San Antonio 2023

Trip Introduction

We wanted to get away for a long weekend sometime in the spring so we booked a 5-night stay in Downtown San Antonio, Texas. We hadn't planned anything specific except flights Wednesday after work and Monday afternoon, a hotel near, but not on, the River Walk, and a car rental reservation Friday morning through Sunday afternoon. We weren't aware, but the weekend we booked our visit coincided with the first weekend of "Fiesta" which is a citywide celebration of San Antonio's varied cultural history.




Wednesday, 04/19/2023 – Away We Go… Wait

We both left our respective offices around 3:30p. We had a few things to finish packing and dealing with at the house and we needed to get gas in the Explorer before heading to the airport for our 7:15p flight. We were flying to Dallas where we had a 90-minute layover before our flight on to San Antonio scheduled to arrive at 11:50p.

Everything went smoothly and, even though we were heading out during afternoon rush hour, traffic wasn't terrible, so we were through security at the airport by 5:30p. We grabbed a sandwich and flat bread pizza for supper before heading to the gate. On previous trips we'd determined it's cheaper to get bottled water from a vending machine so we picked one up on the way. We got to the gate around the time people were deplaning from the inbound flight. There were a few people waiting in the area, but the airport was pretty quiet as ours was one of the last flights out.

About the time we were supposed to start boarding the gate agent announces there's an issue with the lavatory and maintenance has been called. They wanted to wait until that was addressed before boarding, which everyone appreciated. 30 minutes later she comes back up the jetway and announces the issue was more serious than they first thought and American was going to have to cancel the flight. This of course started a mad dash back to the ticket counters and lots of calls to the American Airlines 1-800 numbers. James tried to call as we were walking downstairs; hearing it was going to be 35-47 minutes (oddly specific) he opted to have the system call him back when he was first in line for the next operator. In the meantime, Julie called the hotel and let them know we weren't going to make it. She stayed with our carry-ons while James stood in line to talk to an agent. 35 minutes later, James had just stepped up to the counter and given the agent our locator number when his phone rang with the automated call-back (he declined to answer). We ended up getting flights through Chicago O'Hare leaving Thursday morning at 6a and arriving in San Antonio a little after 12:30p. We gave up a really awesome parking spot in long-term parking to go back home, finish a puzzle we'd been working on, and head to bed so we could get a little sleep before having to get up and head back to the airport. To wrap the less than perfect evening, right as we turned the lights off, a severe thunderstorm moved into the area with lots of lightning, thunder, and heavy rain for almost an hour.




Thursday, 04/20/2023 – Away We Go; Take Two

James' phone alarm sounded at 3:30a giving us time to get up and go through a semi-normal version of our morning routines before getting back in the Explorer and returning to the airport. Traffic really is light in western Des Moines at 4 in the morning. We got to the airport, found a less desirable, but not bad, parking spot in the long-term parking garage, and headed in through security. Des Moines actually has quite a few flights that leave between 6a and 8a so traffic through the TSA checkpoint was pretty heavy. We had drunk all the water from the bottle we'd purchased the night before but decided to bring it with us through security and refill it instead of buying another.

There was another round of storms moving in and the captain was motivated to get out before it arrived at the airport. The plane was loaded, we pulled away from the gate, and he was accelerating down the runway before our stated 6a departure time. While people were boarding, we saw one of Julie's friends from Meredith and his wife settling in about 3 rows in front of us. I'm sure he was wondering who was texting him at 5:45a before seeing the message and turning around to wave at us.

After landing in Chicago at 6:40a and taxiing all over the airport property, we got off the plane with about 2 hours to kill before our next flight. We stood and talked with our friends and then realized we were departing out of adjacent gates. We walked and talked some more until James' attention was caught by the golden arches and we stopped for an airport priced McDonald's breakfast. We messed with stuff on our phones until it was time to use the restroom before boarding the plane. While we'd been able to get seats next to each other on the flight into Chicago, we were not so lucky on the second flight. The three-hour segment into San Antonio was smooth and we only taxied for maybe 10 minutes before deplaning. We caught an Uber into downtown and were able to check-in and go straight to our room. Even though it was only about 1:30p, we were both exhausted.

We rested a little bit before heading out for a walk. We really didn't know where we were going but ended up walking right up to one of the entrances to the Alamo. There was some private event there Thursday evening as part of the "Fiesta" celebration, so food vendors were setting up different stalls in one of the courtyards. James was able to get some nice shots before we headed over to the River Walk. After walking about half the loop, we decided to have a mid-afternoon meal so we wouldn't have to go back out later. We stopped at one of the Mexican restaurants and enjoyed some time inside out of the muggy air. After eating, we walked some more before returning to the hotel around 5:30p. We lounged around the room as thunderstorms moved through in the evening. James typed up notes and then we discussed what to see on Friday as thunder echoing through downtown San Antonio set off car alarms outside. James watched some hockey, and we went to bed around 10p.




Friday, 04/21/2023 – On a Mission

While both of us were exhausted Thursday evening, neither of us slept overly well. It was 8:30a before we really got out of bed and by the time we got ourselves ready to face the world, we'd missed the free breakfast window. We snacked on a couple items in the room and then headed to the nearby mall where Avis has a location, and we could pick up the car we reserved. After some weirdness with their automated driver's license machine not liking either of our licenses, we got our car and decided to head to a shopping/food district near the old Pearl Brewery. After looking at menus for several locations we ended up getting sandwiches from different vendors in the food hall. On our way back to the car we looked at a couple of shops.

