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From: riddle@ut-sally.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle)
Newsgroups: net.travel
Subject: Re: San Antonio query
Message-ID: <1858@ut-sally.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 11-Apr-84 11:05:04 EST
Article-I.D.: ut-sally.1858
Posted: Wed Apr 11 11:05:04 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 13-Apr-84 07:19:58 EST
References: <6958@decwrl.UUCP> <1298@mhuxt.UUCP>
Organization: U. of Tx. at Houston-in-the-Hills
Lines: 58

San Antonio is just an hour away from Austin and I've visited it
several times with my family.  Unfortunately it's not a city that I
know well, so all the advice I can give is of a rather "touristy"
nature -- no insider's tips, I'm afraid.

The center of things to see and do is the Paseo del Rio, or Riverwalk,
an area of shops, restaurants, cafes, hotels, and clubs built along
both sides of a small loop of creek in downtown San Antonio.  Above are
the traffic, noise, crowds, and blight of a typical downtown area in
the Southwest;  down a flight of stairs are greenery, food and music
stretched out along maybe a mile of sidewalks on the water's edge.  The
resulting opposition is very nice and has long been a model for those
of us in Texas who would like to see our cities develop a bit more
character.

San Antonio is one of the most Mexican of Texas's cities, so you'll
definitely want to eat Mexican food while you're there.  The choices of
restaurants are seemingly endless, ranging from neighborhood
holes-in-the-wall to fancy tourist spots.  One place recommended by
many is "Mi Tierra", located downtown a few blocks to the west of the
Riverwalk.  After your meal you'll want to stop by Mi Tierra's Mexican
bakery for some "pan dulce", or sweet bread.

Near Mi Tierra is a large building housing one of the closest things
you'll find on this side of the border to a Mexican tourist market.
The prices are higher than in Mexico, of course, but the selection is
pretty good.  It's fun to look through, even if you don't feel like
buying.  Back near the Riverwalk is a small section of restored
buildings containing little galleries of works by more serious artists
and artesans.

To the east, an arm of the Riverwalk extends into San Antonio's fair
grounds, site of San Antonio's Hemisfair quite a few years back.  There
you will find a small carnival, a "Space Needle" or some such
restaurant-on-a-stick, and perhaps (if your timing is lucky) a music
festival, a rodeo, an art show, or other special event.  As I recall,
there are also several museums on the fair grounds.  One of the better
ones is the Institute of Texan Cultures, a collection of artefacts
paying tribute to the many ethnic groups that immigrated to Texas.
It's one of those things which might be old hat to a Northerner used to
the idea of ethnic diversity, but to many mainstream Texans the museum
is full of pleasant surprises.  The Institute sometimes stages
concerts, dances and multimedia events to spotlight this or that ethnic
group.

Other items of Texana are the many historical sites in San Antonio.
They include the Alamo (of course), various colonial Spanish buildings
downtown, and a few blocks of restored Victorian homes about a mile to
the south.

Finally, some people seem to get a real kick out of visiting the
stockyards and the Lone Star brewery, two of the biggest such
attractions in these parts.

Hope this helps.  Have fun!

--- Prentiss Riddle ("Aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada.")
--- {ihnp4,seismo,gatech,ctvax}!ut-sally!riddle