San Antonio

San Antonio was an interesting place.  I was excited to go to Texas, mainly to see my little brother, but also because I had never been to that state.  Lee and I only had to pay $10 for our flights because we used some of our miles from our credit card.  It's pretty fun earning free flights for everyday purchases.  

We flew straight in to San Antonio and got on a shuttle to our car rental. We rented a minivan to hold all the family and headed to our hotel - the Historic St. Anthony Hotel. The hotel lobby was beautiful. Several times there was live music in the lobby. 

 Our rooms, on the other hand, were quite different.  They were decent, but clearly very old.  We expected as much from a historic hotel, so we weren't disappointed.  It smelled a little musty, but everything looked clean.  With the old wooden beds and other furniture, it was a pretty fun place to stay.  Also, it didn't hurt that we got it super cheap on Hotwire.  We spent most of our time with my little brother, but we visited a few places while we were there.  

San Antonio was a strange city.  I've been a lot of places, some sketchier than others, but this city didn't feel welcoming at all. The two main places to visit (really the only places) to visit in San Antonio are the Alamo and the Riverwalk.  The Alamo was right in the middle of town. 

 We passed it several times when walking or driving around.  It had a constant flow of people both day and night.  We visited one day.  It wasn't all that exciting.  There were a few exhibits on the inside and another building that was a big gift store.  There was also a nice treed area in the back, but it was a pretty quick trip.  The guards weren't very friendly.  They just gave dirty stares as they walked by, but it didn't bother me any. 

 I just kept taking pictures (outside only).  It's cool to say I've visited the Alamo, but it's not really anything great in person.  We visited the Riverwalk quite frequently while we were in town.  It was only 3 blocks from our hotel, so we ate there a few times. 

 The Riverwalk is a place where the river runs through the town.  It has sidewalks on each side and restaurants as well.  The places we tried were all very good.  It was a nice area.  They had all the tress wrapped in lights that stayed on during the night.  They also gave boat tours down the river.  We didn't take one.  One of the last places we went was the Tower of the Americas.  It's a 750 foot tall tower that has three levels at the top.  


Two were restaurant/bar, the top was an observation deck.  Lee and I went up in the evening and took pictures in the daylight, sunset, and night.  It was a good time to visit the tower because we were only out there for an hour.  The rest of our trip was filled with family time (games, walking around, eating, etc.).  It was nice to spend time with my brother and sister-in-law before they moved away.  Overall, it was a pretty good trip.