San Antonio, dream retirement town

[kramer]

I have never been to San Antonio but would like to visit and have thought of using it as a FIREbase if I liked it. It seems like it would be OK, especially if you avoid the hottest summer months. San Antonio climate averages:

Average Weather for San Antonio, TX - Temperature and Precipitation

I was in Houston recently (August) and it is just so spread out and completely non-pedestrian, non-biker friendly. I had a "Houston moment" when I went jogging and ended up getting lost, then walking down one of those frontage roads and finding out I was still two exits away from my hotel. And yes the humidity can get pretty bad there.

I speak Spanish and love Mexican food and I am sure that would help in San Antonio. What is it like to live in San Antonio without a car? How is biking and the bus system? I prefer to rent a car from time to time in my FIREbase and then not worry about storing one during my travels (say, 8 months per year).

I am leaving on another international trip tomorrow and one thing I noticed is that it is so easy to get ready this time -- I sold my car last month and now there is no car to clean, get ready, cover with a car cover, explain to a relative how to drive it once each month, reducing the insurance, etc., etc.

Kramer

[REWahoo]

Originally Posted by kramer

What is it like to live in San Antonio without a car?

In all seriousness, you probably wouldn't enjoy it. It is similar to Houston in that it is a horizontal city comprised of endless suburban sprawl - the inner loop around the city is 54 miles long. The outer loop (1604) has never been measured.

Originally Posted by kramer

How is biking and the bus system?

It isn't a bike friendly city. Better than Houston, but as you know, that isn't saying much. The bus system is reasonably good.

[2B]

Originally Posted by REWahoo

It isn't a bike friendly city. Better than Houston, but as you know, that isn't saying much. The bus system is reasonably good.

What do you mean it isn't bike friendly. There are hogs all over the place and everyone is very considerate when they pass a Bandito.

[REWahoo]

Originally Posted by 2B

What do you mean it isn't bike friendly. There are hogs all over the place and everyone is very considerate when they pass a Bandito.

We'll there is that, yes. But there aren't many bike lanes and the general public tends to be less than hospitable toward sharing the road with any biker not wearing Bandito tattoos.

[kramer]

Yeah, the city I enjoyed the most was Austin. I was just hoping for a less expensive version.

I visited a lot of American cities as part of my job while I was working, and I enjoyed Austin the most of any of them.

Austin seemed bike-able if you lived near downtown or near UT. And there were lots of good bus routes around UT.

Kramer

[REWahoo]

Austin may be the only really bike friendly town in the state. Having UT and its 50,000 students located downtown make bike travel almost mandatory.

[2B]

Originally Posted by kramer

Austin seemed bike-able if you lived near downtown or near UT. And there were lots of good bus routes around UT.

Kramer

Plus great scenery.

[bbbamI]

Originally Posted by CuppaJoe

AT&T, we know you are the same varmints formally known as SBC, don't get me started.

Yep, these varmints are the reason I moved to Dallas 14 years ago from St. Louis; traded snow for dust......

[kcowan]

Originally Posted by kramer

... I sold my car last month and now there is no car to clean, get ready, cover with a car cover, explain to a relative how to drive it once each month, reducing the insurance, etc., etc.

Kramer

Hi Kramer

Best of luck on your latest adventure. We sold my BMW convertible in June and we are driving our SUV to Mexico next month to leave it there. This decluttering is very cathartic.

As you know, we live in bike-friendly Vancouver. With the SUV in PV, we will be able to travel to bike-friendly suburbs. The savings from shedding that one car amount to $150/mo and we don't really miss it that much.

It is odd how we have to get rid of stuff and then get used to it and then finally feel the burden lightened.

Thanks for being the pioneer on this.

[kramer]

Originally Posted by kcowan

Hi Kramer

Best of luck on your latest adventure. We sold my BMW convertible in June and we are driving our SUV to Mexico next month to leave it there. This decluttering is very cathartic.

As you know, we live in bike-friendly Vancouver. With the SUV in PV, we will be able to travel to bike-friendly suburbs. The savings from shedding that one car amount to $150/mo and we don't really miss it that much.

It is odd how we have to get rid of stuff and then get used to it and then finally feel the burden lightened.

Thanks for being the pioneer on this.

kcowan, great to hear that you are enjoying the lifestyle!

My mom and my sister's family recently returned from Vancouver and my mom was just raving about how nice it is there in the summer.

I really felt funny the first couple of weeks without a car but now I don't really think about it.

I can easily get anywhere in the community where I am staying by bus/train or bike. So far, the main drawback I have found is that it is harder to come back from somewhere late so usually I plan to get together for lunches instead of dinners. And if I am going somewhere where I can't be sweating, that mostly rules out the bike. I am getting a hair cut today but I can't really ride my bike there (helmet hair, sweat). Of course, it is not too far so I will just walk.

