San Antonio:
After saying our goodbye's to San Marcos, we headed back to San Antonio where we began our journey. It was important that we were able to revisit the city without the foggy eyes from no-sleep and chaotic flights. It was a bittersweet feeling to leave San Marcos, but we were excited to explore the city before our flight departed that night. We intended to walk around 'El Mercado' - the old Mexican marketplace. However, it did not open as early as we thought - so we walked around the city and took in the sights, smells and sounds of San Antonio. The constructed 'Hispanic' landscape was evident in place names and other spaces of consumption. One space that exemplified consumerism is the River Walk. While it is far from natural, and looks derelict, it is a tourist hot-spot, and always pictured as the face of San Antonio. As geographers, we were able to critically analyze the usage of water for this purpose. While it may drive economic growth - as evident in the numerous shops and restaurants along the river walk, it may have severe implications in terms of water conservation. San Antonio was seemed to embody commodified landscapes, especially in reference to identity. After traversing along the river walk and seeing the historic plazas, we ventured back to El Mercado where the bright colored flags greeted us with delight. Now the marketplace was bustling with people, and the space seemed to morph over the period of an hour! Visit San Antonio website
After saying our goodbye's to San Marcos, we headed back to San Antonio where we began our journey. It was important that we were able to revisit the city without the foggy eyes from no-sleep and chaotic flights. It was a bittersweet feeling to leave San Marcos, but we were excited to explore the city before our flight departed that night. We intended to walk around 'El Mercado' - the old Mexican marketplace. However, it did not open as early as we thought - so we walked around the city and took in the sights, smells and sounds of San Antonio. The constructed 'Hispanic' landscape was evident in place names and other spaces of consumption. One space that exemplified consumerism is the River Walk. While it is far from natural, and looks derelict, it is a tourist hot-spot, and always pictured as the face of San Antonio. As geographers, we were able to critically analyze the usage of water for this purpose. While it may drive economic growth - as evident in the numerous shops and restaurants along the river walk, it may have severe implications in terms of water conservation. San Antonio was seemed to embody commodified landscapes, especially in reference to identity. After traversing along the river walk and seeing the historic plazas, we ventured back to El Mercado where the bright colored flags greeted us with delight. Now the marketplace was bustling with people, and the space seemed to morph over the period of an hour! Visit San Antonio website
The Alamo
The icon of Texas identity is most definitely 'The Alamo' - it is what everyone outside of Texas thinks of when referring to the state. It is an image that seems to have grown beyond its own walls. The first thing we noticed when we approached the site was the masses of people, the trickling entity that was crowds of tourists. In order to even gain entrance into the front doors of the Alamo, one had to sit in a long line. We wondered what this line was for...until we realized it was so that we could get our group photo taken, for later purchase in the bookstore. This first introduction to the Alamo seemed to be quite illustrative of the remainder of our time at the monument. What was so striking within the Alamo complex, was that it appeared many visitors came here to "say they have been here". Many were just aimlessly wandering around, looking at the displays, and without really regard for where they were and the very real histories that existed here. While historic preservation is a political move in itself, there definitely has been a politicization of the Alamo, with the emphasis on some stories and the silence of others. While I think we were all glad to have checked it off of our bucket list, we were all a tad underwhelmed with the consumer space it had morphed into.
The icon of Texas identity is most definitely 'The Alamo' - it is what everyone outside of Texas thinks of when referring to the state. It is an image that seems to have grown beyond its own walls. The first thing we noticed when we approached the site was the masses of people, the trickling entity that was crowds of tourists. In order to even gain entrance into the front doors of the Alamo, one had to sit in a long line. We wondered what this line was for...until we realized it was so that we could get our group photo taken, for later purchase in the bookstore. This first introduction to the Alamo seemed to be quite illustrative of the remainder of our time at the monument. What was so striking within the Alamo complex, was that it appeared many visitors came here to "say they have been here". Many were just aimlessly wandering around, looking at the displays, and without really regard for where they were and the very real histories that existed here. While historic preservation is a political move in itself, there definitely has been a politicization of the Alamo, with the emphasis on some stories and the silence of others. While I think we were all glad to have checked it off of our bucket list, we were all a tad underwhelmed with the consumer space it had morphed into.
The Friendly Spot:
Our trip came to an end at the Friendly Spot. This place is a chilled outdoor beer garden with a lot of different beers on tap. This establishment typifies a growing movement of eatery's attached to specialized micro brews found near, but not right in the traditional downtown. Attracting all sorts, the main audience is typically younger persons fitting what Richard Florida would call, the "Creative Class," We at lunch, reflected on the trip, and prepared to head back to the cold and frozen north. We were greeted and sent away by Ezra's friends, Nicole and Ashley, but the true star of the day was Nicole's puppy, Deppler!
The Friendly Spot: http://www.thefriendlyspot.com/
Our trip came to an end at the Friendly Spot. This place is a chilled outdoor beer garden with a lot of different beers on tap. This establishment typifies a growing movement of eatery's attached to specialized micro brews found near, but not right in the traditional downtown. Attracting all sorts, the main audience is typically younger persons fitting what Richard Florida would call, the "Creative Class," We at lunch, reflected on the trip, and prepared to head back to the cold and frozen north. We were greeted and sent away by Ezra's friends, Nicole and Ashley, but the true star of the day was Nicole's puppy, Deppler!
The Friendly Spot: http://www.thefriendlyspot.com/