Story: Two Days in San Antonio

A business trip doesn’t have to be all about work. A few years ago, while working as an editor at a trade magazine, I had to attend industry conventions in some of America’s greatest cities. While some people would see a business trip as all work, I found that I could combine work and play to be able to see places I hadn’t seen before, even if I only had two days to do it.

One show I was asked to go to was in San Antonio, Texas. It’s only a one day show on a Saturday, but since I had to come from California, I had to come in the day before. While I could have left Saturday night, I found my company didn’t if I decided to stay and spend Sunday there. The airfare was cheaper if I stayed over the Saturday night and they still paid for the hotel.

One advantage of combining the business and pleasure in my case was that I got to stay in one of the show’s contracted hotels, which was always in a good location and were higher quality, and I didn’t have to pay for them. In this case, I was at the Residence Inn by Marriott in Alamo Plaza, near the heart of the city center, including the Alamo.

Upon arrival, I wasted no time in walking down to a great area of the city called the River Walk and River Center Mall. The mall is a typical indoor mall with major brand stores set along the River Walk area. The River Walk is a long stretch of restaurants and other stores set right next to the river in the city. It looks more like a large canal than a river. There are large barges that travel along the waterways, and it looked as if many were hired as private tours/parties. The walk area is quite pleasant and despite an extremely warm and sticky summer night was packed with tourists and locals alike. The walk bends around two circles, and is located beneath the street level, which was built above it. There are many foot bridges along the way and the entire area is brightly decorated and festive. Here, you could eat in just about any type of restaurant your heart could desire, from chains like Joe’s Crab Shack to local places, lots of them serving Tex Mex. They all have outdoor seating right on the river, but it’s Texas, and in order to find smoke-free setting, you have to eat indoors, but on a hot night, it wasn’t all bad to have it be a little cooler. I ended up going back there the next night having been inside the convention all day because I loved it so much and ate dinner and people watched. People watching and listening to locals is one of the best ways to really learn about a place.

On Sunday before I had to leave in the afternoon to go back home, I decided to explore the Alamo. It was originally built and named Mission de San Antonio Valero in the 1700s and was home to missionaries who helped establish the city of San Antonio. It was renamed the Alamo by the Spanish military who was stationed there in the 1800s. Then of course, there was the famous battle of the Alamo, where local soldiers, including legendary Davy Crockett defended the Alamo against the insurgence of the Mexican army who was trying to claim Texas as their own. It is considered hallowed ground in Texas and a symbol of liberty, which is why millions of visitors like myself visit the 4.2 acre complex every year. It was great to feel the real old culture of the city.

For a quick weekend away, San Antonio is a small city in Texas that offers the history of the Alamo and the modern day culture of Riverwalk area, and on a limited time frame, makes a great weekend getaway sufficient to say you’ve been to Texas.