Everything's Bigger in Texas! Part 4

Don't forget about Part 3!

Welcome to the blog, Jeff!

When last I blogged, Mom and I were chilling back at our Airbnb in San Antonio, after a morning spent wandering the streets and shopping at Historic Market Square.  After a few hours of napping, reading, and some preliminary packing, we changed clothes, hopped into an Uber, and headed north to the Pearl, a shopping/dining/entertainment district just outside downtown proper.  The Pearl was San Antonio's historic brewery, and while they no longer make beer there, they still serve it (and all sorts of other things) in several locations on site.

While we'd been planning to make a trip to the Pearl anyway during our time in San Antonio, we had an extra compelling reason to so - we were meeting an old friend!  As fate would have it, my friend Jeff from high school (we dated for a few years during that time) was also in San Antonio for a radio broadcasters' conference.  His wife, Christy, back home in Saint Augustine/Jacksonville, saw Mom's Facebook post and let him know we were visiting, and we swapped texts to set up a time and spot to get together.  We picked the Sternewirth Tavern (named after the Sternewirth Privilege) in the Hotel Emma, site of the old brewery.  The drinks were great, but the company was even better, and we had a fantastic time sharing stories, catching up on what everyone was doing these days, and laughing an awful lot.  I'm so glad the timing worked out!

A shot inside the Hotel Emma's lobby

Another lobby shot

Inside the Sternewirth

Also inside the Sternewirth - 

those are old brewing tanks that

are now used for seating

The Sternewirth bar

After bidding adieu to Jeff (he had conference events to return to), Mom and I wandered the Pearl area a bit, browsing through a few stores and admiring the scenery.  In addition to the historic buildings now serving as spots for food and lodging, pieces from the old brewery are all over the place, reimagined into fountains, kiosks, and other décor.

Old tanks covered in greenery

A fountain made from old gears and tank parts

The Hotel Emma,

formerly the San Antonio Brewing Association.

For our final dinner in San Antonio, we picked Savor at the Pearl, the restaurant run by the students and staff at the Culinary Institute of America (the CIA - well, the other CIA).  There are only a few cities that house a branch of the CIA, and San Antonio happens to be one of them (San Antonio is also one of only two UNESCO Cities of Gastronomy in the US, and the other one is...just south of us, in Tucson).  Savor offers coursed menus of whatever the students are working on at that time, and we picked all sorts of interesting things - from a chilled avocado soup to saucy fried chicken to amazing desserts (we also did the wine pairing, which was fun).  Although there were a few things our waiter and the kitchen could have polished up (the wines were poured a bit too quickly at the beginning, for example), the experience was great, and we'd highly recommend it.

Mom with our first wine course (a sparkler),

her mocktail, and an arugula salad.

Happy and full after a delicious meal!

After dinner, it was back in an Uber for us and to the Airbnb, where we had about 30 minutes to rest and change clothes before our final outing of the day.

Catching up on important things

while resting at the Airbnb.

Go Bolts!

For our last San Antonio tourist outing of this trip, we strolled the short distance back past the Courthouse and grabbed some seats to watch the Saga, a multimedia visual spectacle, displayed on the façade of the Cathedral. The saga uses visuals and music to tell the story of San Antonio, from its earliest days to its push toward statehood and into today.  It was really incredible!

Waiting for the show to start.

Unfortunately, the chairs were chained to the tables,

and only one in this pack was available

(a nice couple let us infringe on their time).

However, Mom brought an extra towel along,

so I camped on the ground,

which was fine (if warm).

Some shots from the show:

Let's get this started!

Images depicting art and other markings

from people of the First Nations.

The Battle of the Alamo

Celebrating the many different cultures

that make up the flavor of the city

Watching from my towel

The Saga is completely free, and even on a night as warm as this one, it was well worth the 25 minutes or so I spent sitting on the ground.  With the Saga concluding, it was back to the Airbnb once more, where we said goodnight and turned in pretty soon.

The next morning, we cleaned out the fridge for another round of Adventure Breakfast; this time, we made teeny tiny breakfast burritos with our leftovers from Mi Terra, the rest of the eggs, and a few more shredded up cheese sticks.

Itty bitty, but delicious!

Before too long, it was time to check out of the Airbnb, meet our Uber, and head to the airport.  We ran into Dad and Risa in the terminal and chatted with them until their flight departed.  Mom's flight headed out just a bit after that, and since I had an hour or so until mine boarded, I strolled to Smoke Shack, the in-airport BBQ joint (as in, they smoke their meat on site in the airport) for some lunch.  

I couldn't leave Texas without having brisket!

This was outstanding, by the way.

I sent Chris a picture, and he texted back,

"Jealous."

He was right to be.

Everyone's flights home were uneventful (thankfully), and by midafternoon, I was back at the house in the embrace of my loving husband and two maniac doggos.  As I unpacked, I doled out the souvenirs I'd brought home, including this stunner for Zoe:

Yes, I know August is the more thematically

appropriate dog to wear a sombrero,

but she won't let us get near her with hats.

What a great trip!  It was so nice to spend quality time with both sides of the family, including some I hadn't seen for quite some time and some who were brand new to me.  It was also great to see Jeff and catch up with him.  I had the opportunity to eat amazing food, explore new places, and share it all with the folks I care about.  That's a win in my book!

Later!

Amy