Texas

Another great day on our road trip adventures - Day 2 in San Antonio, Texas.

After a walk in the park with Roxy we headed back downtown to explore the west side. We headed to the Historic Market Square to checkout the largest Mexican market in the U.S. According to Framers it is one of America's top -ten outdoor markets. Dozens of shops sell everything from hand-embroidered dresses to leather belts. Market Square's working artists, musicians, dancers and major cultural events give it a rich and lively cultural atmosphere. We browsed through 32 shops at "El Mercado," and 80 specialty shops in the Farmers Market Plaza. The Market Square is also the scene of many Hispanic festivals where food and beverage booths spring up alongside Guadalajara lamps while the sounds of mariachi music blends with the excitement of Mexican dances - too bad we weren't here for that festival.

We came across a bakery that has been in the area for many years - Mi Tierra. It originated with a husband and wife team opening a 3 table cafe in 1941 to accommodate the

early rising farmers and workers in the Mercado in San Antonio. It is known to be one of the best Tex-Mex restaurants in the area. They have an extensive Mexican styled bakery where you can get very unique desserts. It is hard to choose from all the interesting items, but we decided on candied sweet potato - very unique.

A trip to San Antonio isn't complete without a stop at Paris Hatters. One of the History Channel shows (American Pickers) stopped there and bought one of their hats. It is situated just north of the Alamo and has been family owned and operated since 1917. Paris Hatters is world famous for their expertise in providing quality custom-fitted and custom-shaped hats. The tremendous variety, along with their cleaning and blocking services, keeps Paris Hatters high on the list of any hat connoisseur. Rick has been looking for a straw hat to wear in the summer and can now say that he bought a hat from the famous Paris Hatters; truly the best souvenir.

We still had a little time left on the meter so we headed down to the River Walk for a bite to eat; hat box in hand. Margarita and a brisket sandwich at one of the restaurants on the rivers edge was a fantastic way to finish off the downtown.

After our stop downtown we headed to an area called "The Pearl". The fellow who owns the little place we are renting recommended a stroll through the area.

Pearl, located north of downtown San Antonio, provides a unique experience as a top culinary and cultural destination. The mixed-use space features retail, dining, picturesque green spaces, paseos riverside amphitheater, and the third campus of The Culinary Institute of America. As a former brewery operating from 1883 to 2001, Pearl reflects a vivid past while embracing the future with LEED-certified

complexes mixed with historic architecture.

You can rent space at the "Stable" for a variety of functions or just attend the year round farmers market. It reminds a lot like Granville Island at Vancouver - minus the art studios. They have regular events for people to attend, such as: open air art markets, culinary themed events, live music and many others. A great way to end our tour of San Antonio.

Well it is back to our place to get ready for another day of travel..
Roxy waiting at the door with tons of kisses and always excited to see us.