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In the name of progress
The San Antonio Municipal Auditorium was being torn down to make way for its replacement. Or least part of it was being torn down: it looked like the old main entrance was going to be reused. At any rate, there was a lot going on the construction site, except for our Sunday-morning visit, when wall was quiet.
San Antonio, Texas
photographed 11.27.2011
Two things about San Antonio
To me, the Riverwalk generally conjures up images of Mexican food restaurants by the water and about a million sunburned tourists working really hard at having fun.
There’s this other part of the Riverwalk, though, called the Museum Reach. It goes to some museums (weird, I know) and the old Pearl Brewery. There are not that many people on the Museum Reach, so naturally that’s the part I like the best.
The part I like the best, after this very nice shade structure, I mean.
San Antonio, Texas
photographed 11.26.2011
*Why, yes, I do have the obligatory Alamo photograph! It’s right here.
Trapezoid sky
Probably anyone who has heard of San Antonio has heard about the Riverwalk; originally designed as a flood control system for the San Antonio River where it goes through downtown, it has become a big tourist attraction, with plenty of bars and restaurants lining the banks.
Lately, the River Walk has been extended to the north; this part is called the Museum Reach and it has completely different character than what the Riverwalk is famous far. It’s quieter, and there aren’t as many bars and restaurants. At the far end of the Museum Reach, is the redeveloping Pearl Brewery.
You can see this building from the Museum Reach; I believe it is still a part of the Pearl Brewery operations.
Also, if you want to walk toward downtown from the Museum Reach and start to get a little thirsty, look for the stairs up to the street at Lexington Avenue. Then when you’re at street level, head over to the bar at the Havana Hotel. It’s a fine place to have a beverage, or several, before you continue onward.
San Antonio, Texas
photographed 11.26.2011
PS – The Havana Hotel is a great place to spend the night. It’s part of a group of hotels run by Liz Lambert, whose design sensibilities and touch of whimsy make for very interesting lodging.
PS, part 2
One of my regular commenters, over at LensScaper, wondered what this would look like if it were cropped in portrait format, so here you go:
For reference, here’s the original shot:
Meanwhile, over at the old brewery
The former Pearl Brewery site in San Antonio is in the process of being transformed into a mixed-use development; the brewery operated from 1881 until 2001. The site sat vacant until 2006, when the first tenant of the redevelopment, the Aveda Institute, opened. Now there are about 35 tenants.
The last time I was in San Antonio, for a conference, my work colleagues and I took a cab over to the brewery to check it out. Our cab driver was entertaining. By “entertaining” I mean she scared us to the point that we opted to walk back. She talked the whole way about various traffic accidents she’d been in; none of them were HER fault, though, so I am not too sure why we were worried. As she pulled into the brewery, and ran up over a curb, we suddenly realized that the very first place we saw – which turned out to be the Aveda Institute – was just where we needed to stop. She offered us a card, so we could phone her to arrange a return back downtown. I guess she’s probably parked under a tree somewhere, waiting on that call.
After we ditched her, we decided that our frayed nerves could probably do with a margarita or four. Luckily for us, we found La Gloria Icehouse, which had an accommodating wait staff, and accommodating happy hour prices.
Then, as I said, we walked back, along the Riverwalk, which is pedestrian-only, so we weren’t at risk of seeing that cab driver. Or being run down by her.
None of this has really anything to do with the photograph, except that it is another building on the brewery grounds.
San Antonio, Texas
photographed 11.26.11
One Day | One Image 