From the Alamo to the Missions of San Antonio. San Antone. I've read some blogs that say that you’re a
tourist if you call it San Antone. They called it San Antone in the TV western, Rawhide,
so if it’s good enough for Mr. Favor, it’s good enough for me.
I have mixed feelings about San Antone. The River Walk
is lively and bright, but for me, it was too much of a tourist trap. It was hard to tell if any of the restaurants
were good. I stopped for Tex-Mex, and it
was mediocre. It left such an impression;
I forgot the name of the restaurant. Venture
off the trail, and you’re in the land of meth-heads. It was really
disquieting when you’re just trying to find and buy some skim milk from the
local CVS. Wandering around the mean
streets of downtown San Antone like
Navarro, Commerce and West Market, you may stumble upon the prostrated bodies
of the addicted. Barefoot and
glassy-eyed, my greeters were barely aware that they were conscious. I felt that running the gauntlet wasn’t worth
being able to eat cereal in my hotel room. I wondered why the hotel didn’t warn
me, especially when the bellman knew I was going out alone. It also left me wondering what the downtown
area would be like if the River Walk didn’t exist.
It was the Sunday
after Thanksgiving, and the streets were full.
There’s safety in numbers, I suppose.
I managed to find the Alamo and the cavalcade of souvenir shops on the
Alamo plaza without much effort. The
Alamo was smaller than imagined, but everyone had warned me. It’s nighttime illumination made the white
stone glow. The endless stream of
selfies or couples posing on its patio made for an interesting people watching
experience. Unfortunately, my trip was
too short to include a tour of the Alamo, but seeing the outside of the
structure was just as fulfilling.
The highlight of my stay was my tour of the other four
Franciscan missions around town. However,
my tour began at the Alamo, not really known for being a mission. The Alamo, or the Mission San Antonio de Valero was the first mission established in
1718 on the San Antonio River following the establishment of Mission San Francisco de Solano near the
Rio Grande River in 1700. The purpose was to convert and
assimilate the Coahuiltecan
Indians. The mission at its present
location was built in 1744. The mission
provided protection and community for the converted, but by 1793, the Indian
populations had been so reduced that the mission became a secular institution
in the community. From 1794-1821, the
Alamo was a military garrison held by the Spanish, which was locally called the
Pueblo de la Compañía del Alamo.
The four other missions that I visited were like Phoenix rising from
the ashes of some sketchy neighborhoods and urban/suburban sprawl. Mission San Juan Capistrano, Mission
Nuestra Senoria de la Purisma Concepcion de Acuna, Mission San Francisco Espada,
and Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo are beautiful 18th Century missions
designed by the Spanish and laboriously built by the local Indians. The history of each mission is similar to the
beginnings of the Alamo, so there is no need to regurgitate it here. The National Park Service has a great website
full of resources for learning the history of the mission system.
The National Park Service employees are eager to tell you the history
of the mission where they work. There
was a pride behind their words that was borne out of the beautiful artistry and
masonry that was flawlessly executed by the Indians who constructed these behemoths. From what I’ve researched, the privileged few
who were allowed live within the mission walls helped develop self-sustainable
organized communities, which contributed to the formation of the city that
exists today.
As I drove around San Antonio trying to squeeze in a visit to each
mission before heading to Austin, I realized that in the 18th
century, these missions were worlds apart when they contemporaneously existed. While only 9 miles separates San Juan
Capistrano to Mission Concepcion via the modern, paved Mission
Road, I suspect that on foot or on horseback it probably took at least a half
day to travel between these missions because of natural land barriers and other
obstacles. I was able to enter each of
the sanctuaries, with the exception of Mission Espada. The interior of San Juan Mission was
small and rustic, but very beautiful, as were the others. When I travel to the Southwest, I love
visiting old missions and churches. To
me, that is where the soul of the community continues to reside, so many
centuries later. I was happy to end my
visit to San Antonio there.
In addition to the missions, I loved the Pearl Brewery district, and
enjoyed Rosario’s Mexican Café y Cantina restaurant only minutes from the River
Walk. I would have to pan (no pun
intended) Mi Tierra Restaurant.
Much too much hype--I was told that it was amazing in the experience
and the food. Well, the décor was an
amazing morass of kitsch and chaos, and it did look like it would be a fun
dining experience. However, that all
changed upon entering the dining room.
It was, well, a bit messy.
There’s nothing more appetizing than sitting next to un-bussed tables of
dehydrating refried beans. The food also left a lot to be desired. I am a vegetarian who eats fish (no comments,
please), and usually have no problem finding a great meal in a Mexican
Restaurant. Mi Tierra’s
vegetarian menu was uninteresting and unappealing. The waitress’ attempt to cobble a meal together
was admirable, but resulted in cheese enchiladas topped with Velveeta
substitute. With the exception of a
small restaurant in Pearsall, Texas, I have not visited a Mexican restaurant
that didn’t offer some sort of vegetarian bean.
I nearly walked out in the middle of my meal, but didn’t have the time
to go searching for a new place to eat.
Rosario’s, on the other hand, was modern Mexican cuisine. Loved the service and loved my meal! The
Margs were great!!
At Pearl Brewery, I ate at La Gloria, Il Sogno Osteria, and
enjoyed coffee at Local. I nearly ate at
Green, which is a vegetarian eatery, but loved La Gloria so much, I darted in
there at the last minute. Local’s coffee
was so awesome. Il Sogno…Mama Mia! It
was one of the best upscale Italian restaurants that I had ever eaten! If I
go back to San Antonio, I will spend more time in this area. The salvation of San Antonio, for me, was the
Pearl Brewery district. Admittedly, I
came to the area for work, so I had very little time to explore, but was able
to see a lot, considering. Pearl
Brewery is a funky, hipster retail and restaurant district that saved the day
for me. If there are other areas of
interest, share them with me!
Lastly, I went to Pearsall, Texas.
Nothing to say except the cattle auction I went to was a little
shocking. I’m surprised they allowed
photos. That’s all I’ll say.
From what I experienced, San Antone seems to be a city in
transition. That is a good thing. I hope there is more of the Pearl Brewery
sort of transitioning in San Antonio. Generally,
I oppose gentrification that displaces poor people, but from what I was told,
these new hipster areas saved the city from urban blight. While the River Walk is a great idea and has
certainly revitalized that area, it just wasn’t my thing, but it does appeal to
most tourists. It’s easy and safe, but I
only went once. I prefer to travel like
a local. But that’s just me. Go and see for yourself, and then drive an
hour to my fave, Austin!
To see photos, check out my website: www.highdesertlotus.com. Newest posts are under, "The American Southwest."