Kramer

[CuppaJoe]

Quote:
Originally Posted by CuppaJoe
AT&T, we know you are the same varmints formally known as SBC, don't get me started.

Yep, these varmints are the reason I moved to Dallas 14 years ago from St. Louis; traded snow for dust......

--

Oops, sorry.

My complaint about PacBell/SBC/AT&T is really a complaint about how "customer service" in general has changed over the years. Moving business phones is the best example of that. Years ago I could call the phone company and say, "our business is moving, what do we need to do?" One person at the phone company would be assigned to handle it. easy. A few years went by and most businesses push some of their internal procedures onto the customer, customer needs to know those internal procedures but ends up learning by making mistakes.

I call and say, "we are moving, we have four lines and a DSL line." I think I've disconnected all five and set up new lines at the new address. Four months go by and I get a forwarded phone bill and see that the DSL line is still connected. I talk to four or five people at SBC and they even set of a four-way conference call to figure out what happened. Well, I misunderstood, "disconnect the DSL line" means take DSL service off the line, and I should have called a different person to disconnect the number from the line. And I'm saying, "what part of 'we are moving' don't you get?"

[bbbamI]

Shoot, CJ...no offense to me. I'm retired...remember?

[Nomad]

To each his own. After hearing so many good things about San Antonio and Texas I tried to retire in San Antonio just last year, but found the city to be intellectually regressive (perhaps just undereducated), the countryside featureless, and the weather terrible. Moreover, after seeing the "sights" a few times I felt there was little stimulating about the place. When I wanted to do something it usually meant leaving the city; but go where? Wow, Texas Hill Country is hugely overrated. I am not Texan, proudly, and perhaps I just "didn't get it." While it may be a good place to raise a family, I would not want to retire there.

[Gumby]

After having read such a nice first post, I must know more about you. Care to share?

[REWahoo]

Originally Posted by Gumby

After having read such a nice first post, I must know more about you. Care to share?

Hey, don't be thinking it's me in disguise, attempting to discourage people from moving to this area. I'm just one of the intellectually regressive inhabitants.

[Nomad]

Gumby, I see REWahoo is a Texan, don't tell me you are of similar persuasion! I don't know if you respond to all first time posters, but in case it's not your usual practice then I have to laugh because it's just like me to say something controversial and guaranteed to irritate right out of the box. That may be a clue as to why why I retired at 48 from the foreign service (and from the Air Force Reserve), living since on savings and investments which, as I turn 60 this year, are fast running out. I move every year, including to Europe where I lived for circa 15 years, searching for a place that meets/exceeds my requirements and God knows what else. Discovered this website while surfing and find it both entertaining and informative. Cheers.

[Leonidas]

Originally Posted by Nomad

...because it's just like me to say something controversial and guaranteed to irritate right out of the box.

Really? Hmmph, I just don't see it.

Although, I bet that some of those intellectually regressive knuckle-draggers in San Antonio would try to twist the friendly words in your first post into something other than what you intended. One must expect such things from the under-educated I suppose.

Thank heavens that you managed to escape and continue your search for a place that meets the needs of someone of your caliber. A daunting task, I'm sure.

Good luck with it, and have yourself a nice life.

[2B]

Originally Posted by Nomad

To each his own. After hearing so many good things about San Antonio and Texas I tried to retire in San Antonio just last year, but found the city to be intellectually regressive (perhaps just undereducated), the countryside featureless, and the weather terrible. Moreover, after seeing the "sights" a few times I felt there was little stimulating about the place. When I wanted to do something it usually meant leaving the city; but go where? Wow, Texas Hill Country is hugely overrated. I am not Texan, proudly, and perhaps I just "didn't get it." While it may be a good place to raise a family, I would not want to retire there.

Except for mentioning property taxes, Nomad hit it all. This is the most articulate description of why I don't want to retire in Texas.

[Gumby]

Originally Posted by Nomad

Gumby, I see REWahoo is a Texan, don't tell me you are of similar persuasion! I don't know if you respond to all first time posters, but in case it's not your usual practice then I have to laugh because it's just like me to say something controversial and guaranteed to irritate right out of the box. That may be a clue as to why why I retired at 48 from the foreign service (and from the Air Force Reserve), living since on savings and investments which, as I turn 60 this year, are fast running out. I move every year, including to Europe where I lived for circa 15 years, searching for a place that meets/exceeds my requirements and God knows what else. Discovered this website while surfing and find it both entertaining and informative. Cheers.

Welcome to the board. I actually thought you might be REWahoo in disguise. You mentioned you have moved every year looking for a perfect place. Where have you lived and what was it about that place that led you to conclude it was not the one? I'm sure there are many people here who would be interested in that information.