San Antonio: Deep Dive in Diversity

Many things go into making San Antonio, in Texas, a great destination for visitors from the United States and around the world. From its famous River Walk and the Mexican markets to its diverse culinary and cultural heritage.

- Varsha Singh

It is true of London-Thames, Paris-Seine, New York-Hudson and countless other cities all over the world and so it is for San Antonio-San Antonio River.

Cities settled besides rivers have their history and culture deeply intertwined with the river, which dominates and often determines the evolution and development of the city. And the riverfronts are also perhaps the best place for tourists to start their discovery of the cities. Be it a walk along the river or a cruise, the rivers as tourist guides offer a comprehensive experience.

The seventh-largest city in the United States, San Antonio, also has seen its development go hand in hand with the fate of the eponymous river, which rather uniquely originates in a cluster of springs located in the city itself. Traditionally used as a waterway for transport of goods and people, in the late 1960s, the city began an ambitious plan to develop the riverfront with the twin objective of controlling the damage caused by frequent flooding of the river.

About 20 years ago, the River Walk was extended northwards as well as southwards and made about 25 km long. After decades of constant improvement and refurbishment, the riverfront, called the River Walk emerged as the primary tourist and business destination. Today, the River Walk is perhaps the most vibrant district of San Antonio, with the top hotels, fancy boutiques, entertainment sites and countless restaurants and bistros offering a wide variety of culinary delicacies.

Having booked into the Marriott Riverwalk, overlooking the River Walk downtown, I, too, began my discovery of San Antonio, first from my hotel room window which gave me a bird's eye view of the layout of the area and then by strolling in the neighbourhood, always sticking by the river or using it as a point of reference during my discovery, which was lively, to put it mildly.