I was nervous about going to San Antonio because I thought it would be less touristy than other parts of Texas as I’d mainly heard of people going to Houston or Dallas. I assumed that because it was “less touristy” (or so I thought), that it would be somehow more dangerous, with guns etc. I know stupid right? It turned out to be my favourite city in Texas.
On arrival, we headed for our motel, which initially I thought looked horrible, but it turned out to be pretty cosy. I never understood why some people are so anal about hotel rooms; unless you’re planning on staying in the room the entire time, it’s really just a place to lay your head. I couldn’t complain about our room, there was a bed, a TV, a bathroom, what else did we need?
I remember there was a gas station just across the street too, which turned out to be pretty handy for a quick snack, drink and even a hot meal. We actually had our first dinner in San Antonio from that gas station that sold ridiculously large drinks and hot food which wasn’t half-bad.
The only thing we saw which could be deemed by some as intimidating, were some of the Latino gangster-looking locals, women with gold/silver teeth, men with bandannas hanging out the back of their trousers etc. But, we didn’t see them do anything wrong, so who are we to judge?
Wagon wheel horse-carts, and a store that’s been selling cowboy hats since the early 19th century, this was the Texas I had in mind.
It was much more like the Texas I had pictured in my head, (western style) than Houston was. And it wasn’t scary at all.
Because of the fact that San Antonio used to be a part of Mexico, and because it borders it, the population is mostly Mexican, but there are all races (like most of America really).
And this is great news for you if you’re a fan of Mexican food, like me. It’s actually because of San Antonio that Mexican food became one of my favourites. I had hands-down THE best brisket taco I’ve ever had in my life. I went on about it afterwards for months!
Want to try it for yourself? Head to Historic Market Square and try one of these bad boys. Brisket tacos aren’t all they have on offer, take a gander around the many stalls, you’ll find all kinds of cool things for sale. I got my cowboy hat from one of the stalls here, (it had to be done).
How about sports?
Like Canadians, Americans are big on sports. They know their shit. Being from England and having little interest in keeping up with sports broadcasting, I mainly only ever hear about football (that’s soccer to you Yanks and Canadians), but in Canada and America, they seem to know what’s going on in every type of sport. It’s like common knowledge.
We couldn’t go to America and not hit up a sports game. In Canada, we went to a local ice hockey match, so in the States? Basketball.
It was an NBA game actually, at the AT&T Center. Orlando Magic vs. Sanantonio Spurs. I don’t know what to tell you… It’s exactly like what you see in movies and on the TV. Mascot, cheerleaders, the over-enthusiastic commentator, the big screens that capture random people from the crowd. It was really cool.
Enjoy history? You’ll like San Antonio.
Another hot day in Texas, saw us visit a very important historic landmark, the Alamo. We learned a lot of fascinating history here, like how Texas used to be a part of Mexico and how the fighting that happened here, was responsible for the occupation of the state.
We also visited a Japanese Tea Garden, which may not sound exciting but it was actually amazing, like entering another world, and stepping into the “shimmer”, (just without the mutation killer animals). I’d highly recommend going here for the day if you get the chance to visit.
From the Japanese Tea Garden to the River Walk, San Antonio is very beautiful, in fact, I wasn’t expecting to see so much natural beauty.
I would without a doubt return to San Antonio, given the chance.
Stay tuned for my next blog, as I take you to Dallas, Texas!
Naz Karimi Writes 