This is an up-scale, yet casual, spot which has garnered good reviews for both service & food. After spending most of Saturday afternoon napping in the cool of our hotel room, we saddled up and headed over to Austin Highway in search of vittles. The dining room was smaller than I expected, but was still quiet enough to be able to carry on a conversation without straining to hear. Chicken-fried oysters on a bed of spinach, topped with an obviously homemade Hollandaise started our adventure. Angie went for a grilled tuna steak, while I opted for sauteed redfish on a bed of sauteed shrimp. Susan went off on a different tangent, getting a tasty piece of lamb (I stole a bite). A very nice Pinot Grigio helped wash everything down. None of us had room for dessert on our own, so we did a three-way split of a wonderful "White Chocolate & Fresh Berry Bread Pudding with White Chocolate Truffle Sauce", with an Espresso or coffee accompaniment.
After feasting for the better part of the evening, we felt the need to move around a bit, so headed back downtown to show Angie the Emily Morgan & the view. 
It turned out she didn't know anything about Emily(I swear the child slept through Texas History), so I was able to expound on the fabled Yellow Rose until she and her mother were both tired of listening. We went out to stretch our legs, strolling the Alamo grounds, and continuing on down to the Riverwalk. Quickly, we learned the masses of people we had encountered on Friday night were far exceeded by the Saturday night rowdies. At 11:00, everything was still in full swing and at full volume. As we struggled through the packed sidewalks, we saw areas which had been quiet and isolated on our last trip years ago, which were now lined with one overflowing drinking establishment after another. Maybe if I was twenty-something and looking for a good time, it would be okay. At 57 and tired of walking, it was just too crowded and too loud.
It turned out she didn't know anything about Emily(I swear the child slept through Texas History), so I was able to expound on the fabled Yellow Rose until she and her mother were both tired of listening. We went out to stretch our legs, strolling the Alamo grounds, and continuing on down to the Riverwalk. Quickly, we learned the masses of people we had encountered on Friday night were far exceeded by the Saturday night rowdies. At 11:00, everything was still in full swing and at full volume. As we struggled through the packed sidewalks, we saw areas which had been quiet and isolated on our last trip years ago, which were now lined with one overflowing drinking establishment after another. Maybe if I was twenty-something and looking for a good time, it would be okay. At 57 and tired of walking, it was just too crowded and too loud.After ascending back to street level, we wandered past several downtown landmarks, including the Menger Hotel. 
The bar at the Menger is where Teddy (the good) Roosevelt recruited his Volunteers for a trip to Cuba from the cowboys and adventurers who were found in San Antonio. The Menger lies just across the alley from the Alamo, and this alley is where horse-drawn carriages line up to give visitors a tour of the downtown area. The carriages range from plain to gaudy, but all are adorned with a variety of lights to help make them more visible to automobile traffic. We went for a very pleasant trip with Jimmy(the driver) and Jack(the horse), and the slow trip into the past helped us to settle down and prepare ourselves for the end of our long day.
The bar at the Menger is where Teddy (the good) Roosevelt recruited his Volunteers for a trip to Cuba from the cowboys and adventurers who were found in San Antonio. The Menger lies just across the alley from the Alamo, and this alley is where horse-drawn carriages line up to give visitors a tour of the downtown area. The carriages range from plain to gaudy, but all are adorned with a variety of lights to help make them more visible to automobile traffic. We went for a very pleasant trip with Jimmy(the driver) and Jack(the horse), and the slow trip into the past helped us to settle down and prepare ourselves for the end of our long day.
1 comment:
sounds like a fun birthday trip!
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