Letter from the Editor

LAUREN GUND

Since moving to Pensacola in 2014, I’ve spent a lot of my time in East Hill. I bought my favorite couch from Duh for Garden & Home and my trusty hurricane generator at Seville Power Equipment. Cactus Flower is one of my husband’s favorites, and the “Wiz” is where I’ve met many of friends, both old and new. My dog isn’t fond of dog parks, but when we enter the gates of Bayview’s dog beach somehow his anxiety instantly melts away. And I often take 12th Avenue at the tree tunnel to my house in lieu of the interstate just because it makes me smile. I think it goes without saying that East Hill is a wonder all its own, adding so much beauty and vibrancy to our beautiful Pensacola home.

Admittedly, I don’t live in East Hill, but that’s only because my husband had already built a house Downtown. I do love my neighbors but will also admit that, as I sit here at Jitterbug, I’m feeling a bit jealous of the pride that emanates from every store, park, and street corner here. That’s ok though because I still get to enjoy everything East Hill has to offer. My friends live here, I frequent many of its businesses, and I have immersed myself in countless neighborhood activities, from association meetings and park cleanups to attending every Bands on the Bayou concert this year.

I’m so proud to be a part of the East Hill Neighborhood Association and help bring to you this first-ever Neighborhood Guide. It’s a way to help us connect and even better enjoy all that this great neighborhood has to offer. In fact, by producing this Guide, I’ve found that there are 17 parks, over 20 restaurants & bars, 16+ stores to shop, and a surprisingly strong health & wellness community too. You can read all about these in this Guide.

The richness of East Hill’s history also abounds. For those who also have history here, I hope you’ll enjoy reminiscing the old A&P Grocery and B&H Store in Liz Biggs’ article “East Hill Then & Now” and taking a glimpse into Dr. Norm Haines’ popular book about “Pensacola’s East Hill: the Making of an Eclectic Neighborhood”. The list of articles goes on, but I don’t want to spoil it too much. Go on and take a read for yourself.

To close, I do want to personally thank all of the businesses that trusted us to advertise in this space and for all of the members that support our Association’s initiatives to better East Hill. If you’re not already a member or want to get more involved in neighborhood happenings, you can learn more about this on the following pages. And finally, thank you for being why East Hill is such a wonderful place to live, work and play, and for making outsiders like me feel so much at home. Cheers, friends! -Lauren