San Antonio

I have been in Texas now for almost 5 years and still have never been to San Antonio or seen the famous Alamo.  Austin decided it was time that I see some more of Texas, so we jumped in the car and drove to San Antonio.  The first thing that struck me was how colorful the city is.  From the buildings to the sign banners to the vegetation along the Riverwalk.

There is a strong Hispanic influence throughout the city.  In fact, it was quite similar to Waco in that 80% of the restaurants served Mexican food.

However, in opting to break out of the Mexican food rut, we chose Boudro's (a Texas bistro) for lunch.  The prices were great, and I had the most delicious salad topped with seared yellow tuna, and Austin had a chicken fried steak.

Being in San Antonio, we had to see the Alamo.  It was neat because of the historical significance, but I guess I expected a little more from it.  You could walk through the entire thing in 15 minutes. 

The rest of the day was spent exploring and taking pictures (my favorite way to see a city).  

We came across a dinosaur exhibit, and let me tell you, judging from the size of their skulls, I am glad I did not live when they were around!

A boat taxi driver gave us a little tour of the river and told us some fun facts like how the Hilton Hotel (below) was built from individual rooms that came already assembled and then were stacked on each other like shipping containers.

On our way to finish up our little adventure with dinner at Fogo de Chao, I couldn't help but snap some pictures of the city at night.

I have always loved meat, so Fogo de Chao was perfect.  You pay a flat rate and then have unlimited meat for the rest of the night.  Now, this is no ordinary meat.  There were 14 different types of the most exquisite varieties that you could try from filet mignon to pork to chicken.  Waiters carried around skewers of meat, and as long as you had your card green side up, they would stop and offer you some.  On top of that, they had a salad bar filled with Brazilian specialities.  Needless to say, there was no room for dessert!

If you haven't been to San Antonio, I would definitely recommend that you visit!