Monthly Archives: March 2010

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San Antonio Riverwalk- Eat and Drink

The Riverwalk offers an abundance of dining and drinking options, but most of them fall into the category of ‘overdone Tex-Mex that only tourists think is good’. This past week I tried to such venues, and I’ll tell you what I thought.

The Iron Cactus, an Austin native, is a chain restaurant specializing in margaritas. Good appetizers and a very nice margarita can be had here easily- but skip the dessert menu. The chocolate cake was dry and the flan tasted day-old. Iron Cactus is a relatively new addition to the Riverwalk, so time will tell if the margaritas will grow weak and sugary. I especially recommend the Mexican Martini- anyone who has lived in Austin is familiar with this margarita-like drink. Iron Cactus makes theirs with real agave nectar and it is perfectly tart and dangerously strong. For a recipe that will not quite live up to Iron Cactus, but will give you an idea if you can’t make it to the Hill Country, try this: http://www.randomfate.net/MT/2004/10/14/jacks-special-mexican-martini/

Casa Rio and the Riverwalk are inseparable. The food is fair, the service is decent, but the seating along the river and the people watching is unmatched. Their Ensalada de Colores comes with a dressing that I wish I could duplicate. The iceberg lettuce and mandarin oranges are nothing special, but with their house special lime vinaigrette dressing it becomes something amazing. Just don’t expect the same from any of the other food- even the corn tortillas are easy to beat.

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Hiking San Antonio: Friedrich Park

One of the most popular hiking spots near San Antonio, Friedrich Park has trails of several lengths and difficulty.
The heavily wooded park is off of I-10 on the Northwest side of San Antonio. The park has wheelchair accessible trails as well as challenging mountainous trails.

Most of the trails look a bit like this- wooded, closed in and shaded. There are some places with a decent view of the surrounding hills, but assume you will be in shaded most of the time.
Bring your picnic, but not your dog! Sorry, pets aren’t allowed.
Check out the park website for hours and exact location:   http://www.sanaturalareas.org/fp/fpindex.html

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Il Duomo Milan

It may be touristy, but Milan’s number one attraction is certainly not to be missed, even for the offbeat traveler. The main piazza, far from being covered in snow normally, is actually covered in pigeons and people trying to sell you things. Be careful! A man actually came up to me, tied a bracelet to my wrist and then demanded 5euro for the piece of string. I gave him 2 euro and said ‘go away’. I imagine that’s better than what most people do!

You do need to cover your shoulders and wear pants to visit this Cathedral, as you do for most Catholic Churches in Italy. So on my visit, although it was a scorching 90 degrees outside, I was wearing jeans and a short sleeve shirt. No tank tops ladies!

The facade is worth more than a cursory glance. Here is one of the many carvings on the facade. You can see that the hands of Chris in this depiction are bright gold (well, if my photography were better you could see), from pilgrims rubbing and touching them.

Inside, you may be surprised at how dark the Cathedral is. Indeed, the lighting was terrible for my photos! But after your eyes adjust you’ll be treated to stained glass windows, beautiful tile floors and three ornate altars. I particularly enjoyed watching people light candles. The tall pillars made a beautiful arrangement as they melted, all different heights.


By far the most amazing thing about the Cathedral is the degree of sculpture on the spires. You can get an up-close view of this handiwork if you take the stairs to the top of the Cathedral.

Yes, you can walk around on top of the building, overlooking all of Milan. Don’t take the elevator if you can avoid it, the journey up is wonderful. Take your time to admire the many statues of saints, intricate spires and of course the skyline.