My son and I just returned from a Formula One race held in Austin. We stayed in San Antonio at the Westin Riverwalk. (great place!) Being from, or at least close to, the tourist “capital” [ahem] of the World, I was astounded at the courtesy of everyone in Texas, tourists included.
Didn’t sample the wine, but, holy cripes, the home grown beer is mighty fine.
Can’t wait to go back, this time with SWMBO!
Can any of y’all identify this building? It’s a lousy picture but the building was right across from our room (14th floor) at the Westin Riverwalk. I'm curious of it's remarkable architectural features, it appears to be octagonal.
Thanks and have a great weekend! B-)
Tower Life Building
310 S. St. Marys Street
San Antonio, Texas 78205
> Can any of y’all identify this building?
>
Yes, San Antonio is a really fun city to visit. Once upon a time in the early 20th century, San Antonio was effectively a major city of Mexico since it was much closer to nearly all of Mexico than it was to the rest of the United States. The amalgum of the native Tejano Spanish and Mexican settlers, German immigrants, and a few Irish thrown in to run the saloons has made for a lively place.
The building you asked about is one of the first air-conditioned office buildings in the world. It was designed by the Texas architectural firm Ayres & Ayres and was originally known as the Smith-Young Tower. Downtown San Antonio has the very irregular street grid of the Spanish colonial settlement around which the city grew, and in that setting the Smith-Young Tower reminds me more of the tower of some medieval castle than the ultra-modern office building it was in 1928.
You'll do fine visiting most places there unless you have to do research at the county clerk's office. :-O
