Staying in touch

Skype is a great free tool that allows us to talk to each other from a far. Just 2 more sleeps and the rest of the Harkness 5 gang will be in San Antonio.

Sunday

Sunday's food selections included...

A Buckhorn Burger from the Buckhorn Saloon. It was good - 1/2 pounder with lots of bacon, cheese, etc.




At the conference, there was a ton of appetizer-type foods. The coconut-crusted shrimp satay was probably the best. The nacho buffet was good too. The oddest item was somekind of meat/refried-bean/soft tortilla mash held together with a corn husk. You remove the corn husk, and it retains it cylindrical shape so that you can dip it in guacomale, cheese, salsa, or a cilantro-based dip. I keep telling myself that I will never eat any more Mexican food.


The evening was capped-off with a High School Mariachi band opening for a keynote speaker (all 15,000 attendees received cowboy hats); and a live country band to accompany the many people grazing from one appetizer line to another.

Saturday's Meals

I spent most of the day inside today at a pre-conference meeting. Breakfast was at the hotel...even breakfasts around here involve the use of soft tortillas. Lunch comprised of tortilla soup (a chicken and mexican flavoured soup base, then you had to add cheese, tortilla strips, avocados, cilantro - did I mention that everything has cilantro in it?, etc.)



Then, I had yet another Mexican meal at the esteemed Mitierra Restaurant in Market Square. The line was over an hour long...good thing there are many shops nearby to pass the time. (TripAdvisor ranks the Mitierra as #35 out of more than 1200 restaurants in San Antonio - and it was like $15 for the meal seen below)

SWAG bag

SWAG (Stuff We All Get) is a common highlight of many conferences. Today's pre-conference meeting involved a gift basket exchange. I brought along items from Saskatchewan - someone from South Dakota won my basket. I ended up winning a basket from Connecticut. It's kind of neat. Items included: a University of Connecticut hat, an ESPN T-Shirt, a Pez, a wiffle ball, some Pepperidge farms items, local candies, etc. All of these things have origins in Connecticut (ie. ESPN broadcasts out of Bristol, Connecticut; Wiffle Balls are made in Connecticut; I always thought Pez was from overseas somewhere...but there must be some connection to Connecticut).

Here's a pic of some of the elaborate Swag bags...as you can see, Tennessee brought some Jack Daniels'.

Interesting...

Here's a few random interesting things about San Antonio.


The Tower of the Americas is USA's second highest concrete tower (behind the Stratoshpere in Las Vegas). It has a revolving restaurant that takes 2 hours to complete a full rotation.



The Friendship Torch was given to Texas by Mexico as a gift. Locals hate it because it is ugly, doesn't match the decor, and the Mexican gov't demanded where it be placed. It was to honour the free trade agreement in the 1990's.


The Emily Morgan hotel is named after Emily Morgan (aka the Yellow Rose of Texas) who revealed Santa Ana's position to Sam Houston who defeated the Mexicans and reclaimed Texas following the battle at the Alamo.



The Buckhorn Saloon is about 130 years old. Historically, the owner would give the locals a free beer in exchange for a set of antlers. There are thousands of antlers and animal heads. It is now a saloon and a museum. Perhaps if I would have brought a set of antlers with me, I could have received my $3 Margarita for free.




The Tower Life Building is apparently the only building known to have 8 sides. It was used in the filming of Ghostbusters. Following the stock-market crash in 1929, people (including one of the owners) jumped from the top.

Friday

Friday is coming to a close. It is 10pm here in San Antonio. It has cooled down to 32 degrees celsius. Even the wind here is hot. Surprisingly, it is quite humid too. I thought it would be dry.

I spent part of the day exploring the Riverwalk. Then, two-and-a-half hours on a Segway Tour. A Segway Tour is a great way to become acquainted with a city...better than a walking tour or a bus tour. There were only 3 people on the tour, so it was great. We could ask the tour guide lots of questions, etc. San Antonio is full of history.


After the Segway Tour, I walked around the downtown area, looking in shops, malls, etc. The downtown proximity to...well, everything, is ideal. Unlike Atlanta (last year), where there are very few commercial areas downtown, San Antonio is full of shops, restaurants, malls, the Convention Centre, hotels, etc...all within walking distance. You can't walk more than a few steps before you are able to duck into yet another air-conditioned shop selling t-shirts or Mexican restaurant. My hotel is about a mile from the Convention Centre, but the hotel supplies a free shuttle every hour...takes about 10 minutes to get there.

I spent some time at the Alamo. The experience reminds me of the time I attended a conference in Toronto. A friend and I hopped on a bus to Niagara Falls one night. After viewing the falls for a few minutes, my friend said, "Okay, where are the big ones?" - perhaps revealing a bit of his Alberta rednecked-ness or simply not being impressed with the size. The same can be said for my impression of the Alamo. While the story is cool and all, the actual Alamo building is very small. I kept searching for more to look at...I guess the grounds around it and the fortified area it used to cover can be considered impressive. I think I saw all there was to see at the Alamo in about 30 minutes.


More photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/harknessk/sets/72157605835929254/

Supper on Thursday

I enjoyed an authentic Mexican supper at La Margarita restaurant at the Market Square. I was really hungry and it was really delicious. Although, like always, I don't really feel like eating Mexican food again for awhile - but I don't think I will have much choice here. The margarita hit the spot too - in the 98 degree heat (at 8pm).

Click on the "San Antonio Photos" to the right for more photos from my Flickr gallery.

Finally here

Finally arrived in San Antonio, but unfortunately my suitcase did not. This brings back memories of the Australia trip almost 2 years ago. Apparently, Canadian luggage going through Denver always gets held up because they can't x-ray them fast enough. And of course, my layover in Denver was less than an hour. So the suitcase should arrive tomorrow morning.

Almost There

The self-induced boycott on fast-food since the new year is a bit tough sitting in airports all day. A Harvey's hamburger would taste good right now. But I am confident that I can make it through to San Antonio on the granola bar, orange juice, airplane cookie, and Iced Cappuccino I have had so far today. I am saving up my appetite for a big supper in Texas - something Mexican at the riverwalk market in San Antonio. Although there could be mid to long-term danger in an overindulgance in Mexican food. Not much time between flights here in Denver...gotta go.

On My Way

I always seem to forget how painful air travel is - from getting ready the night before to the long lines through customs and security. On my flight from Regina to Calgary I fell asleep before the flight took off and when I woke up, we had already been in the air for awhile - I slept right through the take-off. I was sleeping so hard that I'm sure I didn't even know my name when I woke up. The end-of-school-year adrenaline recession has arrived. The adrenaline will resurge after arriving in San Antonio, I am sure.

I am writing this sitting in Calgary airport. I just had to exchange my Air Canada-issued boarding passes for United Airlines passes at the terminal - who knew? They have been asking for people to do so. Lorrie, if you are reading this, you will probably have to do the same at the gate in Edmonton. Not a big deal I guess. It's strange not having the kids along. I find that I have nothing to do but sit here and type. Off to Denver soon.