After the Viper Pilot’s graduation we spent the rest of the weekend with our family on the Riverwalk downtown San Antonio.
It was an experience for my mom and dad since they have never been to San Antonio. After a week of rain, the weather that weekend was far more perfect that we could have asked for. It was beautiful! My only gripe about the Riverwalk is the mucky water. It would be sweet if they could keep it clean, but with the sidewalk right along the water, I imagine a lot of garbage and other gunk gets tossed in (can you guess how many cell phones they probably find at the bottom when they do clean it?!) so it turns a gross green/brown color. They dye it green for St. Patrick’s day and that’s about the prettiest I’ve ever seen it.
We enjoyed lunch at the Viper Pilot and I’s favorite Mexican restaurant, Cafe Ole, on the river. They are home of the 60 oz Ritas (we have split one before), but my favorite thing there is their chicken enchilada soup. MmmmMmmm, is it good. I also like their chalupas.
We also took everyone on the boat tour, which is always fun. The Viper Pilot and I have been on the boat tour so many times, we could probably give the tour ourselves (the Rough Riders were here!, Carol Burnet was born here!, this building looks like a ship and if you listen carefully, you can hear the horn!, this building looks like a two dimensional wall…now!, if you fall in the river, just stand up…it’s only 4 feet deep!) — but it seems we always learn one new fact each time so I guess it is worth it.
We also went to the Tower of the Americas for the first time. We’ve always talked about it, but it costs money to ride the elevator to the top and that just seems all too touristy. What we didn’t know, is that you can ride the elevator to the restaurant bar for free. You still end up spending money for a drink, but you get more for your money (a view and a beverage). And let me tell you what — the view is spectacular. It is probably more fun to sit up there and look around when you have a better understanding of the layout of the city. I was able to spot all my favorite places to shop, and the interstate intersections I absolutely detest because traffic is always backed up. It would have been even better if the Gunfighters were flying their Vipers! Seeing an F-16 zoom by from the top of a 750 foot tall tower would be pretty spiffy.
We just sat at the bar and enjoyed our drinks and the view, but the restaurant one level below slowly revolves 360 degrees so you can see everything! I scoped out their dessert menu, and I think the Viper Pilot and I will be returning for one more San Antonio date night soon!
My ma, his ma, and my pa. |
Shelby and Anders |
The newest Viper Pilot and myself |
They built the mall around the church. We always heard about it, but it was neat to see it from above. |
What I think I love the most about the Riverwalk is how busy and bustling everything seems to be. It’s not just a river with a sidewalk along it. It is actually below street level and it dotted with restaurants, shops and hotels. A lot of the businesses have done up their portions of the river with landscaping and waterfalls. I guess the Riverwalk itself was designed by a new Texas A&M grad (gig ’em, Aggies!) I, for one, enjoy photographing these pieces of work. It’s gorgeous and a nice stroll along the river, when it isn’t peak tourist season and packed with people, can be very relaxing. It’s even more fun after a rita or two… 😉
We also stopped to show my parents the legendary Alamo. The sun was in our eyes when we took our “us in front of the Alamo picture” and our photographer (the Viper Pilot) decided he would be funny…
Me and my parents at the Alamo |
Duck drama. It exists. We witnessed it while enjoying an iced coffee along the river. This lady duck got her man stolen by another lady duck. She was MAD. Really mad. She was only a few feet from my mom’s chair, wagging her tail, ruffling her feathers, and quack-quack-quacking and my mom leaned over to her and said, “Are you mad?!” Haha, you think?! It was hilarious…you kind of had to be there…
Ohmahgosh, I am so behind on blogging about recent events!! The problem is, events keep happening and I don’t have time to write about them. I’m going to try to get the graduation weekend all wrapped up by the end of the day tomorrow and then I can move on to other fun things (like adventures with Drake and Elmer and dinner at a car wash/laundry mat/burger joint). I also have a recipe post lined up…but that will come later.
The Viper Pilot and I are going to have a date night tonight and we’re going to the zoo tomorrow. We leave for Colorado to go to the wedding in less than a week, so we’re trying to squeeze in a little R&R time. Make sure you check back tomorrow for another post!!
CHEERS!