Visiting San Antonio

I'm starting an opening sentence to keep the blog post active. I'm here for a learning seminar on health and safety in the workplace. I grew up and live in blue states so being here doesn't exactly resonate with me.
MORE on that as the week progresses...

I didn't write while I was there; I was attending seminars that took place in the hotel on the Riverwalk where I was staying. That's very convenient and time-saving.

What I liked:
The hotel elevator was a glass encasement
The Riverwalk was accessible from the level BELOW the main lobby
Check-in fixed the billing 'problem' expeditiously

What I DIDN'T like:
Room didn't have a microwave (one per floor next to the ice machine)
Room didn't have a tub
Bed was too high for my comfort level

Experience Fiesta San Antonio ... What I didn't know until a day or two before my arrival, was that there was a prodigious celebration going on at the same time known as FIESTA. I'm an introvert. I avoid such things.

It's impossible to go to a restaurant without being bombarded by the FIESTA spirit (especially if your hotel is downtown right in the middle of it all). Worse yet, was the fact that my flight was not until 2:30 pm on a Friday and the street where the hotel is situated was going to be closed to traffic after 9:00 am. I just HAPPENED to hear about it from a co- who was on the same trip. I caught an earlier shuttle to the airport, but all of the flights were booked and I had to hang out at the airport for 6.5-7 hours!

Downtown San Antonio has the same expectations as any other major city's downtown; civic center, courts, bodegas, homeless, beggars, people living with mental illness. Some of the buildings were quaint and rustic. Some, Tower of the Americas - Dining and Entertainment Venue like the TOWER of the AMERICAS, look futuristic.

Riverwalk is the big deal special attraction. Restaurants have outdoor dining beside a 'sidewalk' on either side of the river. The river can be crossed via bridges. You need to be able to ascend or descend steps if you're going to do this. I worried about people on the river's edge being unaware of how much space the are taking up on the street. I did not want to land in the river due to someone's clumsiness. Needless to say, I moved quickly and opted not to linger.

I was also with someone who wanted to eat in the first place that came into eyesight. We wound up in a restaurant that has a theme; nasty and obnoxious waitstaff. Yep, it's a real thing. The place is called Dick's Last Resort (a creation of the same think-tank that created Ed Debevic's). Why anyone would want to eat in a restaurant where waitstaff insults the customers is beyond my ken. The waitress was so engaged with being in character, she forgot to bring me my salad (but she didn't forget to charge me for it). I returned 2 or so hours later when I realized what had happened. The manager apologized and comped me the meal.

I couldn't find a supermarket nearby. There are bodegas, 7-11s, smaller shops that sell sundries and food products. Many were not very sanitary and the 7-11 had someone bring puppies inside. I walked in and out and didn't look back!

I doubt I will ever return unless my union offers another learning seminar there. Personally, if I need to go somewhere that has homelessness and seedy establishments on the street, I sooner opt for Vegas.