A few questions about San Antonio? (Bandera: apartment, loft, safe area)

[ChrisMP]

Thank you all for helpings. I also want to say that If I offended anyway, that it was not my intention at all.

What I meant about "tricking" out cars and trucks, was a reflection of adult culture. Kids will try to be flashing to show off, but here adults add "bling" all over the place. Is the culture here so shallow and instant gradifcation over substance and being respectful of others?

If it is, I can see a city where the kids of this culture are going to cause all sorts of problems and make the city worse in the long run. That would be something I would not want to live in.

I did look at the northside, but due to cost it is way out of my budget range.

I went to First friday, a couple of weeks ago with a freind who came to visit from Ocala. The art was cool, but we left because she thought it was dangerous. A vender told me they might shut down First friday all together.

Can some one explain what NIOSA is? Thank you.

[perticusrex]

:: NIOSA - Welcome to NIOSA!* ::

[miche111e]

I think if I were single and working in SA, I'd live downtown. I agree, check out the Current. I agree with you about the driving. Lots of egos on the road.
Good luck. I hope you find a better location in SA so you can keep your job.

[ChrisMP]

Thanks for the NIOSA link.

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by ChrisMP

I went to First friday, a couple of weeks ago with a freind who came to visit from Ocala. The art was cool, but we left because she thought it was dangerous. A vender told me they might shut down First friday all together.

What's unfortunate is that people who'd never been to First Friday are all now experts in how "dangerous" it is.

FWIW - we go to First Friday events nearly every month and have for the past 6 years or so, the past 2.5 of those with our kid (in fact, she was all of 4 weeks old when she went to her first First Friday). Danger? No. There have been a couple of incidents lately where fights occurred (drunken kids on the street, not even gang related). Happens anywhere. Not a big deal. We walk there from home.

As for "shutting it down" - there's a movement by some King William residents who are unhappy with the crowds in their neighborhood and the lack of control. There's a bigger movement NOT to shut down First Friday, but to refocus it more on the art aspect and less on the vendor/street crap scene.

I think the media has done more to generate an atmosphere of danger than any real danger itself.

I agree with dvlpr - you're living in suburb mecca so of course that's what you'll find. I don't think the Northside is all that much better in terms of escaping suburbia (nicer perhaps, more upscale, but still suburbia). As a youngish single adult new to SA I first lived on the NW side (it was near work, someone offered me a room). Nice enough, but I figured if I was going to live in SA I might as well live in the part of SA that made it unique, rather than anywhere USA (not that there's anything wrong with "anywhere USA", but I wanted to make the most of SA). I moved into Southtown. Eventually met my husband, bought a house in Southtown, had a kid, and stayed in Southtown. We don't do the nightlife thing downtown as much as we used to, but there are art openings, small concerts, all sorts of events, all within walking distance.



All that said, any city is what you make of it. SA would not be my first choice of anywhere on earth, but it's a nice place to be. What I love most about it is that I *can* live in the middle of it all, amidst all the cultural elements, and still afford a house, yard, room for my kid to play...Not many cities where that's possible.

[ashbeeigh]

What's out of your price range, ChrisMP? What are you looking for? I've seen things as low as $500 in King William. And you can get things around that in the snazzy SAC area too. I agree, the northside is expensive.

[rd2007]

Originally Posted by ChrisMP

Thank you all for helpings. I also want to say that If I offended anyway, that it was not my intention at all.

What I meant about "tricking" out cars and trucks, was a reflection of adult culture. Kids will try to be flashing to show off, but here adults add "bling" all over the place. Is the culture here so shallow and instant gradifcation over substance and being respectful of others?

If it is, I can see a city where the kids of this culture are going to cause all sorts of problems and make the city worse in the long run. That would be something I would not want to live in.

I did look at the northside, but due to cost it is way out of my budget range.

I went to First friday, a couple of weeks ago with a freind who came to visit from Ocala. The art was cool, but we left because she thought it was dangerous. A vender told me they might shut down First friday all together.

Can some one explain what NIOSA is? Thank you.

