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Fiesta San Antonio
San Antonio, TX |
San Antonio, TX
We had so much fun at our 50-year reunion in 2013, my high school pals and I have tried to keep the fun going. This year’s reunion took place in one of my favorite cities, San Antonio, TX. It’s just a 2 hour drive from my winter home in Corpus Christi, and none of my friends had ever been there! I had a great time being the tour guide and got to see a lot of places I’d never seen before.
Phoebe and Hugh have a timeshare in Arizona, and they were able to trade for a week at a wonderful 3 bedroom condo right near the Riverwalk in downtown San Antonio. A little off the beaten path but close enough for 7 of us to get around town on foot, mass transit, and hotel shuttles. Since we were there in the middle of the annual Fiesta, we got a birds-eye view of some of the parade preparations, in the marina right below our window!
We got to sample some of the great San Antonio restaurants, but it was also nice to have our own surprisingly well-equipped kitchen, where we enjoyed Phoebe’s Costa Rican coffee in the mornings, and brought in takeout Texas Barbecue for dinner.
We started with the iconic San Antonio sights–the Alamo and the Riverwalk. No matter how many times I go, I always love strolling along this unique urban treasure. My favorite spot is the Arneson River Theater, where the stage is on one side of the river, and the audience sits on the other side. The occasional tour boat will pass by during a show! Movie fans, this is where Sandra Bullock competed in the swimsuit event in “Miss Congeniality.”
The Alamo was the site of a massacre by Mexican troops, but it’s remembered as the inspiration that recruited many more soldiers to the cause of Texas Independence. It was recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Riverwalk was created in the 30s as part of a flood control effort. There are several dams and floodgates, like this one just below our window. It winds through the whole downtown area, and extends to the King William Historic district in the south, and the new Museum Reach to the North.
Next day we all got on a VIA bus (San Antonio’s public transit agency) called the sightseer special to travel to the Botanical Gardens. The bus starts downtown near the Alamo and goes by all the museums and through Brackenridge Park to the gardens. This is one of my favorite gardens, although I was disappointed that their cafe was closed the day we were there. I’ve eaten there before and it was excellent!
Andrea Travels 