It’s a pleasant spot. Texas is dry and hot as a rule, but the river walk is a level below the city, right at the water’s edge, with trees providing ample shade for the whole length. If you are visiting San Antonio you will definitely want to eat lunch there so that you can be in the shade during the hottest part of the day.
But is it special enough to make it worth a trip to San Antonio just to see the it? No, probably not. You probably live near a river, and there are probably restaurants with a deck you can sit on while you eat lunch. Go to San Antonio to see the Alamo and remember all who died for your freedom there, then as long as you’re in the area go to the river for a leisurely lunch.
No Mexicans died for anyone's freedom, including their own or other Mexicans. They were serving under a dictator and didn't have a choice. (And, yes, there were some slaves in Texas, but comparatively few compared to the rest of the South.)
The small force there knew they would eventually be massacred by the thousands of troops surrounding them. The defenders held them off for 13 days. When they requested parley, Santa Anna signaled no quarter. Legend has it that Davy Crockett was on the roof, fighting to keep the horde from coming up the ladder, but he died with the rest of them.
Santa Anna ordered the execution of the six surviving prisoners of war. The Alamo defenders fought bravely and died in support of an idea: that men can govern themselves and live in freedom. It would take another 30 years before the first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, would sign the Emancipation Proclamation and free the slaves.
Yea, I've lived in Houston so I know all about how hot and humid it is. But the two areas are by no means equal in size: the hot and dry parts of Texas are vast and cover most of the state. There’s lots of variation too. El Paso is far dryer than San Antonio. But if you’re walking around downtown in midday in most parts of Texas the only thought on your mind will be where your next glass of ice water is going to come from.
Not a bad comment until BAM! The Alamo is such a lackluster disappointing building. It's tiny. Even if you know it is small, it is still impressive in how small it really is. It is the exact opposite of knowing how big the Grand Canyon is but still being amazed at its size when you visit in person. It's also a total let down in that no bicycles were found there.
It's the same thing as anyone recommending a visit to high street, the Santa Monica 3rd Street promenade, SF's Embarcadero, NYC's 5th Ave or Times Square, or any other touristy area of a city. It is what it is.
There are a lot of cool museums if one happens to be in Houston IMHO. Also I dunno if they have the gigantic exhibits from the 1960s and 1970s still, but as a kid the Johnson Space Center impressed me.
It’s a pleasant spot. Texas is dry and hot as a rule, but the river walk is a level below the city, right at the water’s edge, with trees providing ample shade for the whole length. If you are visiting San Antonio you will definitely want to eat lunch there so that you can be in the shade during the hottest part of the day.
But is it special enough to make it worth a trip to San Antonio just to see the it? No, probably not. You probably live near a river, and there are probably restaurants with a deck you can sit on while you eat lunch. Go to San Antonio to see the Alamo and remember all who died for your freedom there, then as long as you’re in the area go to the river for a leisurely lunch.
> remember all who died for your freedom there
The Mexicans or the Texans?
No Mexicans died for anyone's freedom, including their own or other Mexicans. They were serving under a dictator and didn't have a choice. (And, yes, there were some slaves in Texas, but comparatively few compared to the rest of the South.)
The small force there knew they would eventually be massacred by the thousands of troops surrounding them. The defenders held them off for 13 days. When they requested parley, Santa Anna signaled no quarter. Legend has it that Davy Crockett was on the roof, fighting to keep the horde from coming up the ladder, but he died with the rest of them.
Santa Anna ordered the execution of the six surviving prisoners of war. The Alamo defenders fought bravely and died in support of an idea: that men can govern themselves and live in freedom. It would take another 30 years before the first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, would sign the Emancipation Proclamation and free the slaves.
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The Texans were fighting for the slaveholding Republic of Texas, the Mexicans for a dictator.
Probably not your freedom specifically, but the vague concept.
> Texas is dry and hot as a rule
Brownsville and Houston would like a word… (Texas is a huge state and coastal Texas is not dry.)
Yea, I've lived in Houston so I know all about how hot and humid it is. But the two areas are by no means equal in size: the hot and dry parts of Texas are vast and cover most of the state. There’s lots of variation too. El Paso is far dryer than San Antonio. But if you’re walking around downtown in midday in most parts of Texas the only thought on your mind will be where your next glass of ice water is going to come from.
Not a bad comment until BAM! The Alamo is such a lackluster disappointing building. It's tiny. Even if you know it is small, it is still impressive in how small it really is. It is the exact opposite of knowing how big the Grand Canyon is but still being amazed at its size when you visit in person. It's also a total let down in that no bicycles were found there.
Why does a building have to be large in order to be historically important?
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Did you check the basement?
It's the same thing as anyone recommending a visit to high street, the Santa Monica 3rd Street promenade, SF's Embarcadero, NYC's 5th Ave or Times Square, or any other touristy area of a city. It is what it is.
I find those to be highly worth visiting if you’re in the area.
But few are worth making them the centerpiece of an entire trip.
It's pretty much the only thing to see South of Austin. Except for Big Bend but that's further West.
There are a lot of cool museums if one happens to be in Houston IMHO. Also I dunno if they have the gigantic exhibits from the 1960s and 1970s still, but as a kid the Johnson Space Center impressed me.
Starbase, too and the hill country towns. And also way out west, Marfa.