After leaving the Pearl area, we headed to the Japanese Tea Garden. This attraction occupies the site of an old stone quarry where much of the stone used in late 1800, early 1900 downtown buildings was mined. In the late 1910s, the director of the City's parks department used prison labor to build sidewalks and small structures. The well-to-do of San Antonio donated bulbs and various seeds to develop the gardens. Since it originally opened it has had both artists and restaurant owners live on site. We enjoyed the various views and flowers that populated this amazing story of reuse.

We left the Tea Garden around 1p and decided to visit several of the historic missions that make up San Antonio Missions National Park. These old Spanish Missions extend south from what is now downtown with sites spaced every 3-4 miles. At least in a straight line; getting between them today, is not necessarily so short. The Alamo was technically a mission, but it is not part of the National Park because it is owned by the State of Texas and operated by a not-for-profit trust. There are five different sites that are part of the park, and you can walk or bike between them on what's called "The Mission Trail." We drove. The trail runs along the river through some rather scenic areas. The rain from the night before had clearly flooded over the road in a few areas and we saw trash and debris stuck in trees and low shrubs (this included a mattress). The first stop was at Mission Concepción. This site has the best preserved of the mission churches, but little else of the original walls or living quarters remain. The next stop was Mission San José. This site has had most of the walls restored so you can get a feel for what life was like inside. We arrived just in time to go on a guided tour where one of the Park Rangers talked about life for the indigenous people, soldiers, and Franciscan Friars who would have inhabited the mission. The third mission we visited was Mission San Juan. Here you could see the boundaries of the old walls, but they haven't been restored. It was smaller and would have had fewer people. The fourth site we visited was Mission Espada. While the farthest south, it was a major trading post for caravans crossing the state.

It was almost 5p when we left Espada so we returned to the hotel to rest a bit before finding someplace to have supper. We also talked about what to do on Saturday while we still had the rental car. After eating we walked around the River Walk some more and visited some touristy gift shops before returning to the hotel with ice cream. More time with notes, phones, and hockey before bed.




Saturday, 04/22/2023 – Happy Earth Day

We woke a little earlier Saturday feeling a bit more refreshed than Friday. We made it down to breakfast and then headed northwest out of town. Our first stop was Cascade Caverns about 30 miles up I-10. We had a wonderful guide named Pocket; yes, that's what she gave as her name. The owners of the property first discovered the cave in the 1930s when a cow fell down a 60ft shaft. They promptly started selling "tours" for a dime. The tour included being lowered in a bucket (30-gallon trash can size) on a rope tied to the bumper of the Owner's truck as he backed up and then pulled forward to lower and raise people. After WWII they added 100 steps to get down and back out of the cavern. They also built paths inside along with a pump system to help keep water from filling some of the rooms. Along with many of the common formations, we saw a cave toad, salamanders, and a tri-colored bat fast asleep. We then headed farther into hill country to Alamo Springs Café. It was a popular place and the nice weather meant we saw motorcyclists, high-end sports cars, and a Mazda Miata club on the country roads. This spot was recommended by one of the hotel desk clerks as her favorite spot. We sat outside for almost an hour listening to a singer before we got to order at a little shed. Then we could take one of the tables inside and wait for our food. All dinks (soda, beer, or wine) were on the honor system so you could drink as much as you wanted and then pay when you ordered your food. The burgers and onion rings were pretty good.

We then headed back into San Antonio to the Botanical Gardens. The forecast for Sunday was cool and rainy so we wanted to see something outside while we could. There were several conservatories with plants from different climates. They also had different areas around the sizable grounds for formal and regional plant exhibits. When we visited, they had large topiaries placed around the property themed on different storybook characters. As usual, James got camera happy at the gardens.

We headed back to the hotel a little after 5p. We didn't know what all might be happening over the weekend for Fiesta and didn't want to get caught up in traffic. After a rest, we headed back to the River Walk. It was really busy, but we got there toward the end of the dinner rush and had a good Italian meal. We walked a little more taking some pictures of the Alamo at night before settling in at the hotel for the evening.




Sunday, 04/23/2023 – A Cool Day

Sunday started off cold and rainy, so we stayed at the hotel until almost noon. We drove around looking for a gas station and then returned the rental car before having a late lunch at another Mexican restaurant on the River Walk. After getting turned around, we found our way to the Tower of the Americas, a 750-foot tower with a restaurant and observation deck at the top. It was built for the Hemisfair World's Fair hosted by San Antonio in 1968. You can see a lot from the top, even on a cloudy day. After leaving the tower, we stopped and got some donuts at Voodoo Donut Shop before heading back to the hotel. Since it was cool, cloudy, and windy outside, we stayed in our room the rest of the day watching TV and preparing to head home on Monday.




Monday, 04/24/2023 – Traveling Home

We crawled out of bed around 7:30a on Monday. After our normal morning routine, we headed down for breakfast at the hotel. We then returned to the room and made sure we were ready to depart. About 9:45a we caught an Uber to the Airport and were through security to our gate about 10:30a. Everything went as planned on our flight from San Antonio to Dallas/Ft. Worth. We had 2.5 hours before our next flight, so we got a bite to eat and then settled in at our gate. The inbound flight was 5-10 minutes late, but the crew turned things around and our flight to Des Moines was uneventful and on time. We hadn't checked any bags, so we walked straight to the car and were home and unpacked by 7:30p.