San Antonio
Sizzles

Mariachis, margaritas and
Mexican food

by Barbara & Jim Twardowski

Texas tourism commercials tout “It’s like a whole other country.” However, no passport is needed to visit San Antonio, where the mix of Spanish, Native American, Mexican and German influences has woven a colorful culture. The seventh largest city in the U.S. and the fastest-grow-ing city in the Lone Star State, San Antonio draws some 20 million visitors a year. Over the Thanksgiving holiday in 2007, we spent three days in the historic “Alamo City” and found it surprisingly wheelchair accessible.

Though the Alamo looms large in the hearts of Texans, San Antonio’s most famous tourist attraction, in the middle of the bustling downtown district, is dwarfed by its modern neighbors.

A river runs through it

Most of San Antonio’s renowned River Walk is wheelchair accessible; the city continues to eliminate architectural barriers, creating new ramps, paths and elevators to the street level.

Twenty feet below the street level, the River Walk (Paseo del Rio) winds through downtown. The flowing San Antonio River is bordered by cobblestone and flagstone paths with lush green foliage. Towering cypress and 300-year-old oak trees provide shade along the walkway that meanders for nearly 2½ miles.

Numerous restaurants overlook the river where patrons sip margaritas as mariachi music drifts on the breeze. The atmosphere is festive. Our favorite spot to dine is anywhere outside. We stopped at the 50-year-old Casa Rio for Tex-Mex cuisine. The street level entrance to the restaurant has steps so we took a detour — walking across the street where we hopped onto an elevator that took us down to the river level and just a few feet from the hostess station. We were immediately seated at a table that was so close to the river, we could have touched the ducks as they frantically dove for the remains of chips that bus boys toss into the water.

The trees of the River Walk are decorated with hundreds of small lights. They twinkle and reflect off the water casting a magical spell each evening. During the holidays, the river shines extra bright. The Friday after Thanksgiving, the switch is thrown and more than 122,000 lights form a sparkling canopy over the river. Thousands of people gather for the lighting ceremony and for the parade of illuminated floats (boats) with costumed riders, bands and celebrities. Reserved seating tickets are sold months in advance and cost $10 to $20.

Every day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., boats loaded with passengers glide up and down the river. The Rio San Antonio Cruises provides 40-minute tours and a water taxi service. There are more than 39 stops along the river where you can disembark to shop or dine. (Nine of the stops are wheelchair accessible. A handy map is posted on the company’s Web site www. riosanantonio.com.) Tickets may be purchased in advance or at boarding time. (One way is $4. A 24-hour Day Pass is $10. A three-day pass is $25.) The informative tours are a fun introduction to the river.

The City of San Antonio has been eliminating architectural barriers to the River Walk since the early 1980s. In the past two decades, they’ve improved more than 50 locations, generating new ramps, paths and elevators. Most of the River Walk is wheelchair accessible.

If you use a wheelchair, pick up a map to the River Walk that indicates where the elevators are located or download a map that was created by the Convention and Visitor Bureau www.sanantoniocvb.com/maps/ accessriverwalkmap.pdf.

Before we went anywhere, Jim would consult the map and determine the most appropriate route for me. If you want to enter a restaurant or shop that does not appear to be accessible, ask if there is a wheelchair entrance. Many do have an alternate entrance that isn’t always obvious. Friendly ambassadors, dressed in bright turquoise shirts, are stationed throughout historic downtown to answer visitors’ questions.