San Antonio -
-I had read that San Antonio was predominantly Mexican. Well yes, this is very true. Granted, I was situated at the Motel 6 near La Mercada (Market Square) but even when I went closer to downtown you can tell the majority was still Mexican - the non Mexicans, or rather non-browns, stuck out like a sore thumb. I tried blending in as much as I could, at least when I didn't have my gigantic backpack on.
-These Mexicans have been here for a minute. Two observations support this. 1) I have never seen so many mestizos and mestizas in my life. The whites and the Mexicans have definitely made friendly. 2) Blame it on my ignorance, but whenever I went up to a local and asked for directions, etc I almost expected to hear an accent. Turns out, their English is better than mine.
-Riverwalk was beautiful (and very touristy). Being that I was alone, it didn't warrant me having a nice dinner all to myself (or partaking in happy hour and being the drunk tourist who fell into the river in the morning newspaper) Oh yeah, being that there are no guard rails, how many people actually fall in every year? It has to be at least 50.
-The Alamo is small! It is really not much higher than two stories. No wonder the Mexicans were able to break their way in. It is amazing though that for 13 days we were able to hold off 2500 Mexican soldiers with about 200 soldiers. Give me a couple of shots and I could probably scale the wall in about 2 hours.
-Lots of bird squawking during the day and the night. Lots of birds = lots of bird poo.
-The 5 bus goes to the airport. It is right off of Commerce (Villita) and Navarro. I bought a $4 day bus pass on my last day. Since I was running low on funds, this saved me from the $25 cab ride I took earlier in my trip and also gave me a good tour around the city for cheap. I think more cities should have buses/trolleys whose main purpose is to circle the city.
-La Mercada (Market Square) is the spot. It is probably the most authentic experience you'll get from downtown San Antonio. They have the Market Square which sells a lot of local crafts, souvenirs, etc. Then you have the other side which are predominantly Mexican restaurants and bars. The restaurant Mi Tierra looked like a Mexican Mardi Gras. The adjoining Mariachi Bar looked like a cool place to grab a couple of beers. I opted to go with the recommendation of the motel clerk to go to Pico de Gallo, which is owned by the same people as Mi Tierra but cheaper. I ordered the Tampiquena which was a steak with red and green peppers. Completely underwhelming. Lots of locals but I've probably had better at Chili's.
-The first night I got in I felt like I saw everything I needed to see in downtown in about 3 hours. Trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my night was another question. After eating the Teriyaki and Orange chicken combo at Little Tokyo at the mall foodcourt, I decided to stop in at a dive bar on the way back to the motel. When I walked in it was just the bartender and another patron. The bar itself was definitely dive but with Latin accents. Murals of bulls and bull fighting lined the walls. Occasionally some Tejano music would play from the jukebox. Is it bad if I couldn't distinguish between songs? Anyway, Dora, the other patron and I decided to get a game of pool going. Then a Mexican cowboy, Fransisco walked in and sat down to watch our game. It was little awkward because I don't usually play pool in bars - I have this fear that I'm playing a friendly game and then I owe someone $500 for a bet we didn't make. Then another Mexican cowboy comes in. This time with his own pool stick and one of those hand gloves the professionals wear. I sensed I was about to get hustled. It was almost like the Wild Wild West, except with our pool sticks as our pistols. In the end (and after 4 Tecates @ $2.75ea), no one wanted to scam me after all. We all took turns playing each other, making conversation, Fransisco explaining to me in broken English how Colombians are the hottest women, etc. It was a good time and I made new friends. Turns out after 55 years, that Sunday was the last day El Tenampa bar would ever be open. The owner Janie even asked me if I wanted to buy it. I said, in any other lifetime I would. Tejano for life.
-If you ever need to catch a bus at the Greyhound or are just around the area, hit up Blanco's Cafe on the same street, St. Mary's. It is hands down the best Chilaquiles I have ever had. Also, if you haven't tried Carne Guisada, it would be a good time to start.
-Buckhorn Saloon and Restaurant off of Houston street near the Alamo is totally touristy, but I loved it. It's a vast space filled with a taxidermist's dream - buffalo, elk, etc. You name it and it was there. I settled in with a Buckhorn burger (bacon, grilled onion, pepperjack cheese) which was pretty decent. I didn't care though. I was here to take in the scenery.
Austin -
-Never have I seen so many hipsters in my life. I live in Logan Square where there are many. But even the ones we have in my neighborhood seem more grimey. These were definitely American Apparel hipsters.
-It was hard to take everything in. It was like visiting Chicago for the first time and walking straight into the Taste of Chicago.
-I did get the sense that Autin's unofficial motto 'Keep Austin Weird' was actually enforced. We ran into a pack of guys in leopard full body leotards one night drinking. They claimed they weren't furries. That is, until I was groped inappropriately. Just kidding.
-The parties were pretty cool. I wouldn't say I'm a big music person by any means, and for SXSW to be an Indie Festival, it could have been a totally lost weekend. But as they say, wherever there's alcohol, there's bound to be a party, and we made the best of it.
-Chuy's Tex Mex is as good as Lance Armstrong vouches. It's a very kitschy place with Elvis memorabilia all around. They also have pictures of patrons in random places around the world lining the walls. The salsa and chips were good but the white sauce blew everything out of the water. The area it was in seemed out of the way for taxis - it took us a while to call one and for it to show up. Not sure if it was the craziness of the festival.
-Bone Thugs at the Fader Fort was pretty cool. It wouldn't have been though if we didn't have those passes. The line to get in was ridiculous. Unfortunately no Justin Bieber as a surprise guest.
-For breakfast tacos, definitely check out Juan in a Million on Cesar Chavez boulevard. They have the Don Juan for $2.60 which is easily three tacos in itself. You can't go wrong.
-Austin could be the street cart capital of the world - had Philly Cheesesteak, pizza, bratwurst and Bulgokie (spelled exactly that way) in one night.
-Overall I have to go back when it's not so busy. I also didn't get to see the bats or any of the Friday Night Lights cast.
General observations
-Cab Fare
San Antonio Airport to Motel 6 downtown: $25
Austin Greyhound Station to Hilton Austin: $15-$20
-Baggage Fees - Both Continental and United charge $25 baggage fees for check in. Aholes.
-How fitting is it that there is a Bass Pro Shops and Fox News Channel Store at the Bush International Airport?
-Saw a shirt that said,"Mexicans are not Latinos. Latinos are Anglo Saxons that came from Italy to Latin America. Mexicans are not Hispanic. Hispanics are Spanish Europeans that came to Mexico." Interesting.
One last pic -
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