Circling the U.S. Chapter 70: San Antonio

Friday, January 24 - Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Our stay in San Antonio, like so many of our respites from the road, was a mixture of maintenance, relaxation, and sightseeing. But this go-around we included family time, as our daughter and son and their significant others flew out from Colorado to join us for a few days.


We spent several hours Friday at a bike shop getting new brakes for me and new tires for Rob. Saturday morning I replaced our chains and then we sought out a pastry shop to relax and blog. Our kids arrived Saturday afternoon with their significant others and we had two days to visit and explore the city. 

The weekend coincided with Rob's birthday, on Sunday, January 26. Tim gave him a new cycling hat to replace the one that flew out of his handlebar pack several weeks before.

Sunday morning we took a bus to Mission San Jose. There are four missions south of San Antonio, but we all decided that one was enough so after wandering around for a while we caught the bus back to the city. The people in the photo are Aimee and Tim (son and daughter-in-law), me, Rob, Matt (Kylee's boyfriend) and Kylee (our daughter).

We thought it might be fun to check out the historic Mexican market where Aimee hoped to buy a Mexican blanket and Tim wanted to get some Mexican street food. Unfortunately the crowds overwhelmed us, but inside one of the buildings we enjoyed a Mexican dance demonstration.

After walking around the city, we decided it was time to relax outside on the River Walk with a beer and appetizer at Mokara Ostra. Our kids took a break from being vegan to try shrimp nachos which we all agreed was delicious.

We especially enjoyed strolling along the River Walk north of downtown where crowds were scarce. On Monday, January 27, after visiting the Alamo, we took a long walk to the Pearl Brewery area. It was a gorgeous day, perfect for being outside and soaking up the sun.

These turtles thought so, too.

The bridges along the River Walk all had art installations underneath. That's Rob, Kylee, and Matt walking.

I took this photo of the River Walk as we were leaving the downtown area Tuesday morning. Later in the day, especially weekend evenings, it would be crowded with tourists.

San Antonio has three art museums but the only one that sparked my interest was the McNay Art Museum, located several miles north of downtown. It's closed Mondays and Tuesdays so we stopped on our way out of town on Wednesday, January 29. 

We spent two and a half very pleasant hours admiring the sculptures outside and the variety of paintings inside the beautiful mansion that was once the home of Marion McNay. We saw a couple stunning Georgia O'Keefes and several Monets, among other well-known and lesser-known artists.

Whenever we travel I am constantly asking myself, "Is this a place I want to return to?" If the answer is no then I push to see as much as possible so we'll leave without feeling we've missed something. If the answer is yes, then we take our time, knowing that we're just scratching the surface. 

I picture myself taking a jar containing a variety of candies off a shelf, opening it, and sampling what's inside. If I'm not impressed after a few tastes, I'll put the lid back on, and return the jar to its place on the shelf. But if everything I taste is delicious, I'll pack the jar in our shopping bag to take home, knowing that I'll make plans to open it and savor what's inside again in a few years.

San Antonio definitely warrants another visit for the foodie that I am. We found three restaurants that impressed us so much that we visited them twice. We ate lunch on Friday at the Green Vegetarian Cuisine in the Pearl Brewery district on Friday while our bikes were being worked on and again on Monday with our kids. We sat outside on the River Walk Friday night enjoying authentic Mexican food at Casa Rio and dined there again on Saturday night after the kids arrived. Then there was the pastry shop Rob and I discovered on Saturday, La Panaderia. We had to take our kids there as well. Sunday, Rob's birthday, Kylee, Matt, Tim, and Aimee treated us to dinner at a higher end Mexican restaurant, La Fonda on Main. Tim gets credit for doing the research and picking such a fantastic place with its beautiful patio and incredible food.

I picture myself returning to San Antonio for a relaxing few days in the winter or spring to soak up the sun and eat good food. And I would definitely consider staying at the Hotel Gibbs again, across from the Alamo, where they served breakfast tacos in the morning. I'm definitely taking the San Antonio jar home with me to open again.