Solo Road Trip - San Antonio, The Alamo and What's Wrong With Pokemon

I rolled into San Antonio, TX  on a very hot July afternoon right in the middle of the Pokemon Go game craze. I left Blue in the hot hotel parking garage and walked in the doors of the Hyatt Riverwalk to a blast of welcomed cold air, they really crank up the air conditioning here in Texas!

After settling in, I decided to go out for a walk, hoping the heat might recede after 6 pm, it doesn't.

Pokemon Go (away)

I walked over to the Alamo to re-live my childhood memories of Walt Disney's Davy Crockett TV show and to try to catch a few Pokemon.

I was impressed by the Alamo but not by the Pokemon Go game. After reading about the craze in the news I had to download it just to see what "augmented reality" was all about.

As I walked around the Alamo little creatures kept appearing in my phone camera screen waiting to be captured. The Alamo itself is a Pokemon Gym which I was denied access to because I had not reached level 5. I'll never know what I missed in there.

So what's wrong with augmented reality games like Pokemon? Other than the fact the game will sell all of your information for a profit, it really seems to steal you away from the reality around you. While playing the game I missed experiencing the energy, the beauty and the history of the place I was in.

So go away Pokemon, I would rather not augment my reality. Now back to a few observations about San Antonio.

San Antonio Bike Hike

In the morning before the heat set in, I checked out a bike from a rack in front of my hotel, $12 per hour and set out to explore San Antonio.

The night before I had checked out the RiverWalk behind my hotel and was a bit turned off to it.  It was very crowded and the river walkway was lined with restaurants and bars with tour boats in the river.  It felt a bit like the San Diego Gaslamp on the weekend but with a river instead of Fifth Ave.

My bike ride took me to Pearl Brewery, recommended to me by a Facebook friend.  A short 20 minute ride away, Pearl Brewery was a gem.  It is a restored beer brewery factory of several large buildings now converted to shops and restaurants and some residential and its the home for a Culinary Institute of America school.

Pearl was a great destination for my morning tea at Local, a great little coffee spot that serves special loose leaf brewed teas.  After riding around Pearl I vowed to return in the evening for dinner at Cured.

On the way back to the hotel, I discovered that I could ride the bike along the RiverWalk.  Wow, was that a treat to ride along the river and to see the amazing work that San Antonio has put into this urban park treasure.  

Along the way there were info signs, benches, clean up crews, and boats cleaning the river for another day.  The environment was beautiful with the walkway and great landscaping that went for several miles, very impressive and the ride totally changed the impression I got from the touristy area by the hotel.

San Antonio has a rich history that I was able to glimpse on this bike ride.  On the way back I also went through the main square, a typical Mexican Zocalo square, shaded by trees and cool fountains.  Along the edge there is a beautiful church and other historic buildings like these that I didn't have time to explore.

Remember the Alamo

After a cold shower, it was time to head back to the Alamo, this time without Pokemon.  I was determined to learn the history of this place and started with a guided tour for $15.  

Our rather large group all had remote ear plugs that caught the broadcast of the tour guide's stories of the extensive Alamo battlefield for our one-hour walk around the site.  Well worth the time and money, highly recommended.

I won't go into the story of the 180 Texans and hundreds more Mexican soldiers who lost their lives here.  But I will say that as an historic site, the Alamo was fascinating with excellent signage, artifacts, and restorations.

I was immersed in the Alamo history for about three hours doing both the guided tour and a self-guided audio tour   I really never knew the history of the Republic of Texas, how it was formed and the conflicts with Mexico.  All you history buffs will love your time here.

Let me close by saying the Alamo is much more than the iconic church or sanctuary that we all recognize.  There are extensive grounds, restored structures and gardens to explore.  I enjoyed the shade this 100-year old oak tree in the Covenant Courtyard area.