came to SA.

It took me all of one season to be quoting players and stats and referring to the Spurs as "Us" and "We" (ie, "If we win, we will be in the #2 spot..."). It's infectious. Helps that they're great guys.
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Old 08-06-2008, 09:52 AM
 
4,307 posts, read 9,515,405 times
Reputation: 1858
Quote:
Originally Posted by LindaGrace View Post
2) Where is the African American population??? (The diversity has improved vastly in the past 7 years or so! That's a good thing!)
comparatively small in SA. Not sure why.

Quote:
Originally Posted by LindaGrace View Post
3) Why can't I find a really great, inexpensive Italian restaurant? (On the flip side, I couldn't find a really great, inexpensive Mexican restaurant in St. Louis either, so...)
Our complaint as well, although my European DH claims it's impossible anywhere in the US.... we Americans seem to think Italian food is all smothered in sauce.

Quote:
Originally Posted by LindaGrace View Post
4) Why is the public transportation system so, so, so bad?
Like Los Angeles, the city was built and expanded after the onset of cars...poor planning, IMO, and continues that way.

Quote:
Originally Posted by LindaGrace View Post
5) Why are all the bars outside of downtown in the middle of strip malls?

6) Why is EVERYTHING outside of downtown in the middle of a strip mall?
Suburban blight, poor planning, poor growth patterns. That's why we live near downtown.

Quote:
Originally Posted by LindaGrace View Post
7) Where are the walkable neighborhoods? Outside of Alamo Heights and Olmos Park, there are no walkable neighborhoods. Am I crazy for wanting to walk ON A SIDEWALK to a neighborhood restaurant or bar, or to buy a newspaper, or even to get a cup of coffee?
Come to Southtown. We don't have as many sidewalks as we'd like, but the area is definitely very walking friendly.

Quote:
Originally Posted by LindaGrace View Post
8) And where ARE the sidewalks? I remember reading about a neighborhood when I first moved here that didn't want sidewalks. A resident was quoted as saying something like, "We don't want sidewalks because we don't want people walking around". What?
It's Texas, where people drive to go across the street (although we said the same in Indiana). That's why we live downtown/southtown, where walking is the norm. Our neighborhood was short on sidewalks, so residents pressured the city to put some in. It helped that it was during an election year.

Quote:
Originally Posted by LindaGrace View Post
9) WHY do so many children get pregnant?
Unfortunately, cultural. This is a HUGE problem in SA. It's a big problem in a lot of communities, but we have an exorbitantly high rate of teen pregnancy. The cycle is hard to stop, despite our best efforts. The Health Department has some programs which are proving effective (and have also shown that the abstinence only teaching is not effective), but it's a long battle.

Quote:
Originally Posted by LindaGrace View Post
10) Where are the trees in the newer neighborhoods?
In the mulch pile in Helotes that burned for months...
Cheaper for developers to rip out all the trees than the build around them, and the city has ok'd that until now...

Quote:
Originally Posted by LindaGrace View Post
11) And why the heck does every.single.house have its garage sticking out the front???
Come to Southtown! Actually, come to any older neighborhood...
I don't think the garage in front is a local phenomenon though. Just a 'new subdivision' phenomenon. It's true across the country in new developments. I don't know why - I hate that all you see is a garage...

Quote:
Originally Posted by LindaGrace View Post
12) I miss basements.
eh, having never lived in a house with one, despite living where they were common, I can take it or leave it. I do miss a wine cellar though! We considered digging one under our house (pier and beam foundation 3ft up, so it's doable by hand), but decided it was too much effort...

We're not here for the duration, but we've learned to really enjoy life here. IMO, having lived in many places, every place has something good to offer, and the key to enjoying a place is finding those things. It makes the less than ideal stuff more tolerable.
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Old 08-06-2008, 10:12 AM
 
Location: South Central Texas
114,841 posts, read 65,496,546 times
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10) Where are the trees in the newer neighborhoods?
In the mulch pile in Helotes that burned for months...
Cheaper for developers to rip out all the trees than the build around them, and the city has ok'd that until now..

Sweet!
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Old 08-06-2008, 10:32 AM
 
Location: San Antonio
91 posts, read 259,485 times
Reputation: 67
I was not a big fan of SA the first few years living here. For a big city it was way to slow for me. The highway traffic was slow, cars were driving slow even in the left lanes! Grocery store lines moved slow, Fast food lines moved slow, all lines in general seemed to move slow. IMO people generally moved slow and talked slower then other large cities I have lived in.

And strange people that i don't even know and may never see again would start up conversations with me! Like i knew them!


20 years later i love San Antonio and would never live anywhere else.(Except maybe San Diego if i hit the lotto)
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Old 08-06-2008, 10:40 AM
 
4,307 posts, read 9,515,405 times
Reputation: 1858
Quote:
Originally Posted by SA78228 View Post
I was not a big fan of SA the first few years living here. For a big city it was way to slow for me. The highway traffic was slow, cars were driving slow even in the left lanes! Grocery store lines moved slow, Fast food lines moved slow, all lines in general seemed to move slow. IMO people generally moved slow and talked slower then other large cities I have lived in.
I've spent a lot of time in the tropics, in places where people are oftened referred to as 'lazy' because they are slow. And at first, it can be very frustrating, then I learned it had a lot to do with the climate. When it's hotter than hell, you have to move slow. That translates into every facet of life, even though we have a/c. San Antonio fits that model.

Though I sometimes still get frustrated by the slow pace of things, it's a good reminder to me to slow down. Why do I always need to be in a rush? And if I am, I need to plan my time better
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Old 08-06-2008, 11:37 AM
 
Location: North Central S.A.
1,220 posts, read 2,669,506 times
Reputation: 980
Quote:
Originally Posted by SA78228 View Post
I was not a big fan of SA the first few years living here. For a big city it was way to slow for me. The highway traffic was slow, cars were driving slow even in the left lanes! Grocery store lines moved slow, Fast food lines moved slow, all lines in general seemed to move slow. IMO people generally moved slow and talked slower then other large cities I have lived in.

And strange people that i don't even know and may never see again would start up conversations with me! Like i knew them!


20 years later i love San Antonio and would never live anywhere else.(Except maybe San Diego if i hit the lotto)

I always say give it a couple of years. Except for Pennsylvanians...everyone I met hated it here with a passion! That's ok...to each his own. As for people starting up conversations, you probably ran into me. I get bored standing in our (slow! lol) lines and will strike up a conversation with people in the HEB line. My husband, from DC area, has asked me to talk a little faster! I never realized I had a Texan acccent until meeting him!
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Old 08-06-2008, 11:39 AM
 
Location: North Central S.A.
1,220 posts, read 2,669,506 times
Reputation: 980
Quote:
Originally Posted by KY Filly View Post
Ok Buffy....you're treading on thin ice here (LOL)....I'm definitely NOT a "northener"...born and raised in TN then most of my adult life in KY....both states are south of the Mason Dixon line! LOL....if you met and talked to me you would hear my "southern accent"!!

My bad! lol. Sorry about that!
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