"San Antonio and its Spanish Missions!" San Antonio by Ewingjr98
San Antonio Travel Guide: 1,361 reviews and 3,151 photos
I made my first short visits to San Antonio in 1996 and 1997, but I just returned recently to actually spend some time downtown.
San Antonio is a huge, sprawling city with well over one million inhabitants. It is really a unique mix of old and new, rich and poor, Hispanic and English. To me, there are two San Antonios: the Riverwalk area (what I jokingly referred to as "the ditch" or "the underground") and the surface (maybe "the real world").
The Riverwalk area is a marvel of modern city revitalization. This is probably one of the most densely packed shopping, eating, and sleeping areas in America if not the world. The river is calm and cool, the trees tall and green. To me, it looked just like Disney World, except I never saw Mickey. This is the safe haven in the "dangerous" city for the white upper middle-class tourists and business people.
The surface area is where the true culture and history emerge. Here you will find authentic local food at reasonable prices, historic buildings, and many of the poorer locals that don't often venture into the Riverwalk.
Perhaps this is the only city in America where the mainstream, upper class keeps to the underground while the poor, downtrodden blue collar workers look down upon them in scorn from the city streets.
I made another trip through San Antonio in August 2006 while traveling with my dad between Houston and El Paso on our way to California.
Reviews (38)
O Henry House
Off The Beaten Path
(2)
The O Henry House was home to William Sidney Porter, the author who wrote under the pen name of O Henry, for just a year... more travel advice
Driving between San Antonio-Houston-El...
Transportation
(1)
Interstate 10 runs the entire length of Texas between Houston and El Paso. I Was lucky enough to drive this entire route... more travel advice
Alamo Plaza and the Alamo Cenotaph
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(16)
Located in Alamo Plaza, the small park between the Alamo and Alamo Street is the Alamo Cenotaph...(how many Alamos can... more travel advice
Mission Espada
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(16)
Built in 1731, Mission San Francisco de la Espada is the southernmost San Antonio Mission and was the only Texas mission... more travel advice
San Antonio Travel Guide
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Ewingjr98
“"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut." ~ Ernest Hemingway”
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Comments (3)
What doyoumeanthe Tower of The America is ugly.Were you there for HemisFair in 68 as I was.To me it is a very special place.I just wish it could be used again for another fair.
Excellent page on San Antonio. Great tips on the historic buildings. Also some nice photography.
Nice pages for San Antonio. We didn't see ANY of the Missions, but wish we had. Also, sorry I didn't stop by O Henry's house. I saw Riverwalk the same...