#5, The San Antonio Riverwalk

 February 11 – 14, 2024

Even though I don’t really care for organized tours, one of the first things I did after lunch on Sunday was to buy a ticket for a short boat tour on the Riverwalk.  It was perfect weather, and I got a seat at the very back.  Our guide shared interesting tidbits of history regarding the various buildings and other aspects of the area. He also attempted a lot of jokes and seemed disappointed that people rarely laughed. 

Later I bought an app for a walking tour that helped flesh things out a bit.  The San Antonio River is very curvy.  In this area it made several right angle turns, creating a three-sided box.  In 1921 the river flooded, destroying property, and taking the lives of 52 people.  A man named Robert Hugman was instrumental in designing a plan to control the water and create a place of function and beauty.  Shops and restaurants shoulder to shoulder, and numerous bridges to cross over for both vehicles and pedestrians.  Approval was given, funds were raised, and the work began.

A couple of integral parts of the project were a channel to create the fourth side of the box, and dam up the river, and a lift gate to control high water.  The entire Riverwalk is lushly landscaped, with towering trees that are lit up at night.  Obviously, I was there during the off-season, so I wouldn’t expect it to be blooming.  There were a few beds of winter pansies, but most plants were just pushing up some new growth.  In the picture below you can see the lift gate that controls the water in the channel.

A few notable things along the way…this hotel, The Hilton Palacio del Rio was built in record time using all prefab units.  The story goes that everything was installed in advance, even toothbrush holders. 21 stories tall and having 500 rooms, it was built in 1968 in time for the opening of the World’s Fair. 

This twin-trunked cypress tree is said to have been the perch for a Mexican sniper during the revolution.  A colorful tile mural commemorates the spot.   

This grungy little building is the Esquire Tavern.  It opened its doors in 1933, just after prohibition ended.  It is said to still be very popular.  Its rooms extend back below the street level so it’s bigger than it looks.  I find it fascinating how far the modern building above it is canted out.  It looks like the whole thing could topple forward into the river.

Casa Rio was the first restaurant to open on the newly constructed waterfront in 1946.  I walked through their cheerful outdoor area several times and found it to be consistently busy.  Once several Mexican musicians in full costume, with their interesting instruments were singing among the tables. 

Perhaps the scripture written on the bottom of their menus has been a blessing to their business.

Off in the distance one can see the tall Space-Needle-like structure called The Tower of the Americas, built for the HemisFair in 1968.  Taller than the Seattle Space Needle’s height of 605 feet, it tops out at 750 feet.  There is a revolving restaurant at the top.  I didn’t feel the need to go up in it as I knew that there was a lot more history on the ground that I still wanted to explore.

The vast majority of eateries along the Riverwalk are steak houses or Mexican restaurants.  And they are quite pricy.  The two waterfront restaurants belonging to the hotel were way too expensive for dinner.  The one was great for breakfast, but not dinner.  The other only open for dinner.  The Iron Cactus, across the river from my hotel, was great for a light dinner.  The first night I had a pretty spot on the patio to eat my fish tacos.  On my last night I had a fabulous salmon salad there.  It was too crowded outside, so I had to sit inside, and it was so loud.  But that’s on me for wanting a quiet corner to read in a margarita bar.

And of course, there’s the river itself, and all the graceful bridges.  It did require a lot of steps, as all the bridges have lots of steps and most of the shops and restaurants do as well. 

For twelve hours a day the tour boats ply the channel.  There were probably a dozen different captains, each with their own spiel and jokes.  As my room was directly above the river, and my door often open, I heard them over and over until I had memorized what they had to say.   And logically, why would they change it up as they have a different load of people on each trip?  

At night the boats were colorful and lit up.  They looked so graceful gliding down the river.

On the street level across from my room were these pretty Cinderella-style carriages for hire.  They were decked out with all sorts of bling and sparkle.  They went for a few hours each evening.  Sometimes they appeared to be just driving around empty, and other times I could see a passenger or two.

All in all, the Riverwalk is a lovely place to spend a few days.  There are also quite a few surrounding hotels that might be less expensive but would give a similar experience.