#4 Getting Acquainted with San Antonio

 February 11 - 13, 2024

Standing in the damp, dark early in the morning outside the Amtrak station, I called my hotel.  I knew that check-in wasn’t until 4:00 pm, and it was only 5:30 am.  I also knew in advance that the train station was only open for this train’s arrival, so hanging out there wasn’t an option.  I didn’t have much to lose.  A kind voice answered so I pled my case, and was welcomed to just come, and we’d figure out the details when I got there.  My Uber ride had some issues, but eventually came, and then it was only a five-minute ride. 

Omni La Mansion del Rio, right on the San Antonio Riverwalk was undeniably a splurge.  And when we pulled up into their car courtyard and the bellman opened my door, I knew it was going to be worth it.  At the check-in counter the sweet clerk again welcomed me, but typing in her computer informed me that sadly, all the rooms were still occupied.  Unbeknownst to me, there was a big rodeo in the area.  But still she kept typing.  “Hold on, let me just check one more thing.”, and “let's see if this would work”.  And then, she had a room for me!  A beautiful balcony room overlooking the Riverwalk.  There would of course be an extra charge for the early check-in.

As soon as I got the door unlocked, I dropped my bags and went straight to the balcony.  It was simply magical!  Colored lights lit up all the big trees, and the water sparkled as it moved slowly through the channel.  Not a soul was out and about, so it was nearly silent.  Even the bells from the nearby St, Mary's church, which I would grow to love, were stilled.  And then, as I stood there, the birds began to sing.  I have to say it again, it was simply magical.  A very singular, nearly holy experience.

I came back inside but left the door to the balcony open.  Then I looked at that big plushy bed and knew that what I really wanted was a nap.  Who but me was in charge of my schedule? So I crawled in amongst all the fluffy pillows and turned on, "On the Banks of Plum Creek" on my phone, and was asleep in minutes. 

Refreshed from my nap a couple of hours later, I tidied my appearance and went looking for some food.  I found it in one of the hotel’s restaurants.  The Four Brothers is an upscale, “Texas fusion” or something steakhouse, but has lovely patio seating along the river.  Since it was Sunday, they had a few brunch offerings.  I got one of prettiest salads ever, with added chicken.  It was as tasty as it was pretty.

The hotel’s history is intertwined with that of St. Mary’s Cathedral, which is on adjoining property. It’s hard to forget St. Mary’s as its beautiful bells can be heard all day long on the half hour.  Sometimes the bells just chime the hour, and other times it’s a medley of hymns. 

St Mary’s is a church, but also was an educational institution.  There are plaques in the hotel, in the church, and along the Riverwalk that tell of its history.  Understandably, they differ slightly.  But the gist of it is, the church, as well as some rooms of a boy’s school were built around 1852-1857.  Later more buildings were added, and it became as St Mary’s College.

In 1967, most of the buildings and property were sold to a hotel.  It was remodeled in time for the HemisFair, the 1968 World’s Fair.  The exterior of the buildings seem to have held to the original design, as well as later additions to the hotel.

Below, one of the several stairs that lead up to the hotel entrances from the Riverwalk level.

Inside, the hotel is plush and sprawling.  There are many different corridors, with doors between several, giving evidence of multiple buildings.  It's hard to say which elements are original but I enjoyed some of the unique details like the beams and brick wall in my room.

No picture of my bed because it was never made during my stay!  They had a suggestion that you could "opt out to help out".  If you hung the tag on your door, you would have no housekeeping service for the duration of your stay, and in exchange they would provide one meal to a homeless person.  Not having housekeeping meant that I didn't always have to worry about putting things away.  I do know how to make a bed, but decided that as I was on vacation it was fine not to.

In a center courtyard is a nice, heated pool and fountain.  Due to the high buildings surrounding it, I never saw the sun on it, but I did swim once and it was lovely and refreshing.

On my last full day, I took the time to walk around to the church.  It’s not open for tours, per se, but open for its congregants.  I stood outside for a while, unsure about going in, but a small Hispanic woman, swathed in a large black headscarf, motioned me to go in.  I didn’t take a picture of the front, but there were three huge wooden doors.  I followed her through one into the massive, very ornate sanctuary.  

Once inside I could see people kneeling in the pews and someone working up by the altar.  I opted to stay unobtrusively beside a pillar, so didn’t take any close-up pictures of the paintings, statues, or amazing architecture.  I saw no evidence of a choir but there was some beautiful singing/chanting in Latin.

Just down the sidewalk from the front door is a rather moving sculpture entitled, “Homeless Jesus”.  It’s pretty hard to walk by and ignore it. The current homeless situation (or whatever the politically correct term is) is so beyond figuring out, but Jesus does ask us to feed, clothe and love others in His name. 

After I left there, I had several encounters with people who either were packing around their worldly goods in a tattered bag or were asking something of me.  The first incident was right after I left the church, and was standing on a bridge, looking down at the Riverwalk.  I looked to the left, back the way I had come, and saw something bright red on the sidewalk.  I hadn’t walked over it, so I knew it had just been dropped.  I walked back, and picking it up, found it to be a pair of men’s athletic shorts.  Looking down the walk, I saw a man walking away with an overflowing bag in his hand.  I called out, but he couldn't hear.  So I fast-walked up to him and kept calling.  He was so happy to be reunited with his clothing.  Then, back on the bridge, catching my breath, a guy came up beside me and looked down in the shallow water.  It didn’t take long for me to determine that he wasn’t able to process things very well.  He pointed to something and told me that it was a wallet.  He kept insisting.  I told him I didn’t want to get my clothes and shoes wet, so he could have it.  He just insisted again that it was a wallet.  Then kept muttering, “Life is what you make it, you know?” Over and over.  I looked closer at the object and could clearly see that it was a bottle, so I told him my thoughts.  He said, “You know, you’re absolutely right.”  I guess that hope can make our minds play tricks on us.  I went on my way and was a few feet further down the sidewalk when the church bells began to play.  I pulled out my phone to record them.  During the recording a woman came right up and asked me for a dollar. I declined with a shake of my head.  During the next several hours as I walked around, I was asked several more times for money.  I don’t ever give money directly to a person.  I do to an organization that is helping to deal with the problem in a healthy way. 

This was just a post about a school, church and hotel, but it kind of morphed into something more.  So be it.