Two downtowns
I’ve been in the new place for about three weeks now and have started discovering some of the interesting aspects of downtown as I live here. It’s really an interesting place to live and one that I’m looking forward to explore as things develop. Right now my best source on what is happening downtown is Ben Olivo of the San Antonio Express-News who writes the Downtown Blog and tweets daily as @mysa_downtown. Part of the living experience is to see how easy and enjoyable it is to live in downtown compared to the rest of San Antonio. What I’ve discovered in these three weeks is that there are two downtowns – tourist downtown and business/government downtown. So why is there a difference and why does it matter?
Since I have moved downtown everyone has been congratulating me and telling me how cool the experience is. I’m right in the middle of all the action living downtown. I’m a part of the cool urban group that makes San Antonio cool. Okay, I hear you and want to see how true that really is. After all, San Antonio has one of the busiest downtowns of anywhere in Texas. Well, maybe Austin ranks right up there with 6th Street and some of the other areas. But we do have the #1 tourist spot in the state and possible one of the busiest in the nation. So what’s up with this difference I have eluded to?
The discovery of the difference all started one Monday evening when I came home the day of the potential rain storm. I realized I didn’t have anything in the frig to eat and needed to find a quick place to grab food before settling in for the night. At 6:15 p.m. I started out on my trek east towards the core of downtown to find something. The wind was blowing hard and I knew that if I didn’t get something quick I’d be stuck in the rain trying to get back to the building. Down Commerce St. I went looking for a place that was open.
Closed at 6 p.m. Closed at 5:30 p.m. Closed at 3 p.m. The list went on as I finally ended up at Main Plaza with no place to eat. Should I venture to the Riverwalk to eat and find a restaurant? I wasn’t really bent on sitting in a line waiting with tourists for a quick burger or enchilada. Besides the prices would have been beyond what I wanted to pay. So back down Houston as I continued the trek. Same story all the way back to Santa Rosa. Nothing was open in the area.
That’s when I realized there are really two downtowns. One that runs from the Riverwalk to the Alamo and is full of tourist destinations. It’s packed at night and represents the vibrant aspects of downtown. However, it’s full of tourists. In fact LOTS of them. While I support our tourism industry in San Antonio tourists are not my favorite group of people to hang around. They typically don’t get the San Antonio experience. They wander aimlessly looking for things and exploring. They just downright get in the way of us residents of the Alamo City. Tourist downtown is packed with them.
Then there’s business/government downtown that runs from the Riverwalk to Market Square. Within that area is the headquarters of Frost Bank, the Municipal Building, City Hall, the Bexar County Courthouse and Justice Center and all the support buildings for these entities. It also includes San Fernando Cathedral and the offices supporting it. During the weekday it thrives with activity. That’s when businesses in that area open and cater to the workers. The area is busy during the weekday but dead at night and on the weekend. Nothing is open to visit except maybe the occassional bar.
So while I live in a great quiet area of downtown, that quietness also includes a lack of services for downtown residents. I do have an option in that the McDonald’s across the freeway to the west is open until late at night. It’s two blocks away and easy to get to. It’s cheap and clean. It has wifi and makes things easy to enjoy. But it’s not in the core of downtown.
If downtown expects to grow for residents more services will have to be offered for residents that don’t just cater to tourists. We need a busy area to allow us to get fast food, snacks, groceries and other services. We really need a residential part of downtown to develop and grow.
I have lived down town for several years, before it was urban and hip. Now all of you wanna be cool like the others have invaded OUR territory. You are just as much a tourist as the folks from out of the city. I’m not sure where you are down town. But I am in the HEART of down town. Near Alamo Plaza. I welcome the tourists. They do not get in the way. Maybe your pretentious attitude and the fact that NOW you can afford to live down here with us you feel necessary to make yourself feel better than the rest. Get over yourself. If you knew ANYTHING about down town, you would know the places to call to have your groceries delivered. I’m sorry, does your building not have a concierge?
Down Town 4 Years thanks for your comments on the subject. First of all I think you missed the point of the posting and locked in on my tourist comments. Regarding invading your territory I didn’t realize there was turf wars going on here. You did take a pretty condescending tone by implying that I could just now afford to live here. Actually I’ve been able to for years. I decided to make the plunge this year after touring the Vistana, which is where I live to answer another of your points. Regarding the heart of downtown you might do a little historical research on that. The heart is actually in between the two of us in Military Plaza where City Hall and San Fernando Cathedral sits.
My point was that in the area I live in downtown is pretty dead after 5:30 and on weekends. Dead to the point there are no services. During the week and I think on Saturdays there actually is a grocery store in the Dollar General Store, a place I don’t think you’ve ever set foot in based on your delivery comment. I know where to call for groceries that are overpriced by the way. Personally I find having groceries delivered a little pretentious myself. I like to do my own thing and would prefer to walk or bike there to shop. Heck I even got a VIA bus pass to give me more mobility around downtown.
Yes, I’ve embraced the downtown experience. I just wish it was richer in services. Regarding tourists I embrace the industry. I just don’t desire to be a part of it. I’m a San Antonian and not a tourist, even if you think my move to downtown makes me one. Thanks for the welcome by the way. If you dig a little more into my blog you’ll discover more of why I’m down here. I’m trying to engage in the area to make it more a place for residents. I invite others to join the experience, unlike you who seem to feel anyone that moved after you has invaded your space. Did I miss something there?
Okay, enough about this. Look back through the entry and see if I missed something about the biz/gov downtown area where I live. I am enjoying living here and want to make it a better place for others, not tell them to get the heck outta my neighborhood.
I lived downtown for 3 years and had the same problems as you (particularly since I didn’t even work downtown to enjoy what was open during the weekdays). I now live in Midtown, so I don’t have the problem with everything being shut down after 5pm. However, I don’t have half the walkability either.
I don’t know what crawled up “Down Town 4 Years” ass, but I think he was just trying to show he has some sort of street cred or whatever. Just another internet troll to ignore.