The Wild Child

Whenever I visit Sebastian, we usually meet at or travel to some amazing location. The United States is certainly no Italy or Germany, but for such a young country, we too have a lot to offer. When I found out the bf would be spending the holidays here, I immediately began brainstorming places we could go together. I’m not entirely sure how we landed on Texas, but both of us had never been, and we figured why not. Despite me catching a head cold on vacation, we ended up having a total blast – and really enjoyed being out of freezing Ohio for a while.

We spent three days in San Antonio and one day in Austin. If I’m being completely honest, I would have switched this around if we did it all over again. San Antonio is a cool city, but after visiting quirky Austin I wish we had spent more time there. I can’t completely discount San Antonio; there are definitely some fun things to see and do in the city. If you ever visit, here are some things I would recommend.

—Magnolia Pancake Haus—
Open: 7a.m. – 2p.m.
Address: 606 Embassy Oaks

I unfortunately don’t have any of my own photos from here (mostly because I was feeling like death that day), but it is a delicious place to check out. We luckily had a rental car, which was necessary for visiting restaurants outside of downtown. Sebastian is a huge fan of the show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and we made a few stops at some of the featured restaurants during our time in the Lone Star State. Magnolia Pancake Haus was one of those stops and did not disappoint. I had thee best waffle of my life. It was light and fluffy, and I wanted five more. Sebastian tried their hash and was obsessing over it.

—The Alamo—
Open: 9a.m. – 5:30p.m.

I’m being honest again – the Alamo is not what I expected. I was warned, but I still wasn’t prepared  for how small and out of place it appears. It’s located right across from a Ripley’s Believe it or Not and down the street from the RiverCenter Mall. The Alamo has a lot of history, and I enjoyed seeing it and spending a little time there. However, in my opinion it is not the highlight of San Antonio.

—River Walk—

This is the highlight of San Antonio – the riverwalk is awesome. It doesn’t come to life until later in the day, but when it does, it is truly alive. There are tons of people walking the paths and plenty of shops and restaurants to keep everyone happy. One morning we got up early and hit the riverwalk before all the crowds came out and the stores opened. It was peaceful strolling along the river when everything was quiet  (something I highly recommend). San Antonio has done an awesome job of building up the riverwalk, and beyond all the shops and places to eat, it really is quite beautiful. If you are looking for a place to eat, we had superb seafood at Landry’s, an incredible steak dinner at Saltgrass and Waxy O’Connor’s Irish Pub was great for people watching.

—Japanese Tea Garden—
Open: Dawn to Dusk
Address: 3853 N. St. Mary’s Street

The Japanese Tea Garden is so, so lovely. We spent an afternoon there enjoying the shaded walkways, stone bridges and ponds filled with Koi. It was chilly outside, but the sun was shining, making it a perfect day for wandering through the gardens. You can also make a stop at the Jingu House Cafe for some tea, which we did. I wish we had made it back again before we left.

—The Cove—
Open: Mon 5p.m.-Midnight; Tue-Thurs 11a.m.-10p.m.; Fri-Sat 11a.m.-11p.m.; Sun 12-6p.m.
Address: 606 West Cypress Street

You’ll need a car to get this place, but get there. This was probably my favorite restaurant we went to in San Antonio (and another Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives stop). Their passion is SOL – sustainable, organic and local – and you could really tell. The food was out of this world, and the atmosphere was so relaxed. I had a tilapia taco with cilantro coleslaw and spicy poblano sauce in a corn tortilla, while Sebastian went for the real burger. We split two sides of fries, one regular and one sweet potato with siracha mayo. The food was beyond delicious. You have to visit if you’re ever in town.

—Spurs Game—

I don’t keep up with professional sports – Sebastian knows more players than I ever could – but I love going to games. The bf isn’t a hardcore basketball fan, but we couldn’t pass up attending a Spurs game while in San Antonio (especially since they’re number one in their division). This was the best ending to our first full day in the city. We ate stadium food, drank beer and cheered like we’d been fans our whole life.

There you have it – San Antonio in a nutshell. If I hadn’t caught a head cold, I would have loved to check out the zoo and aquarium, some of the other missions and maybe a museum. I guess we’ll just have to make it back some day.

PS If you’re looking for a good place to stay, I recommend the TownePlace Suites San Antonio Downtown. It’s reasonably priced, close to the riverwalk, and most rooms have a kitchen (if you’re looking to save money on eating out).

{image 1 via}

Tags: restaurants, River Walk, San Antonio, Texas, The Alamo, things to do, Travel