Exploring San Antonio, TX (Part 2)
When I plan a trip a way that I like to find new places to go is by going on Google Maps, putting in the name of my hotel (or wherever I happen to be) and then zooming in so that more places appear on the map. If something looks interesting (food, places of interest, etc.) I click on it and look at the pictures or reviews on the place, which is how I found out about Hopscotch. Hopscotch is an art exhibition that has different types of light installations, art pieces, interactive art, a ball pit, etc. The tickets are about $28 and I think they were absolutely worth the price. They have a bar in the lounge area but the drinks were pricy and looked a bit small. I'm not a drinker. I might have one with dinner occasionally when I'm on vacation, but in "real life" I don't drink, so maybe this is just the size that drinks usually are.This wheel had a kaleidoscope effect and people would get behind it and walk or do little dances. I thought it was really cool. I took a short video clip that I posted to my Instagram. Some really nice women offered to take pictures or a video of me, but I was too shy. I'm not sure what to call it but the different type of art on this screen was my favorite. I even loved the room that it was in. It had a nice vibe. I'm not sure if the benches were arranged that way on purpose or if they had just gotten moved from sitting around (probably the second one) but it just added to the vibe. I never know what's art and what isn't. It reminds me of that Designing Women episode where Charlene didn't know that the dirt on the floor was the art, and when that couple bought Julia's purse thinking it was art. 😁😁😁
The room where you could virtually spray graffiti on the wall was really cool. The interactive exhibits were really fun and creative. This place would definitely make a good date night idea. I really like silhouette shots so this is one of my favorites from the trip.The next day my friend and I went to the Japanese Tea Garden. It is absolutely beautiful and has free admission. It was extremely hot outside (I mean, San Antonio in September) so we only stayed for about 30 minutes before we headed back to the car (and the air conditioning!) It was so hot that my x100v kept overheating and I had to eventually shut it off. There was an absolutely beautiful waterfall that definitely was the highlight of the gardens for me. There were many people taking pictures in front of it (it is a really cool background to have for a profile picture or just for the memories). This was the best shot I could get but I think it came out pretty good. I used to use the Sony a7Riii (a full frame camera) before I switched camera systems and went with Fuji and I have no regrets, but I do miss being able to get more in the frame like I was able to with the Sony.Going to Buc-ee’s was definitely on my list of things to do and my friend very nicely drove me there. I didn’t even ask him but he knew that I was crazy enough to take an Uber from San Antonio to the Buc-ee’s in New Braunfels (and back) just to be able to go to Buc-ee’s. 😂😂 Let me just say that everything you've heard about Beaver Nuggets are absolutely true. I bought two bags to take back home with me and between my mom and me, they went in no time flat. I wanted to get at least one pic inside but it was really busy in there, probably because it was Labor Day weekend.After Buc-ee's we decided to get some lunch at BJ's Brewhouse. The food was delicious and the server was so sweet. But then again, it seems that once you get out of New York (particularly the five boroughs), everyone is really nice. I didn't want to eat too much because I was planning to cook dinner later for my friend and me, so I went with the pretzel and the calamari. The pretzel was huge, as was the plate of calamari, so I wound up taking some back to the hotel with me which wound up being my lunch the next day. 
San Antonio is definitely a place I want to revisit. I loved the vibe, the people were really nice, and the food was amazing. My friend already said he'd go with me to the Botanical Gardens. I wanted to go this time around but it was just way too hot. A few days in Texas was just what I needed to rejuvenate my soul (yes, I know how dramatic that sounds.) Sometimes you just need to get away from your regular life for a few days to be able to better deal with it when you get back. 