San Antonio lies due east and a world away from Big Bend National Park. Driving towards the sunrise, the Chihuahuan Desert gradually gives way to farm country and the hill country of central Texas. Small towns turn into larger communities and eventually the urban centers of San Antonio and Austin sprawl outward with the ubiquitous Starbucks on every corner.
Our two day visit to San Antonio was highlighted by a visit to the iconic Mission San Antonio de Valero/(The Alamo) and a walk around the charming river walk district in downtown San Antonio.
The building and grounds of the Alamo are an oasis in the urban center of San Antonio, and even though all of the signage both online and at the location makes it look like there is an entrance fee ~ admission is FREE. Originally established in 1718 as the Mission San Antonio de Valero by the colonial Spanish, the church building itself became the retreat of last resort for the forces of the Texan Army fighting against the Mexican army in the Texas Revolution. The Mexican Army, lead by Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana crushed the Texas forces and killed every man, including famous mountain men like Davy Crockett, and James Bowie. A lesser known soldier and co-commander of the garrison, William Travis, wrote letters begging for reinforcements and resupply. His most famous letter ends with“Victory or Death”, which is very stirring until you read the mundane post script describing found food stores. The lone woman honored in the Alamo Sculpture garden supposedly “distracted” General Santa Anna with her feminine wiles before the penultimate battle for Texas independence. Emily West Morgan is theoretically also the inspiration for the famous song,“Yellow Rose of Texas”, although neither legend is supported by any evidence.
The River Walk district of San Antonio is rich in historic signage and art. This majorly touristy area includes a Hard Rock Cafe AND a Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant in addition to its many hotels. Frequent barges float down the canal/river, some of them full some of them not so full. A late afternoon meal of Mexican food, heavy on the margaritas, were the way to go while we watched humanity stroll by. The slow trickle of folks up and down the sidewalks reminded us of people watching in other towns and other countries. All in all it was a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours.
Austin is only 90 minutes from San Antonio, and mostly feels like it doesn’t belong in Texas. The city is home to the famous South by Southwest music festival and the live music scene is active year round. We had great food everywhere we went, and amazing coffee just around the corner. There are natural springs to swim in and the Austinians (Austonians?) are proud of all of the green spaces around the city. Austin is the capital of Texas, and given the city’s seeming obsession with good food it’s not surprising that the original Whole Foods store is here. Much like Denver, Austin has amazing murals seemingly everywhere that reflect the original history of gentrifying neighborhoods.
We stood in line for barbecue for two hours at the famous Franklin Barbecue and decided it was totally worth the wait. Normally you won’t catch me standing in line longer than 15 minutes unless its a beer at the ballpark, but wow! Brisket, turkey breast, hot links, jalapeno cheddar sausage and pork ribs ended up in our to go sack along with potato salad, pickles, sauce and coleslaw. We made five meals out of all of this food ~ each one just as good as the last.
We’ve stayed in many many AirBnB’s over the last 11 months, but this particular place deserves a shout out as the absolute best. Owned by a chef, the kitchen was outfitted with all of the things you need to feel at home. Two ovens, lots of appliances, four different ways to make coffee (drip, Keurig, pour over, French Press), and the knives were even sharp!
San Antonio ~ Would we live here? Probably not, although it might be a place you could come to love given enough time. Would we visit again? Maybe, but probably not.
Austin ~ Would we live here? Yes, but probably not really because it’s still in Texas. Will we visit again? Yes, hopefully more than once.
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