Visit San Antonio

San Antonio is the second largest city in Texas and while I don’t know how many square miles it covers it is like everything else in Texas, BIG. While I have been to San Antonio several times this trip was the best. The weather was perfect at 70-75degrees each day. All of the highway construction has been finished and the downtown area was busy but not overly crowded.

The airport is relatively small but there is some construction work going on outside that makes it a little difficult to get around. We rented a car from Dollar Rent a Car and it seemed to take forever for their shuttle bus to pick us up. I noticed, while waiting for them to pick us up, that the Hertz shuttle bus came by 3-4 times as did almost every other rental car shuttle bus. Dollar provided us with a nice car and the rate was excellent but the pick up at the airport was frustrating.

On this trip we decided to try using Priceline and got the Omni Le Mansion Del Rio on the Riverwalk. The hotel is quite old but well maintained and a short walk through the lobby leads you to the Riverwalk, very convenient. The hotel has several meeting rooms for conventions and a small swimming pool area. Parking at the hotel is a little expensive but there is a city parking garage directly across the street that is $12 cheaper per night. While the Le Mansion is a nice hotel and convenient to the Riverwalk I DO NOT recommend staying there, if you want a quite night sleep. The hotel is right on a very busy street and the nonstop traffic will drive you crazy. The Riverwalk access, busy street, and city parking garage make it a popular location for weekend visitors of teenagers and young adults. I have nothing against younger people but it seems that every one of them in Texas drives a pickup truck with noisy diesel engines and loud mufflers. Add a bunch of drunk, loud mouth cowboys to the pickup truck noise at 2:00AM and the noise level is unbearable.

In the past I stayed at the Hyatt Regency on the Riverwalk and found it to be the best experience, large comfortable and quiet rooms with every amenity. I would definitely pay a little more to stay at the Hyatt again. Since my last visit Hyatt built a Grand Hyatt hotel downtown but I didn’t check it out on this trip. I am sure it is spectacular.

The Riverwalk was just as nice as I remembered it, with lots of good places to eat and drink. You can’t beat the Riverwalk for its atmosphere and fun. We went back to one of our favorite restaurants for traditional Texas beef, The County Line, and once again were pleased with the food. We tried several places for breakfast and found the best was ZUNI on the Riverwalk, the breakfast tacos were spectacular and inexpensive. At night the margaritas flow freely from every restaurant and bar where the crowds are friendly and courteous.

We took a day trip to historic Gruene, about 30 north, with its Quaint shops in the historic structures including old homes, stores, an art gallery, a winery and an ice cream parlor. Gruene Hall is the oldest dance hall in Texas and a lot of fun with live music and plenty of Shiner beer. Gruene Hall is right next to the Gristmill river restaurant & bar. The Gristmill is situated on a bluff overlooking the Guadalupe River. It is a multi level restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining and excellent views.

On the highway between San Antonio and Austin is the town of San Marcos. At the exit for the town is the largest outlet mall shopping area I ever visited. There is a Tanger outlet right across the street from a Prime outlet. If shopping is your thing then San Marcos is the place.

To really experience the Mexican culture visit Historic Market Square in San Antonio. At Market Square you can find a great Mexican restaurant and bakery, Mi Tierra, Mariachi musicians and a huge selection of classic Tex-Mex dishes. Mi Tierra is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The Market Square has a variety of shops and a huge Mercado with every type of clothing and gifts you could ever want.

Everyone should visit Texas in their lifetime and for me San Antonio is best city for learning about their culture, food and shopping.

San Antonio was fun

I took a lot of pictures and I am trying to filter out some of them before posting. Update coming soon.

Long weekend

Visiting San Antonio (again) for a long weekend. Look for an update with pictures next week.

IN-N-OUT

For those of you who haven’t visited the west coast, you are missing out on something very special. No… not the warm weather or the scenic ocean views. Not even the glamour glitz of Hollywood or the night life. Nope, none of these semi spectacular things. I am talking about the real reason to hop on a plane and go west; IN-N-OUT burger. Let’s all pause here for a few seconds…mmm,mmm,mmm.

I have eaten many hamburgers in my life but nothing compares to the freshness and taste of a DOUBLE DOUBLE from IN-N-OUT.

Many years ago, while visiting California, a co-worker introduced me to IN-N-OUT. I wanted to grab something quick for lunch one day and inquired about a close fast-food place. I have been a regular visitor ever since. Sure there was a long line of people placing their orders and many waiting, with drool running down their chin, to devour their meal but believe me the wait was worth it. I didn’t know at the time that they use only the freshest meat and produce to make their burgers. I didn’t know that their French fries were out of this world. I didn’t know that they invented the 1st drive through restaurant with the first two-way speaker box. I didn’t know they were a family owned business. I didn’t know the lettuce was leafed by hand and the sponge dough buns were baked daily and that both the cheese and the ice cream for its shakes were 100 percent dairy. Heck, I just wanted to grab a bite and go back to work.

If you want to get tacos or a chicken sandwich or a Happy (?) Meal then forget IN-N-OUT. They only serve Burgers, FRIES, and a drink…nothing else.

It amazes me that in my lifetime I have seen a huge growth of McDonald’s restaurants around the world. They seem to always be adding some new food item to entice you. Recently they have been promoting specialty coffees and $1 meals. You can get chicken in many forms, tortilla wraps filled with stuff, nuggets of chicken parts, sausage, eggs, and muffins. I have seen them experiment with pizza and even full meals. McDonald’s has been very successful and if fast is what you want you can get in there. Yet, IN-N-OUT, after 60 some years, still only sells burgers, fries and a drink and yet their stores are packed throughout the day.

Now I don’t much care for the greeters at many stores who wish me a “Nice Day” when I enter. I know they don’t really care if I have a nice day but some consultant somewhere convinced their management that we customers want to be greeted when we enter their business. I suppose that would be a good idea if it really meant something to them. When I visit a fast food, or for that matter any chain restaurant, I am prepared for “matter of fact” service. But, such is not the case at IN-N-OUT. They treat their customers with respect and a friendly smile, every time you visit. The culture of the company is such that they are naturally friendly and treat their customers well. That friendly service and the spectacular food keeps me coming back for more whenever I can.

This family owned business has stretched its business legs a bit and I have visited one in Tucson and I understand they have some in Las Vegas. They may never make it across the entire United States so start planning your trip to California (or Arizona or Nevada) so that you don’t miss out on the fast-food treat of your life.