I spent a day in San Antonio seeing the sights while my friend went to her conference. First up, the Hop On Hop Off Bus with City Sightseeing. I love these buses as you may have read and will read in future posts. They are such a great way to see a city’s attractions while staying off of my feet.
I practically had the bus to myself! The bus made its way around the city from the stop near the Alamo. A number of the stops were not terribly impressive, but it was still a nice way to see the city. I was also surprised that the guide was over the loudspeaker instead of at each seat with options for additional languages, especially as we were so close to Mexico and there are many Spanish speakers in Texas. Once we pulled up the stop at El Marcado, I hurried downstairs to get off of the bus!
Look how cheerful and inviting! I loved the bright flags and market stalls as I strolled about. Some of the stalls were densely packed with little treasures, which may make it difficult for wheelchairs to move about. Outside between stores and stalls was mostly like the flat bricked path you see here. There were plenty of benches and places to sit for a rest.
From one of the restaurants at El Marcado. Everything was so festive!
I snapped a picture on my way to meet the bus as I left the market of this beautiful mosaic on the side of Goodwill, which includes some ability diversity!
The bus route ended at the Alamo, and I took the opportunity to see a national landmark. Admittedly, my leg was doing pretty poorly after working out in the morning and strolling at the market. I did not stay a long time, and people are unable to take photos inside. Their site was informative before my trip with what to expect, and the interior does have a stone floor that was uneven. I went at a less popular time (of year and day) and did not have trouble walking around slowly and without lots of people bumping into me, but the floor may be an issue for some. This picture is out after the church and gift shop before the gardens. I wrapped up my visit quickly and caught a Lyft back to the hotel to rest.
I did not get to take the fun scooters I had seen. I love that they offer scooters with seats and baskets in San Antonio! Are these in other cities? Before I planned to rent one, I saw a sign noting they are not allowed on sidewalks, in parks, in El Marcado, the Alamo grounds, and some others places. Seeing as there are no helmets with them, I was not willing to scoot about town on the road with unfamiliar traffic and drivers and a need to use a GPS. These may be great for locals or those who are just zipping down the street for a meal.
My friends and I took a Lyft to the Pearl District to La Gloria for dinner, which was delicious and the interior would be okay for mobility issues. We opted to walk to the outside patio for the lovely view. I was able to make my way to the table, but a wheelchair or scooter would not have been. We also walked a very brief time to an ice cream shop, Lick, that was tasty and accessible.
Finally we took another car back to the main spot for the Riverwalk Boat Cruise. During the week, portions of the river were drained for maintenance. This made it difficult to actually catch a boat. The first location had steps to the Riverwalk, and we soon discovered only caution tape and no boats. We went out and asked someone who gave directions to an area definitely with a boat. After getting another car and getting in, we realized if we had just crossed the bridge on the road level, we could have gotten a boat from there. We got to another location with a number of stairs up and down and across a river bridge and more stairs, only to purchase a ticket and have to stand for 30 minutes before the boat loaded. I leaned against a building pillar, but a couple of benches in that area would have made a huge difference. The boat had a ramp for wheelchair and stroller loading, and there were seats for the ride. Ours was fairly late and not full, but it may be difficult to move or likely to bump into people if the boat were full. The boat ride was nice with details about the city and Riverwalk, and a ride in the evening with the sparkly lights was much better than the daytime view from our hotel room.
Next up: Waco!
