Concerned Citizens

Last night I met a friend from Austin who came down to explore the newly opened section of the San Antonio River. To explore the stretch to the fullest we decided to meet at the Pearl Brewery and ride the River Taxi down to the Riverwalk for dinner. That started what turned into quite a unique experience as we discovered and rediscovered parts of the river and downtown. My friend is originally from San Antonio and attended Central Catholic High School so riding through the new section brought back quite a few memories for him. It also brought back memories to me why many San Antonians avoid the Riverwalk during high tourist season. Finally we discovered that even the wildlife have adapted to the new stretch of river in a very unique way.

As I pulled into the parking lot of the Pearl Brewery I started to question the entire trip while baking in my car waiting for Joseph to show up. Who ever came up with the idea to do this on one of the hottest June days I’ve seen in a while? Nonetheless, he was on his way down from Austin and we were going to make the best of it. We crossed the river and found a bench in the shade to wait for the taxi which appeared after about 5 minutes. We were joined by a family of 5 so we pretty much had the river taxi to ourselves for the journey south.

The trip was great and we explored lots of cool sights of the new stretch from a river viewpoint. One of the best views I thought was seeing the Roy Smith Bridge with the Museum and new walkway in the background. The old bridge used to span between two buildings at the old Lone Star Brewery and was replaced by the new neon lit walkway people see today from the freeway. It was a great image of old and new you catch from the river as you float up to the Museum. Along the way we discovered the great art that graces the river and bridges by various artists.

Floating past the museum we entered the stretch of river that has lots of history but had gone into disrepair over the years. On the east bank you see the backs of old buildings that butted up to the river and probably will go through some transition as the new stretch develops. After that is VFW #76, the oldest VFW in Texas, where pits were fired up for a good night of food and music at the hall. The hall could provide tourists with a great local experience if promoted properly.

After that was Turner Hall and Bowling Alley that brought back a lot of memories for Joseph from his high school days. Recently I found that the name Turner actually came from the Turnverein Movement who moved from what is now the Bonham Exchange to the the current bowling alley. So much unknown history along the river to be discovered. Along the river we saw various types of birds that he was able to identify such as egrets and herons. Of course there were several duck families that traveled up and down the river in the new stretch, away from the tourists. These ducks have adapted to the ways of the new river as you soon see.

Finally we arrived at the new lock and dam and experienced fun of seeing the lock operate as it lowered us nine feet to the next section of river. As the doors to the lock opened a family of ducks swam in, apparently waiting their turn to travel upstream. As we left they entered the lock right beside the barge to the delight of the kids riding with us. It seems the wildlife has learned the routines of the river and have fit right in. That had to be the highlight of the evening. Strange but sometimes the small things make more of an impact than the bigger things.

Finally we were in the older stretch of the river and ended up at the El Tropicano Hotel at the Hugman Dam waiting for our next taxi. A great evening of exploration on the river soon to be marred with logistical problems. You see, you can only take the river taxis so far at this point. A red checkered taxi navigates the northern, newer stretch of the river and a yellow checkered taxi takes you around the southern, more active section of the river. Probably a smart move since the activity and attractions are limited in the newer stretch. However, the transfer of taxis ended up taking over 30-40 minutes and really ate into the night to the point we had to scrap the trip back to the Brewery by boat.

Once transferred to a crowded yellow taxi and traveling back up river to the turnaround point we finally started heading down river towards downtown. One recommendation for Rio San Antonio Cruises is to avoid overlapping the transfer points and mark where it is. The multi-stop overlap caused confusion and frustration as we backtracked for no reason. We were not the only ones frustrated as many San Antonians and tourists on the boat had the same comments and experience. To make this an effective and enjoyable experience I strongly suggest that management of Rio San Antonio Cruises secret shop the rides to see what could be fixed.

Along the way we enjoyed the experience of the character of the San Antonio River. We saw mother ducks herded her ducklings up to the quieter portions of the river to bed down for the night. We saw birds flying down the length of river with wide wingspans. We watched as a wedding party prepared for the ceremony at the Weston Centre with guests waiting on the other side of the wall. Soon we approached the turn into the Riverwalk and smelled the wonderful foods along the river. We had arrived in the most commonly known portion of the river with all the activity of business and tourists. This is what everyone coming to San Antonio looks for and experiences.

At this point I’ll stop here and leave the rest for a follow-on post. It’s good to not destroy the wonderful images of the post with the frustrating aspects of trying to eat on the river during high tourist season. I will say that the Urban Segment of the Museum Reach has so many wonderful opportunities to develop. It’s a must for all San Antonians to experience before it is over-commercialized. Take the time and enjoy it.