San Antonio May 2007

The San Antonio River and the River Walk

After my visit to the Alamo, it was on to the River Walk and a river tour by Rio San Antonio Cruises ($7.75 per person).

The San Antonio River flows for 131 miles through 6 Texas counties and empties in the Guadalupe River, a few miles inland from San Antonio Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. Flooding had a significant impact on the river's history. The worst was in 1921, when downtown San Antonio flooded under 9-feet of water, causing extensive damage and loss of life. The citizens wanted to pave over the river and turn it into an underground storm drain. Luckily for the future San Antonians, the San Antonio Conservation Society campaigned to save the river. They did and later architect Robert H.H. Hugman presented his visionary plan of "The Shops of Romula & Aragon" for the area of the river that flows through downtown. It was accepted and ground broke in 1939 for the present day River Walk, a mixture of shops, restaurants and hotels along the river and one level down from the street. Click here for an excellent slide show on the history of the River Walk.

The only thing I remember about this building is that the bottom 5 floors were made to look like the front of a ship, that it cost a bunch of money to build and that it was sold during the depression for only $27,000. Also, the gargoyles were added to keep bad luck away, I think?

Casa Rio restaurant. It opened in 1946 and was the first restaurant built on the River Walk. The picture on the right is the street entrance to the restaurant which is located on 430 E. Commerce St. I had lunch here one day, ordering the "CASA RIO DELUXE DINNER" which consisted of a Cheese Enchilada, Tamale, Crispy Beef Taco, Chili Con Carne, Guacamole Salad, Chili Con Queso, Mexican Rice, and Refried Beans all for about $8.50. Not a bad deal.

This is the Hilton Palacio del Rio hotel. According to my river tour guide, the 500-room / 21-story hotel was the first modular hotel built. The entire hotel was built in 202 days, just in time to accommodate visitors to the 1968 World's Fair.

I missed most of the info on this sculpture and can't find it's name but apparently it was a gift from Mexico to the City of San Antonio. The Tower of the America's in the background.

The River Center Mall, 100+ shops and an IMAX theatre. And a story especially for me - "Primarily Purple".


The San Antonio River flows for 131 miles through 6 Texas counties and empties in the Guadalupe River, a few miles inland from San Antonio Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. Flooding had a significant impact on the river's history. The worst was in 1921, when downtown San Antonio flooded under 9-feet of water, causing extensive damage and loss of life. The citizens wanted to pave over the river and turn it into an underground storm drain. Luckily for the future San Antonians, the San Antonio Conservation Society campaigned to save the river. They did and later architect Robert H.H. Hugman presented his visionary plan of "The Shops of Romula & Aragon" for the area of the river that flows through downtown. It was accepted and ground broke in 1939 for the present day River Walk, a mixture of shops, restaurants and hotels along the river and one level down from the street. Click here for an excellent slide show on the history of the River Walk.
	The only thing I remember about this building is that the bottom 5 floors were made to look like the front of a ship, that it cost a bunch of money to build and that it was sold during the depression for only $27,000. Also, the gargoyles were added to keep bad luck away, I think?


Casa Rio restaurant. It opened in 1946 and was the first restaurant built on the River Walk. The picture on the right is the street entrance to the restaurant which is located on 430 E. Commerce St. I had lunch here one day, ordering the "CASA RIO DELUXE DINNER" which consisted of a Cheese Enchilada, Tamale, Crispy Beef Taco, Chili Con Carne, Guacamole Salad, Chili Con Queso, Mexican Rice, and Refried Beans all for about $8.50. Not a bad deal.


This is the Hilton Palacio del Rio hotel. According to my river tour guide, the 500-room / 21-story hotel was the first modular hotel built. The entire hotel was built in 202 days, just in time to accommodate visitors to the 1968 World's Fair.


	I missed most of the info on this sculpture and can't find it's name but apparently it was a gift from Mexico to the City of San Antonio. The Tower of the America's in the background.


The River Center Mall, 100+ shops and an IMAX theatre. And a story especially for me - "Primarily Purple".