Two immediate facts you must know. I didn't see an armadillo, which greatly saddened me. I don't know where those suckers are hiding. Not in San Antonio or Dallas. I also did not see a Texas Longhorn. They are hanging out with the armadillos...having drinks...and watching Texas football.
So I flew into Dallas to visit a friend who lives outside the city. But after some research, the things I really wanted to see were in San Antonio. It was a little less than a five hour drive, but I must be special, because Chris agreed to take me there.
There were two things I wanted to see before we left Dallas though. For you history buffs, you'll know that Dallas is where JFK was assassinated. You know, the grassy knoll, the huge conspiracy, one shooter or two. In Dealey Plaza (the most visited historic site in Texas) you can visit the Sixth Floor Museum, housed in the old Texas School Book Depository building. It is from this floor, from the corner window, that a shot was fired killing the president. (FYI: The link provided takes you to tour page of the Museum and Plaza, best I could do because the link to http://www.jfk.org/ was broken...go ahead, conspiracize...) Also in the Plaza you can stand on the grassy knoll and see where the motorcade was when the two shots hit the president, courtesy of two giant white Xs in the roadway. And yes, lots of people want to stand on those Xs. And yes, Elm Street has a lot of cars moving at accelerated rates. And no, I didn't feel the need to play in traffic for any reason whatsoever (ok, maybe I wanted to just a little bit, but everyone else looked so stupid trying to dodge cars).
The second thing I wanted to see was Pioneer Plaza. The plaza re-creates a cattle drive using bronze sculptures of 70 longhorn cattle herded by 3 cowboys and their horses. It's located in an open park, so just take a stroll by and have a look. Very cool and surprisingly pretty.
Neeeeext, San Antonio. It's about a five hour drive to San Antonio, and you drive through Austin on the way. Every major city in Texas, as far as I can tell, is surrounded by a five mile bubble of traffic. You get within five miles, you must decrease your speed to 30 mph or less. But once we got into downtown San Antonio traffic wasn't too bad, and we were able to find somewhere to park pretty easily. Lots of pay for the day parking lots. If you park within a few blocks of anywhere downtown pretty much everything is walking distance. I mean, it's a bunch of blocks, but a nice stroll with lots to do and look at.
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| The Alamo grounds |
We started our day at the Alamo. The Alamo was originally a Mission, and it now sits in the middle of everything in downtown. You can stand with your back to the deceptively tiny Alamo and watch people going in and out of Ripley's Believe It Or Not. The grounds of the Alamo are beautiful and there's a museum, lots of history boards, and even a "lecture" that I assume is given a few times a day. We even were visiting the Alamo almost 175 years to the day since the infamous battle. Although you can see the outside of the Alamo at any time, the grounds close early at 5:30 (except in June, July, and August when it closes at 7:00). All free!
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| The Alamo |
From there it's a quick, couple of block walk to the Riverwalk. The main section of the Riverwalk containing the most restaurants and shops is the section of river that forms three sides of a square. Descriptive huh? I can't do any better. But you can easily spend hours just strolling along the river, and it's beautiful. So very many restaurants to eat at. I can't even begin to list them. And shopping from souvenirs to clothing to, well whatever else. Part of the river goes through a mall, so that pretty much covers you. There's also a boat ride you can take with Rio San Antonio Cruises, for just about $8. Great way to scope out where you want to go on the river, and learn lots of fun things from your tour guide. There are several places to board a boat, so if you see one with a long line, keep walking. Dinner cruises are also available. Two little things to know: the river is drained every year in January, so check for exact dates. And if you're clumsy beware, there are no railings anywhere between the walk and the water! Oh, and although the Riverwalk is below street level, there are elevators for handicapped access.
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| Mission Concepcion |
We spent our next day checking out the remaining four Missions of San Antonio (the Alamo is the fifth). If you start at the one closest to San Antonio you'll be visiting Mission Concepcion first, only ten minutes or so from downtown. This is the oldest of un-restored stone churches in America, dedicated in 1755, where original frescoes are visible in several rooms. Just a few minutes down Mission Road stands Mission San Jose, founded 1720. At this Mission you can gain a sense of the culture and community of the time, from housing to work and church and observe the famous Rose Window. Continuing down the line is Mission San Juan, 1716. The standout of this Mission is the beautiful bell tower and three bells. Lastly is Mission Espada, the oldest from 1690. A beautiful church is surrounded by beautiful grounds and flowers, and a small shop sells hand blown glass. All of the Missions provide learning materials, history boards, and exhibits. These four Missions, excluding the Alamo, also all hold Mass on Saturdays and/or Sundays, open for all to attend. Check for times.
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| Mission San Jose |
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| Mission San Juan |
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| Mission San Juan |
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| Mission Espada |
San Antonio is a place where you could easily spend a week. In addition to the rich history of the area, there are family fun places such as Six Flags and Sea World. This city is certainly going down in my book as one of my most loved.
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