One of the joys of riding in the SAT300.COM rideshare car is the San Antonio Playlist.
From the first rides taken, Dave has made an effort to supply the riders with singers and performers who exhibit “Los ritmos de la calle”, the rhythms from the streets of San Antonio.
The variety of artists in this Playlist include:
Tish Hinojosa. – She is the first on the list, because of her attachments to San Antonio, as well as the types of music that she plays: Country (as in … Texas), Folk, English/Spanish, as well as reviews of Mexican traditional music. Please see this link for more information: Tish Hinojosa.
[Update, July 2021 – Sorry, but Silo’s is closed at this time. I’ll keep an eye on that location and let you know if/when reopened. There are several others in the Silo family, to be found at: Silo’s Elevated Cuisine.]
I don’t drink while taking YOU GUYS to the great watering holes of San Antonio! But I’ve run up on another.
Silos on Austin Highway.
First of all, make a trip to McNay Art Museum. If you’re in town on Thursday, the general admission is free. This is an extraordinary collection of art, as well as an entrancing history of McNay. You will be traveling up Broadway into Alamo Heights.
Thanks for the compliments on this car. This is the one that is used for DaveLyft’s trips. It is the second E 350 that I have had. The first one was a 2010 model, purchased in 2016 with 89,000 miles. During the next three years, mostly driving for Lyft, I ran another 100,000 miles on the vehicle. For the most part the dependability was flawless*.
Then, in June, 2019, I found that MB E350’s were available in the low $20K’s. for year model around 2016. While the 2010 still ran well, and received compliments and high stars absolutely, I was concerned about what the next 100K would bring. Also, the newer vehicle would have a great backup camera, blind-spot cameras, and perfect body condition**. While I looked at Autotrader and other sources, I ended up with Carmax, since they had a good selection, competitive prices, a great website, and they will bring in available cars from other Texas locations, usually for free, or at a low cost.
The one I purchased had 36K, cost $24K, but they gave me credit for $4200 on the 2010, as well as a good “we’ll buy your car” offer for a Dodge Stealth Turbo that I was no longer sufficiently using.
This is the current search for a late model, rather low mileage, E350 on carmax.
This is the current search for a late model, rather low mileage, E350 on autotrader
* One driver’s seat module went out. I had it changed by Christian Brothers on Hwy. 281. The total was about $1300, with the largest part of that bill being the cost of the replacement module from Mercedes Benz.
** During the 36 months driving the 2010, it got several dings from low lying landscape materials, where rocks and polls were placed around parking areas, and could not be seen during the forward and reverse jockeying it takes to pick up passengers, and park to wait. The car still looked good till the end, thanks to a can of black lacquer spray paint, artfully covering any scrape marks. The cameras should help to prevent these dings on the 2016.
The Tower of the Americas is a 750-foot (230-meter) observation tower-restaurant located in the Hemisfair district on the southeastern portion of Downtown San Antonio, Texas, United States. The tower was designed by San Antonio architect O’Neil Ford and was built as the theme structure of the 1968 World’s Fair, HemisFair ’68.
It was the tallest observation tower in the United States from 1968 until 1996, when the Las Vegas Stratosphere Tower was completed. It is the tallest building in San Antonio, and the 27th-tallest building in Texas.
The tower is located in the middle of HemisFair Park and has an observation deck that is accessible by elevator for a fee. There is also a lounge and revolving restaurant at the top of the tower that provides panoramic views of the city.
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La torre de las Américas es una torre de observación de 750 pies (230 metros) torre – restaurante ubicado en el distrito de Hemisfair en la parte sureste del centro de San Antonio, Texas, Estados Unidos. La torre fue diseñada por el arquitecto O’Neil Ford de San Antonio y fue construida como la estructura del tema de la feria 1968 del mundo, HemisFair ’68.
Era la torre de observación más alta en los Estados Unidos a partir de 1968 hasta 1996, cuando la torre de la estratosfera de Las Vegas fue terminada. Es el edificio más alto de San Antonio, y el edificio más alto 27 en Texas.
