Exploring San Antonio, TX (Part 1)
I was in San Antonio, TX over the Labor Day weekend and let me say first off that I loved it there! I definitely want to go back again at some point and do a lot more exploring. I have a few friends that live there but only saw one of them this trip. I took so many pictures while I was there. It was good to take pictures again, especially on vacation. It combines two of my favorite things (photography and travel). I took more pictures in the few days that I was in San Antonio than I did in the two weeks I was in Abu Dhabi, but that was because photography isn’t treated as a big deal here and over there there are a lot of rules on what you can and can’t photograph. I understand not photographing government buildings and whatnot but I saw no photography signs even in some parks. Anyway, of course I had to visit the Alamo while I was in San Antonio and it was only a short walk from my hotel, which was manageable even in the extreme heat. I did go during the part of the day when the light was the worst but I was going for the memories. The pictures were just a bonus.There were signs all around explaining the history of the Alamo and various statues also with signs explaining who they were. The statues and various things like the canon had "no touch" signs but as usual there were people who just ignored that completely.
When I’m on vacation I tend to overpack my schedule (which is usually why I always take a second trip at some point in the future). I definitely had to make time to see the Riverwalk. It would be like going to NYC and not seeing the Empire State Building. The boat tours looked like fun but I've never been one to do a tour. I know you probably learn a lot there but I prefer to walk around and explore on my own.The Stargazer statue was absolutely beautiful. It too had a “do not touch” sign on it but that didn’t stop people from actually climbing on it to pose for a picture. I had to laugh when one of the passing riverboat drivers was talking about the different sights along the way and they pointed out the Stargazer statue and he said something like “that big statue right there that clearly has “do not touch” signs on it where people are sitting”. LOL! Even the people on the boat started cracking up.There is apparently a public art garden along the Riverwalk but it was so hot outside that I didn’t have the energy to walk around exploring like I usually do.The Shops at Rivercenter were only a few minutes walk from the Alamo so I figured I’d walk around inside there to try and cool down and maybe get something to drink. There was a huge dinosaur model when I walked in that was so tall that it reached up to the second floor.As I mentioned, I tend to jam pack my schedule when I’m on vacation, but at least it helps me fall asleep quickly at night. I figured I could go to Mission San Jose and walk around a bit before going back to the hotel to relax before meeting my friend for dinner. I was starting to feel a little tired (not to mention hot) but really wanted to go and walk around.It was absolutely beautiful there. I took a ton of pictures and totally lost track of time.I was able to ignore the heat for a little while but eventually it started to get to me. I was starting to get a pins and needles feeling in the center of my forehead and I forgot to bring a water bottle with me (dumb, dumb, dumb) but luckily there was a gift shop there and they were selling water. 
After this I decided to go back to the hotel to relax and cool down. After a delicious dinner with my friend I decided to take a short walk along the Riverwalk at night. I had no idea how packed it would be and my friend told me he should have warned me. Lol. I wouldn’t have stayed too long anyway. When it comes to big cities I generally don’t like to just wander around after dark, especially when I have a camera with me. Not all places are NYC but it’s best to exercise caution regardless.Things definitely are more interesting at night and you do get better pictures without having to deal with changing light and whatnot.I’m just curious how many people have fallen in here. As you can see there are no guardrails and there are tons of restaurants along the Riverwalk. Alcohol and wandering tourists is an interesting combination.