A Summer Note to SATX from a New (Big) Fan

Dear San Antonio,

Listen, I’m hot, you’re hot, we’re all hot—with more hotness ahead. But… I think you’ve proven your point. Crushing June with 17 triple-digit temps, now the hottest on record (Congratulations?), I think we can safely say (in the words of Ariana Grande), “Thank you, next.”

We’ve been together a year now. Last June our family folded our Emerald Coast beach chairs one last time, blew a kiss to Florida, and welcomed the SATX city limits, our new military adventure (hope & breakfast taco-fueled) leading us to a new summer. We’ve loved emerging from our COVID cocoon, lauding the newest USAF Basic Trainees as they graduate from Lackland, celebrating the floral vibrancy of Fiesta, ordering blue coconut & banana shaved ice from our neighborhood fave, Frosty Frog, and now, a month into our second year, building new bucket lists.

I’m just gonna say it: I heart you. Your open-hearted embrace and celebration of PRIDE. The kindness you’ve shown my family (even on/despite the traffic on 410!) throughout this year. Your endless pop-up green spaces surprise us daily as I shout to my boys, “Oooh, remember that park to visit later.” Your coffee shops fill my (caffeine-inspired) cup, your Japanese Tea Gardens remind me of beauty simplified in an urban space (and to NEVER EVER wear jeans in the summer), your paletas are oh so delicious, your love and appreciation and education of San Antonio culture inspire me, and your bookshops encourage new exploration.

It’s been an epically challenging last few years for all of us. We all need new lift. Our world battles on, always something new, and SATX, your microjoys have given buoyancy to our family when we needed a quiet dose of sunshine (and new public street art). We love these new summer moments with Superheroes at SAMA (free for military all summer long!) and can’t wait for our next hike through Friedrich Wilderness Park, building new memories and finding new ways to embrace and support our new local community and economy.

Happy summer, San Antonians!

XO, A Huge Fan, JBR