The Riverwalk reminds me of some of the better streets of the French Quarter in New Orleans and some of the romantic cities of Europe with their sidewalk cafes. During the holidays, it is spectacular. The observation tower in the background is located at HemisFair Park. More later on that.

One of the things I appreciate about the Riverwalk is that it is not lined with trinket and souvenir shops.  It is basically a plethora of restaurants, offering food of every kind. Many of the eateries offer inside and outside dining.  When the weather is nice in the fall, spring, and winter (summer is a bit hot), people love to dine outside along the Riverwalk or just sit, enjoying the gorgeous scenery as they "people" watch.  By the way, we saw many Muslim families, all of whom made it a point to smile and speak.  Just tourists, like the rest of us.

Joske's first store, located on Main Plaza in San Antonio and known as J. Joske, opened in 1867 and operated until 1873, when Joske sold it and went back to Berlin for his family. After returning to San Antonio the same year, Joske opened a new store on Austin Street called J. Joske and Sons. Later, Joske moved the store to Alamo Plaza and changed its name to Joske Brothers. style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">In 1887 the store was moved across the street to the corner of Alamo and Commerce Streets, overlooking historic Alamo Plaza. New floors and elevators were added during a 1909 expansion. In 1936, the five-level store became the first fully air-conditioned store in Texas, and the store became known as "The Big Store." style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">The store was expanded and renovated again in 1939, sporting a new Art Deco facade as well as the first escalators installed in a Texas store. To make way for this expansion, the rooftop electric sign, the largest in Texas, where a cowboy was shown lassoing a steer came down. When Joske's wanted to expand again in 1945, nearby St. Joseph's Catholic Church refused to sell its land. Nevertheless, Joske's kept expanding, and St. Joseph's was eventually surrounded on three sides by the store and was jokingly called "St. Joske's." By 1953 the flagship store had been expanded several times. The 551,000 sq ft (51,200 m²) five-level store was the largest department store west of the Mississippi until its closure in 1987. The long-time slogan for the chain was "the biggest store in the biggest state."

At one time, a shopper could get a custom-made saddle in the downtown store. Departments included spurs and saddles; appliances; a travel agency; an Oriental rug gallery; a lending library; a bakery; gourmet foods; books, toys and even a large postage stamp collecting area. Joske's flagship store also featured the Camellia Room (for formal dining), the Chuck Wagon, and the Fountain Room (a coffee shop).

During the Christmas Holidays, the flagship store was well-known for its fourth-floor "Fantasyland";^[3] its holiday-themed window displays, including a large window with a toy train set; and the 40-foot-tall Santa Claus^[4] that sat atop the roof. "Rusty the Reinsteer" was the Joske's holiday mascot.

In 1987 after Allied's acquisition by Campeau, the then 27-store Joske's chain was sold to Dillard's, a then 115-store chain based in Little Rock, Arkansas, ending over 100 years of Texas-based retailing.

It was reported in June 2008 that the historic Joske's building was purchased by the Rivercenter property owners from Dillard's, with plans to revitalize the landmark property as part of the property's redevelopment. Dillard's closed its doors in August 

Joske's as it looked before the Rivercity restored it! Horrendous, isn't it?(2008.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joske's)

I took this photo of the newly renovated Joske flagship store now, re-opened with businesses and offices.  So much better and quite true to the historical Joske's.  Truly a landmark worth preserving.

A number of buildings in the city have strange additions on the top of them.  Our guide could not really explain the logic for these.  He did tell us that this one is occupied by businesses. Pardon the "leaning".  Some of these next shots I took from the boat as we toured the Riverwalk. It is not the easiest to shoot from a moving boat for an amateur photographer like me.

Another building with the weird anomaly on top of it.

More of San Antonio's unusual architecture.  Again, the extension at the top.  In addition, this building appears two-dimensional when viewed from the front.  But I love its elevation. Truly beautiful detailing on the upper levels. 

Something else one finds throughout San Antonio are buildings with gargoyles on them.  These are supposedly to keep away evil spirits. (Look along top of photo) Another good example, also, of the architecture of the area.

Some of the charm along the Riverwalk.

La Vallita

Once the site of a Coahuiltecan Indian Village,  La Vallitta has, over the years,  been occupied by the Germans, the Spanish, and now a village of artists.  A number of buildings have been continuously occupied for nearly 200 years.  Restored by a joint effort of the city and the San Antonio Conservation Committee,  it now hosts a number of craft shops, two upscale restaurants, in addition to the Cos House and the Arneson River Theatre. (Pardon the distraction of the tourists.  I shot this from the boat. No time to wait for people to move.  I'll probably redo these pictures with my HP software when I have time and crop out the distractions.) )

Each year the schoolchildren of San Antonio make the decorations for the Christmas tree that stands in front of the Alamo.  The theme this year was "Don't do drugs" with all the decorations reflecting that in some way.

Another unusual carving, this one on the Riverbank.  I am not sure, but I assume this is also to keep the evil spirits away.

A shot of the walkway along the River.  One can stroll the 21/2 miles of walkway and enjoy the natural beauty of San Antonio or he can do it the lazy way in a boat, as we did.  

This is the actual San Antonio River, not a canal built by the city, though two canals have been added to provide access to the Riverwalk Mall and another area which eludes me at he moment. The River is approximately three feet deep here. At the back of our hotel, it was ten feet deep

The bridges provide access to the beautiful motels that have been built to complement the architecture of the city.

The Riverfront Mall.  The canal circles this area and the riverboat can drop and pick up those who wish to do some shopping.

HemisFair Park

Thousands crowd into the park to see in the New Year.  It, like most of the sites in San Antonio, is in walking distance of the Riverwalk. 

The tower is the tallest site in the city.  It has an observation deck for those who get lost and need to get their bearings as well as a revolving restaurant at the top.

The park and the observation tower were built in 1968 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of  San Antonio's founding, one of the oldest cities in the United States.  Today, the huge plaza  sports craft stores, heritage centers, and much more.    

That's it, friends!  By now I have either sickened you on San Antonio or whetted your appetite to go there.  As for me, I will be back.  There are still things I have not yet seen.   


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