If I was going to come half-way
across the country to visit Texas , then I’d be
sure to visit the best-known historical landmark within its borders, the Alamo . As San
Antonio was just an hour’s drive to the south, it made
a nice day trip. As we cruised down Interstate 35, I remember how Chaz
had described this as the “35 Corridor,” and everything was “really built-up.”
What I pictured did not match what he described, as I pictured a
continuous urban sprawl between these two cities (as opposed to the miles of
empty space I witnessed).
We parked in the center of San Antonio near what was
called the Riverwalk. The San Antonio River
Our purpose for coming here was the
Alamo . I’m sure I’d seen pictures of the
area before, but for some reason I expected the Alamo
to be on the outskirts of the city, or even having a large compound which
separated it from the rest of the area. No, San Antonio pretty much grew up right around
it. We walked one block from the Rivercenter Mall, and there it was.
An interesting piece of trivia was
that no building’s shadow could fall on the Alamo ,
so that required some interesting city planning. The Alamo
was more than just a historical building, as the signs out front showed this
was to be treated (and respected) as being a shrine. Take your hat off
before going in, and no talking or pictures inside. The Alamo
complex was more than the main Spanish mission building, but a small compound
which had some barracks, a courtyard, and a garden. Since everything is
bigger in Texas ,
I had to get a shot of a huge cactus which was in the garden area. Having
Brian and Chaz stand next to it made a good size comparison.
The wall
of the compound is considered part of the Alamo
proper, even though the other sides of a couple of those walls are right on
some side streets. Keep in mind that back in 1982 when Ozzy took a whiz
on the Alamo , it was on the street side of one
of these back walls, not the actual mission building itself. Everyone in Texas lost their
freakin’ minds when this happened, because he pissed on a sacred place.
The reality of the situation was a drunk simply relieved himself on a
wall in a darkened street, with no idea what was on the other side. Ozzy
didn’t set out to purposely offend people (at least that time), and I can
understand why he didn’t know why everyone got all bent out of shape about it.
In a city full of tourists and college kids, I’m sure that wasn’t the
first time it happened (just the first a celebrity got caught doing it).
The crowds within the Alamo complex were full, and that was pretty normal from
what I was told. What wasn’t normal were some of the trees, those that
had tentacle-like branched growing out (instead of up), and needed to supported
by metal posts. There were also a number of historical recreationists in
the area that talked about the valiant defenders of the area. I found it
interesting there wasn’t anyone dressed as Mexican forces. Any places
where I’ve seen historical recreations done (whether Gettysburg , Revolutionary battle sites, or
the French & Indian War areas where I grew up), both sides of the
engagement had always been represented.
Within walking distance of the
Rivercenter Mall were many tourist-themed shops, a Ripley’s (Believe It Or Not)
Museum, the Crockett Hotel, and the Tower of the Americas off in the distance.
The Spurs basketball team played in a stadium a few blocks away, and a
zoo took up sections on the far side of town. We weren’t in the position
to do a lot of walking in the area, so we only scratched the surface of what San Antonio had to offer,
as we only had a couple hours there. A proper exploration would require
at least an entire day at the bare minimum, and we didn’t have that because our
late start to the day (and we wanted to be out of the area before the rush-hour
traffic go too bad).
The actress Sandra Bullock lived
somewhere in Austin, and her father was an influential figure, thus there was a
museum named after him. The building for the Bullock Texas
State History
Museum Texas .”
Once inside, we realized this was
much bigger than we’d anticipated it to be, and we only had an hour left before
it closed. There were three floors of stuff to see, and we never got off
the first level. I’m not sure now what the rationale was for not trying
to visit this place when we had more time. We really missed out on an
opportunity to see what the place had to offer. I’m sure Chaz and Brian
didn’t mind as they were residents; but I was the visitor who potentially
wouldn’t be back (at least until a visit next year).
The main level dealt with a lot of
pre-history of the Texas
area. There were dioramas on how the Indian tribes lived for hundreds of
years before the arrival of the Europeans. Information was presented that
showed the Spanish exploration and colonization of the area (and some would
say, also the subjugation). The layout of the building had one exhibit
area flow nicely (and logically) to the next. All the things dealing with
the time Texas was its own country (which
happened after the battle at the Alamo ), the
Civil War period, and points afterwards were all on the upper levels we didn’t
get too. I didn’t range out myself too far, because I’ve learned to
always know where the person who has the car keys is (so you don’t get
left-behind some place). This was something that I’d want to explore
again, provided I’d ever have the chance to get down this way again.
DEPARTURE AND FINAL OFFER
I crashed out kind of early the
night before, so I could be showed and mildly coherent to board the correct
plane on the return trip. On the drive down to the airport, Brian and
Chaz made me an offer. They suggested that I quit my job, break my lease,
and move down here to start over again. The extra room I slept in while I
was here would become my room, and they would cover housing and basic living
expenses (ie, food, utilities) until I secured my own income.
Okay, I’d been at the job for
nearly ten years now, and I’d been looking at trying to get into something
different (that’s why I’d gone back to college in the first place). But
as this was March, and my class continued through early May, I still had some
time to consider this. Besides, the apartment wasn’t up until the
beginning of September. I knew I’d be looking for a new place to live
then (as my room mate John was looking at buying a house).
I figured once this semester ended,
I’d have a better idea of my position then. If I couldn’t find another
body to share rent, could I still afford classes? That was a lot of
questions on my plate that I’d need to deal with before too long, so I told
them I’d think about it. I still had half-a-semester to go through.
Upon my arrival in Albany , as an amusing side
note, my parents met me at the gate. It was in the 80s down in Austin
when I was there, and 50s in Glens
Falls . I commented it was nice and warm down
there, so I had half-a-mind to hop right back on the plane and go back there. J
For current information on the places visited (or mentioned):
Riverwalk: http://www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com/
Rivercenter Mall: http://www.shoprivercenter.com/
Ripley’s Museum: http://www.ripleys.com/sanantonio/
Crockett Hotel: http://www.crocketthotel.com/
Tower of the Americas : http://www.toweroftheamericas.com/
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