Hail, home!

Hi! I’m happy you stopped on this page and gave me a few minutes of your time. My name is Sara Pintilie, and I am a millennial that lives in Arlington and loves the city. I mean, I’m more than that, but I want to give you the main points – my elevator pitch if you will – for why you might want to give my column a bit of a read.

As a millennial (I promise, I will restrict my usage of that word), I see Arlington at a bit of a crossroads. I spent my single-digits in Arlington, moved to Mansfield until I was 18 (Go Tigers!) and returned to Arlington to go to college at the University of Texas at Arlington. I have lived in Arlington; Mansfield; Fort Worth; Kennedale; Benbrook; Leicester, U.K.; Seoul, South Korea; Las Colinas and Dallas – but found myself back in Arlington

Why? My friends ask that all the time. “Why Arlington?,” “There’s nothing to do in Arlington.”

My answer is almost always the same: “You just don’t get it.”

The Arlington I see can’t seem to get past the Arlington my Dallasite friends see – which is a bummer, because Arlington is “fire.” (Did I use that right?)

But seriously, Arlington is at a moment in time where it is becoming a burgeoning community filled with innovation and entertainment. It’s even there in some areas.

And Downtown. Man, Downtown Arlington isn’t your parent’s downtown anymore.

When my friends and I went to UTA less than 10 years ago, not one of those revitalizations was there. College Park wasn’t even in existence. Though we love J. Gilligan’s with all our hearts – I am envious of the college kids that can walk to Grease Monkey or Old School Pizza & Suds.

Things keep a changin’, and it is all for the better. There’s always a pleasant surprise around the corner.

Last year, I wanted to see Terry Crews – actor and Sara’s hero – speak during his University tour. When I looked it up, he was speaking at College Park Center as part of the Maverick Speaker Series.

My friend and I went, and it was an incredible experience that was only 10 minutes down the road from my house.

And, just the other day, I ordered a cute sleep mask (I’m big into sleep hygiene) online from The Sleepy Cottage. Low and behold, when I looked into the company, I found out that quirky small business is located in Downtown Arlington.

Arlington has this ability to keep me on my toes – I love it.

So, dear reader, hopefully you are still reading this (Yay! And Thank You! ), because in future columns I want to show you my Arlington, an Arlington that maybe you, your relative or friend weren’t really acquainted with. Or you are already savvy and want to rub it in your Dallasite friends’ faces (I got your back, fam).

Either way, starting this month and continuing forward, I’m going to show Arlington some millennial love.