La torre se encuentra en el centro de HemisFair Park y tiene una plataforma de observación que es accesible por el ascensor por una tarifa. También hay un salón y restaurante giratorio en la parte superior de la torre que ofrece vistas panorámicas de la ciudad. [3]
A couple, on their honeymoon in San Antonio, asked me what special places or activities they should see and do in San Antonio for a HONEYMOON. I’m listing some, and hope to get some additional input from locals and visitors.
#1 Paramour. Great, romantic place to see the skyline, sit in big plastic chairs, or move out to a quiet place along the back of the outside balcony, to see the future, and the present. It’s free (no cover) to get up to the bar on the 4th floor, and the price of cocktails is well worth it for an intoxicating evening, togehter. ALONG with that, I need to suggest stopping at the BOURBON STREET restaurant, across the street in the Wyndam Garden Hotel. Since there’s really nothing to dine on at Paramour, and little else nearby, this seems like a great evening, Bourbon Street and Paramour. BS is at 4.3 on Yelp, but, with NOLA recipes and San Antonio cooks, they have to be able to do something right, so order, enjoy, hold their feet to the grill if it needs to be improved.
#2 Riverwalk South, and King William. These areas are just incredible beauties, side by side. You could stroll through the streets of King William, enjoying the revitalized and remodeled 1880’s homes, then, upon reaching a dead end, step down the stairs to the Riverwalk South that stretches from Nueva to South Alamo, before it picks up on the Mission hike/bike trail through the Missions to the south. If you brought, or RENTED bicycles, you could make an easy trip through King William, and then on to Lavaca, another great neighborhood of antiquity, charm, and redo’s.
#3 Great Restaurants abound. Remember that you’re married, so a newlywed 15 is unavoidable. BLISS. THE CHART HOUSE AT THE TOWER OF THE AMERICAS. THE MAGNOLIA PANCAKE HAUS.
If you are out till the bars close, you might need to find a place to wrap up the evening, eat, and then head for the house, hotel, etc. Here are some late night spots:
Mi Tierra This is the legendary all night spot in downtown San Antonio. It is on the West side of Downtown, at the Mercado and Farmer’s Market. There might be other recommendations for the best food, but THEY’RE NOT OPEN now, so come in and get your TexMex fix. This is the place where you might see visiting rock stars and comedians from the Majestic, and any politicos that are still hammering out deals into the wee hours.
Original Mexican Restaurant – I recently hosted two riders, one, Carlos, on an evening, and then another, Johnna, on an early morning downtown. They both work overnight in the kitchen at Original Mexican Restaurant, they assured me that it was open 24 hours, and had great food. So get by to test their unbiased recommendation. Another plus is this is right down on the Riverwalk, so if you’re late at Losoya, etc. then this might be just the place for you.
Denny’s Downtown – This is back on the East side of downtown, but still within the I-37 freeway, near the convention center. Great place to soothe the munchies, with other late night denizen. Of course other Denny’s throughout the whole town are open 24 hours as well.
Whataburger Downtown – San Antonio is now the home to Whataburger Corporation, Texas’s homegrown burger house. Come in for breakfast tacos anytime, the 24 hour schedule makes this the place to Meat and Greet. Of course, other Whataburgers throughout town are open 24 hours as well.
La Antorcha de la Amistad (Spanish for “The Torch of Friendship”) is a monumental abstract sculpture that stands in Downtown San Antonio, Texas, United States of America. The artist of the sculpture is world-renowned Mexican sculptor, Sebastián, and it was commissioned by the Asociación de Empresarios Mexicanos (AEM, which loosely translates as Mexican Entrepreneur Association). The sculpture was presented as a gift from the Mexican government to the City of San Antonio in 2002. It was unveiled on June 28, 2002, by the artist, Mr. Sebastián, Mayor Edward D. Garza, and then–Secretary of Foreign Affairs for Mexico and political analyst Jorge Castañeda Gutman.
