San Antonio

Callie is currently on a national tour with the musical 'Annie.' The tour made a stop in San Antonio to perform at the Majestic Theater. Without a set plan, I arranged my vacation days and booked a flight to Texas. Going from cold New York to a pleasant 70 degrees in Texas, it was my first time in the state. Downtown San Antonio was conveniently close for anything you might need. The highlight was being near the Alamo, a significant piece of American history. The main feature of downtown San Antonio is the Riverwalk, which includes restaurants, shops, and bars. I spent most of my time there, starting our week-long trip at Rita's (amazing food). I got to try an incredible variety of food up and down that Riverwalk, from BBQ at the County Line to a great steak at the SaltGrass Steakhouse. Callie's favorite part of the Riverwalk was the cats; we called them bodega cats because they were living outside of CVS.

Before Callie had to work, we visited the Japanese Tea Garden, an incredible historical site with many details built in a limestone quarry. Right as we got into the garden, Callie realized she didn't have her phone, quickly finding out it was still in the Uber. Luckily, we had a great ride with Jorge, who was doing real estate in San Antonio. Jorge was so nice; he dropped it off at our hotel and texted me when he did so. 

On the next day, Callie and I took the River Tour, where we met our tour guide, Barbara, from Queens. Barbara, who grew up in Queens, moved to Las Vegas and is now providing the best tours on the San Antonio River. She shared insights into the river's history and pointed out all the best party spots along the way. 

On the nights Callie had to work at the theater, I ventured out alone. Each night, I met someone new and heard their stories. My favorite person I met was Roco, the bartender—an amazing individual with great taste in music. I met him at the Bridge Bar, which I personally enjoyed. The music Roco played created the perfect ambiance for the bar, which is actually part of the restaurant Four Brothers. It was at the Bridge Bar that I met an amazing couple from Ohio, Alex and Molly, who came to San Antonio for a Bratwurst festival at the city's historical brewery, the Pearl. Roco informed me that the bar doesn't usually get very busy, and I was determined to change that. I earned the nickname 'New York' as Alex, Molly, and I began advertising the bar. Shortly after, I met with Callie after her shift to walk her to the bar, which was right under the theater. Before ten o'clock, we successfully filled this small patio bar under a bridge with people having lots of laughs. That night, after watching Roco close the bar, with a full beer in my hand, I took a stumble, giving my knee a nice black and blue. I ran into Roco twice after that, making a great friend in San Antonio

On my last day in Texas, I had the opportunity to watch the Veterans Day parade with Callie. Given that my grandfather served and now my brother serves, witnessing genuine love for our veterans was incredibly meaningful. San Antonio goes all out for their vets—the parade stretched over a mile. It was a perfect way to conclude my trip to Texas, bidding farewell to the River.