Anne and I were in San Antonio, Texas for the weekend, while she attended a conference. In fact, she's still there; her conference wraps up today and she's flying home tomorrow. We had decent weather, warm enough for t-shirts and shorts during the day (though the shorts were ill-considered for museum visits given the Texans love of air conditioning) but quite humid. I was told of San Antonio's charm before we went, but I confess it took me a while to find it. Our hotel was a generic Marriott, and its immediate area, including the renowned Alamo historical site, leant strongly towards tourist kitsch.

Saturday I took in a touring exhibition of Papal artifacts, which provided an interesting, if selective, overview of the history of the Papacy up to John Paul II. (The exhibit was launched while JP2 was still alive, so Benedict XVI was a hasty addition to the introduction but was otherwise not considered.) "Selective", because all of the embarrassing bits -- like the periods of two and three popes, the Spanish Inquisition, etc. -- were glossed over. The show was definitely aimed at the Catholic faithful, but it was still quite interesting, if overcrowded. Sadly, its focus did not include the spectacular artwork from the Papal Museum.

Sunday, I saw the Alamo, which I will remember as a historical site notable primarily for its lack of government support: I'm sure the "Daughters of the Republic" get registered charitable status, but it seems they don't get much else, either from the Feds or their local state government. The only original thing on the site itself is the church, which has a famous roofline that was, in fact, built after the conclusion of the War of Texan Independance. But the site has several buildings, a decent little introductory movie, a lot of historical information and background, and a dedicated set of guides and support staff, so for a change it actually is worth the crowds of visitors it gets every year. (3 million, according to one of the signs.)

Yesterday morning I strolled around the Riverwalk, one of the city's most endearing features, basically a sidewalk at the level of the river running through the city, two stories below street level. The river is narrow, slow and peaceful, mainly trafficked by tourist guide boats, and the walk is pleasantly sprinkled with carefully-maintained gardens and little bridges. Many areas have restaurants overlooking or spilling into the walk, and it appeared that not all of the restaurants were overpriced tourist traps. I also got a chance to walk through some of the historic downtown area, and visited the Spanish Governor's Palace. (At $1.50, worth the price of admission.)

The whole thing was a very refreshing change from Toronto, and an excellent use of frequent flyer miles that were about to expire anyway. Would I go back? Tough question... I didn't see the troika of art museums, which I regret. But I sure didn't fall in love with the mariachi bands playing show tunes, or the shopping mall attached to the hotel, either. Let's just say it was worth my time, and leave it at that, ok?
posted by Tom at 3:21 PM | link |