I agree with you again on that. When it comes to parenting, there is a LOT lacking here. Just yesterday we were eating out for brunch and a woman told a young boy to put a lid on his drink and he threw it in her face. I don't know if it was her kid because it looked like they were having a party with different kids (or she actually has 8 kids that don't look alike which is not abnormal here unfortunately). Anyhow, my wife wanted to choke the kid and couldnt' believe the woman let him get away with it. There are also a lot of "men" that are more like kids and I'm talking 30-50 year olds..

[ChrisMP]

Chaka - I am sorry that I don't know how to quote here.
Buy I get your point. I liked First Friday, however I could see how people in their 30's might find it unconfortable. Nobody shoud have to deal with feeling unconfortable in any situation that should be fun.
Now, i am not blind to that is a big part of life. But it seems like every seem cool with that "kids" making First Friday thier place to cause problems.

[LindaGrace]

Originally Posted by Eleanor Rigby

Well, you are living in deepest, darkest suburbia out 1604 and Potranco. That entire part of the world (I guess we'd call it the Far West Side?) is oriented towards someone who has children, wants to live in a new home in a planned community, and have lots of nationally known chains nearby to shop at. There is nothing wrong with wanting this, but if this isn't your lifestyle, it can be stultifying. You would be happier, I bet, if you did some looking around and found a neighborhood more to your liking. Perhaps the medical center, which is full of younger, single people. Or the Alamo Heights/Olmos Park/Monte Vista corridor, or, if you really want to be on the cutting edge, Southtown/Lavaca/King William if you need more culture.

I second the recommendation to look at the Current. It will plug you in to the cultural happenings better than the Express News will.

This. Especially the bolded.

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by ChrisMP

Chaka - I am sorry that I don't know how to quote here.
Buy I get your point. I liked First Friday, however I could see how people in their 30's might find it unconfortable. Nobody shoud have to deal with feeling unconfortable in any situation that should be fun.
Now, i am not blind to that is a big part of life. But it seems like every seem cool with that "kids" making First Friday thier place to cause problems.

No, they shouldn't have to feel uncomfortable, but everyone has a comfort zone and if they're out of it, aren't happy. That is ok, but it doesn't mean that it's the same comfort zone for all. My point is that the media (and those few KW residents who decided they don't like 'being in the middle of it all') are making it out to be much more dangerous than it is. I've heard so many people lately who had never been to First Friday talk about how dangerous it is.

First Friday is a great activity. It's not the best art walk in the world, it has its problems, but it's also a lot of fun. I'm more uncomfortable at some Fiesta activities (bigger crowds, more focus on getting drunk = more problems) than at First Friday.

I don't quite understand what you mean by "people in their 30s." First Friday isn't geared towards any one age group, it's geared towards people who appreciate art and want to support local artists. FWIW - I was in my early 30s when I first started going (and single) and am now in my late 30s. Most people *I* know who participate are anywhere from 25-75, with most between 30-55, many with small children. But then that's a biased sample, since I'm not likely to notice the teens (unless they're the kids of my friends). I also tend to stay more towards Blue Star than the Alamo stretch, just because I'm not interested in most of the street sale junk. However there are some interesting galleries there.

I am sorry your friend felt uncomfortable, I do not intend to minimize her fears, but I do wonder what they're based on - personal experience or was she predisposed to think it dangerous due to recent articles in the local paper? As I said, bad stuff happens everywhere. The more who go to Take Back First Friday, the better it will be

A note on dangerous misconceptions - when I first moved to Southtown, friends feared for my safety. They thought I was crazy, a single woman alone moving into this horrid place. How many of them had ever come to Southtown? Zero. I had an open house not long after moving in and they were all amazed. None knew the neighborhood was making a transition. Granted, it was a very recent transition (Victoria Courts - a housing project) had just been torn down, but there were a lot of positive things. I've never felt unsafe here. Now they all want to come down and use our place as a home base for any downtown activities (First Friday, Fiesta Events, NYE fireworks, Luminaria, etc). Southtown is not for all - it's still very mixed housing, some sketchy looking places amongst some real gems.