La Antorcha de La Amistad – en el Centro de la Ciudad, San Antonio, Texas, EEUU
The sculpture stands at nearly 65 ft (20 m), and weighs more than 45 tons (40,800 kg). The medium is enameled iron. It is located in the middle of a traffic rotary (the intersection of Losoya, Commerce, Market, and Alamo Streets) in Downtown San Antonio, an area known by international tourists for the Paseo del Rio, or River Walk, and the Alamo.
It is a symbol of cooperation and shared culture between the country and the city.
The artist himself describes the concepts of the sculpture a torch rising from the ground, and as a symbolization of two different actors—the United States of America and Mexico—rising together:
He said the sculpture has many points of view from many angles, which is how he sees the two nations’ relationship. “Sometimes it is complex. Sometimes it is harmonious,” he said. “But the two countries are always close and always with a complex friendship.
Though many of the large public sculptures by Sebastián provoke mixed reactions, as he claims, a particular controversy arose regarding the sculpture’s location. Public art and architecture in Downtown San Antonio are strictly controlled. At the time of its erection in San Antonio, citizens made complaints to the City Council about its clash with the surrounding features.[6] Nearby the site are the Alamo (not in view), the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in modern brick, two non-uniform mall buildings, and the green tree tops that are based on the Paseo del Rio. The City Council sneaked by approval of the site within a week before the dedication. Controversy subsided as the sculpture proceeded to receive kind reviews, and it turned out that tax money for maintenance of the work would not be high (around $5,000).
Above source and more information at:
La Antorcha de la Amistad, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=La_Antorcha_de_la_Amistad&oldid=743660832 (last visited May 16, 2017).
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español link
La Antorcha de la Amistad es una monumental escultura abstracta que se encuentra en el centro de San Antonio, Texas, Los Estados Unidos de América. El artista de la escultura es escultor mexicano de renombre mundial, Sebastián, y fue encargado por la Asociación de Empresarios Mexicanos La escultura fue presentada como un regalo del gobierno mexicano a la Ciudad de San Antonio en 2002. Fue presentada el 28 de junio de 2002 por el artista Sebastián, el Alcalde Edward D. Garza y el entonces Secretario de Relaciones Exteriores Para México y el analista político Jorge Castañeda Gutman.
La escultura se encuentra a casi 20 m (65 pies) y pesa más de 45 toneladas (40.800 kg). El medio es de hierro esmaltado. Se encuentra en el centro de una rotonda de tráfico (la intersección de Losoya, Commerce, Market y Alamo Streets) en el centro de San Antonio, una zona conocida por los turistas internacionales para el Paseo del Río, o River Walk, y el Álamo.
Es un símbolo de cooperación y cultura compartida entre el país y la ciudad.
El propio artista describe los conceptos de la escultura como una antorcha que se levanta desde el suelo y como simbolización de dos actores diferentes -los Estados Unidos de América y México- que se elevan juntos:
Dijo que la escultura tiene muchos puntos de vista desde muchos ángulos, que es cómo ve la relación de las dos naciones. “A veces es complejo, a veces es armonioso”, dijo. “Pero los dos países están siempre cerca y siempre con una amistad compleja.
Aunque muchas de las grandes esculturas públicas de Sebastián provocan reacciones mixtas, según afirma, surgió una particular controversia sobre la ubicación de la escultura. El arte público y la arquitectura en el centro de San Antonio están estrictamente controlados. En el momento de su erección en San Antonio, los ciudadanos hicieron quejas al Ayuntamiento sobre su choque con las características circundantes. Cerca del sitio están el Alamo (no a la vista), el Centro de Convenciones Henry B. González en ladrillo moderno, dos edificios de centros comerciales no uniformes y las copas de árboles verdes que se basan en el Paseo del Río. El Ayuntamiento se escabulló por la aprobación del sitio dentro de una semana antes de la dedicación. La controversia disminuyó cuando la escultura procedió a recibir revisiones amables, y resultó que el dinero del impuesto para el mantenimiento del trabajo no sería alto (alrededor de $ 5,000).
