A Bit Too Close to the Edge

Saw this on one of my River Walk walks. This is one story above the river level. I was thinking if the driver had backed up a little more he might have been parking right on the river. Not sure if there is a lip or one of those cement things in parking lots that tell you how far you can go, but I hope so. I'll have to investigate further, if only for my peace of mind.

A View from Above

I took this from a downtown building 10 stories up. I walk this route quite often. In the background you can see the Holiday Inn. On this day there must have been some kind of Armed Services thing going on at that location, because I saw me a bunch of soldiers in their cami's coming back from lunch. The peaked roof almost in the middle of the picture is a downtown church. The building to the right of that is the Majestic Theater. On this day they were still unloading Phantom of the Opera materials for the show. The red roof is a hotel.

Old Walgreen's Building

This is the old Walgreen's location in downtown on the corner of Houston and Navarro. It had a wonderful old sign, that you can see here. Not sure exactly what's happening with the building. Some say it's going to be remodeled and reopened, others say it's going to be torn down and replaced with something else. I've stopped here a number of times in the recent past; a couple of years ago I even got some Christmas decorations here. In the way old past, when I was young *smile* I used to wait for the bus right next to that store.

007 Style Tunnel

This red tiled arch can be found way south of the river walk entrance from the August street bridge. I liked how red and shiny it was. It reminded me of that famous shot from the James Bond movies opening sequence. The International Center is to the upper left of this archway. It used to be the old location of the Main Library.

My Little Pony

Was in the right place at the right time to catch this shot. I had noticed the box and was wondering what was in it. The horse looks like a match for the cat and bird that were in the same place a while ago, so I reckon it's a Botero. Will catch a shot when they bring it out of the box and post a pic of the pony in all its glory then.

Cuellar Community Center

My sister and I needed to get some stuff done so we dropped off the kids and went to go find some eats. When we went to pick them up they were out at the park. I hadn't been to this park in years. They've expanded it and it was busy with b-ballers, families and kids. My sister even pointed out the skate park that had been added.

The whole story of the day:
My sister wanted to eat at Asia Kitchen but forgot that it was closed on Sundays. We ended up eating at Acadiana's. I love their chicken and dumplings and we love their nachos, which we normally get for an appetizer. We had a lovely guest who was eating alone and didn't want to sit by himself. (Thanks for the meal and the company J., good luck with your house and good luck to your son.)

The Phantom of the Opera

I saw this on the way to and back from an appointment. Police were directing traffic around the unloading of this truck. It was backed up to the Majestic Theatre on St. Mary's and College. You can see the front of the theatre here.

Bacon Cheeseburger Deluxe

I got this burger at the Milam Diner. I was walking back from La Villita and was hankering for a burger. I stopped here right before they closed and got served quickly and was on my way. I've eaten a number of times at this place. I like their home style type of cooking. This restaurant is on Soledad and Travis. I also really like their red shiny booths.

RiverCity PediCab

Saw these guys at La Villita. I had gone back to try to get some more photos because I had run out of memory and batteries when I was there for the mass wedding. I had read a story about these guys in MySa.com. I was telling a coworker that I would love to take a ride on the pedicab, if for nothing else but to take photos.

The End of the Line

On this day we went the opposite way on the River than we normally do. The walk was pretty short, since this is the side that is being extended. I still got some good pics and even got to listen to some good jazz. This is the Museum Reach section of the San Antonio River Improvements Project. (To the left of this is the El Tropicano Riverwalk Hotel on Lexington) I'm not sure how far they are extending this piece of the river, but you can read more about it here.

Dick's on the River Walk

This is Dick's on the River Walk. I took this pic on one of my almost daily ambles I've been taking lately. Every day we go farther and farther, I was telling my co-walking co-worker that we needed to watch it or we might walk right out of downtown. The one and only time that I was in this restaurant was for Sonia's bachelorette's shin-dig. It was pretty raucous, but totally lively and everyone seemed to be in good spirits. The celebrants all wore paper hats with funny sayings on them. People threw paper at each other across the restaurants. I can't talk about the food since I didn't have any, but my sister liked it enough to say she would like to have her birthday there.

Joe and Harry Feeman Coliseum

The Joe and Harry Freeman Coliseum is in the same area as the AT&T Center where the San Antonio Spurs play. The last time I was here was when I was 10 years old. We walked from the eastside to see some old school wrestling. On the ticket that long ago day were the Von Erichs. My sister was in love with Kevin von Erich and would even dream about him. She had those 8x10 glossy's of Kerry and Kevin. Now me I liked Kevin, although I thought David kicked a$$. Michael was pretty good too, and easy on the eyes. You can read more about them here.

