2007-09 San Antonio, Texas

Ray was in San Antonio for a conference and had some time in the evening to explore the city. After getting to the hotel about 4:45, he hurried down to the Alamo to get a look inside before it closed at 5:30. The last time he was there, back in 1968 on a visit to the Hemisphere World’s Fair with his family, the Alamo was closed for filming and he could only see the outside. The Alamo is in the middle of downtown and in the heart of the tourist district.

Inside the Alamo is a mini museum housing some artifacts from the battle at the Alamo, and a lot of information on Texas history. The grounds inside the walls are nicely manicured and very peaceful. The walls keep much of the city noise out. If it were for the surrounding buildings towering above the walls, you would not know you in the city.

From there it was down to the River Walk, which is about 20 feet below the street level. It is horseshoe shaped canal that connects to the river on both ends. There is a gate system for flood control which keeps the buildings and restaurants below the street level from flooding. There is one extension of the canal which stretches out from the center of the bow in the horseshow. This goes towards a large shopping area and the convention center.

Along both sides of the canal are numerous restaurants with riverside seating. Even though it was a warm evening, many people were out enjoying dinner and watching the people go by, both on the walkway and also on pontoons. The pontoons are fitted with bench seats down both sides and down the center. The operator of the pontoon is also a tour guide giving history of the area and the architecture (along with the standard corny jokes you get on guided tours). The ride lasts about an hour and is very enjoyable. The River Walk is lit up with many lights at night, and makes for an enjoyable way to spend an evening.

On the second night, Ray headed over to the site of the Hemisphere World’s Fair Site and the Tower of the Americas. The 750 foot tower has an observation deck and restaurant at the top. On the base level is the gift shop and a 3-D movie ride about Texas with moving seats, wind and water spray to add to the excitement making it a 4-D experience. The view from above is spectacular in all 360 degrees. The first time Ray was there, he barely made it to the top as he feared the height and the glass elevator. His dad went as far to check if there was an inside elevator to ride up, but there wasn’t. The trip up and down was made facing the inside of the elevator and not doing too much looking around. This time was different though as he was at the front of the elevator watching all the way up.

It was enjoyable to be in San Antonio again after so long and reliving some of the sights and adventures from almost 40 years ago.