Bald Eagle

I saw this majestic bird when we were at the Rodeo. He was a part of the Birds of Prey exhibit. I didn't know he or the other birds were alive until they moved. The picture it made against the flag was great. I wish I had had some cash on me because I would have put money in all those donation boxes. These people have done events at the library, but I've always missed them. If they come again, I'll be sure not to miss them. My sister wanted to get out of this tent quick because the birds freaked her out. :D

San Antonio Food Bank

This is the new location of the San Antonio Food bank (off of Highway 90) the old location was on Director's Drive off of WW White. I haven't gone to the new location, but I did go a few times to the old location. I helped to box up canned and non-perishable foods. Back then in order to take some you had to pack some. I think I've heard the rules have changed some since they changed location. Every year the USPS also picks up donated canned goods from postal customers and donates them to the Food Bank.

Off Into the Wild Blue Yonder

I like the embellishments they put on new highways. They put these flying planes on Highway 90 right by the old Kelly Airforce Base, now it's called Kelly USA. The planes start before the point that I took the pic, but I couldn't get all of it into the picture.

Valentines Day Mass Wedding

Every year on Valentine's Day there are a couple of mass wedding ceremonies in San Antonio. The ceremonies start at 12:00 midnight and at least this year there were at least four or five other ceremonies. I went to the 2:00 o'clock ceremony for this photo op. This year it was held at the Arneson River Theater on the River Walk at La Villita. I didn't get a chance to empty my memory card so for the first time I ran out of room. I also ran my batteries out. I loved the many styles and colors of dress. The touristy river boats continued their tours through out the ceremony and they all took pictures and clapped. You can see all the photos here.

Last year Thien took a pic of the mass wedding at the courthouse, where it usually happens. This year the location was changed because of construction on the Main Plaza Redevelopment Project.

Beef Sundae

We were at the Rodeo with what it seemed like a gazillion other schools. We went our own way and looked at everything that interested us. I saw this sign and had to get a pic. I couldn't quite get the concept of a Beef Sundae. *Yikes* The rest of my rodeo pics can be seen here. The Birds of Prey were great as was the Pig Races.

White House

I really like this house. We pass it by almost every day on McCullough. It's not my dream house, but I like the nice clean lines of it, and the colors. I'm not sure if this is in one of those historic districts but it might be. It's also in the same general area of Olmos Park. We always drive really carefully in this area. :D

Old Photos on Old Buildings

I saw these photos as we drove down Guadalupe street. I had seen some before on Flickr or maybe on a photo blog. I really liked the way they looked. The one in the middle reminds me of some of the old photos that we have left from my mother and some that my grandmother had. I've been scanning some of the older photos we have, before they deteriorate further. I only wish that I had talked to my Mom and grandmother about the people and circumstances in those photos, because it's too late now.

Pico de Gallo Papel Picado

My brother had just been flown in from Iraq so we treated him to some real food, as he said he hadn't had any real stuff for the last seven months. We ordered one of those dishes that can be shared between 4, for three and he said he could eat it all, but of course he didn't. We filled up and went home, where he promptly fell asleep after having been awake for gods know how long. He was on Iraq time for the days he was home. The cook came out at one point and his daughter surprised him from a table with a "Hi Daddy!" I made sure I told her to pass on to her Dad that the food was eggscellent.

Shag Now, or Shag Later?

I'm not sure what this building is, but from the name I'm assuming it's a hair salon (unless of course it has something to do with the way Austin Powers used the term.) I like the colors and the shapes though, so I'm glad I got a chance to grab a pic.

La Virgen de San Juan

I think this mural can be found on one of the buildings on Guadalupe Street. I took this from the car on the way to pick up the kids. I rolled down the window and thought I had turned off the flash but I hadn't. There were some people waiting for the bus, in the same location. My sis and her friend call me the paparazzi, and she thinks I'll end up being confronted the way they are sometimes. I remember this Virgin really well. My maternal grandmother had an altar in her bedroom and a statuette of this one was featured. She also had the Nino Fidencio and many a candle from Ben's and I'm sure probably from Papa Jim's.

Pete's Tako House

Pete's Tako House is a great place to stop and have a bite. It's located on this little bitty island with barely any parking so get there early or later. The wait staff and owner are great. He'll come out to meet and greet. He seems to know his customers on a first name basis. I've eaten their migas and loved them. I've been meaning to try their fideo, but I haven't had the chance. I also love their lemonade.

You Could Pay More, But Why?

This spot is on the corner of Gen McMullen and Castroville. This Payless store has been here forever. Right behind and to the side of this store is the location of the old Las Palmas Library. This shopping center also has an HEB, Luby's and Subways. It used to have a 50 Off but that closed and the old Walgreen's also closed. Across the street is the San Fernando Cemetary.

Preparing for vDay

We were at HEB on this day, gods know for what, but I noticed this colorful bunch of Valentine's balloons. Now granted it's a bit early, but not as early as they seem to put up other holiday minutia like Halloween and Christmas.

Prepping for Repairs

I never figured out what happened to the wall on this building, but I figured it had to be some kind of hit. On this day they were prepping to fix it. You can see the wall as it was before the fix here. The job didn't seem to take long at all--they were done before I was picked up.