Morning in San Antonio after a Late Night

San Antonio Travelog #2
Airport hotel - Sat, 27 May 2023, 10am

Last night was a late night getting into San Antonio. Our flight was scheduled to land at 1:20am. Yes, we booked that schedule on purpose! The alternative was to leave this morning and burn most of Saturday traveling out here. Even though the flight was actually a few minutes early to land, and even though we hailed an Uber quickly to our hotel a mere 6 minutes away, it was still going on 2am by the time we got settled in our room.

We arranged a 2pm late checkout when we arrived at the Marriott TownePlace Suites, just in case we were wrecked and wanted to sleep in 'til noon. Instead we got up around 9:20, in plenty of time to get some breakfast downstairs.



The breakfast room was crowded with people hacking and coughing and not wearing masks (Texas, y'all!) so I considered bringing my plate of food back to the room. But then I spied tables on the patio next to the pool. I snapped this picture (above) to compare it to breakfast in Grand Cayman (click the link to compare pics). Yeah, similar idea, very different execution. Oh, and beyond the pool is... a view of a freeway interchange.



What's next? Well, we booked this hotel near the airport because we knew we'd be getting in late. We didn't need for it to be great, just comfortable. To be fair, that pool looks like it would be a nice place to spend some time, even if the view from it is freeway overpasses. But for the next two nights we have a nicer place booked. We'll be staying at the Holiday Inn downtown right on San Antonio's famous Riverwalk. We spent up a bit to get a balcony room overlooking the Riverwalk. We'll probably check out of Freeway OffRamp Suites soon and head there.

Global Entry: Now No Paperwork, But Still Long Lines

Grand Cayman Travelog #28
IAH airport - Sat, 20 May 2023, 3pm

We're halfway home from Grand Cayman, making a connection in Houston. We had to clear passport checks for the first time in 4 years. (Covid dealt a last blow to our overseas travel plans.)

Like the last time we entered the US at an airport— which coincidentally was this same airport, IAH— there's a big banner overhead, "Global Entry: No Paperwork, No Lines". Last time that was a total lie. We literally had to wait in a line, a long line, to hand in paperwork.



This time the big banner (it's still there!) was only half a lie. There's no more paperwork; they've got it computerized. But there's still a long line. After you file your paperwork electronic records at a computerized kiosk you have to queue up in a long single line with everyone else for your paperwork— excuse me, electronic records— to be checked by a CBP officer. There were only 3 CBP officers for 100+ passengers. And that was just the Global Entry queue.

After clearing passport control we had to go through TSA security screening again. Yeah, that's the way it works in the US. CBP discharges you to "outside" the secure zone, and you basically have to reenter the airport. And the entry they shunted us to had no TSA PreCheck. What an eye opener it was seeing how the other half lives. Regular TSA screening sucks more now than it did several years ago. It seems they've learned how to make the process even more dehumanizing. Many people contend that the government makes non-PreCheck screening worse on purpose to encourage more people to volunteer their data to the government— and pay a fee— to be treated less dehumanizingly.

San Antonio Riverwalk

San Antonio Travelog #3
On the Riverwalk - Sat, 27 May 2023, 5pm

After a somewhat leisurely morning after a really late arrival last night (we didn't get to bed until after 2am) we called a ride to head downtown to the Holiday Inn Riverwalk. We're staying here for the next two nights. Fortunately they had a room ready for us when we arrived just before noon, so we went upstairs to drop our bags.



Of course, the room is more than just a place to drop our bags— or even just a place to sleep. We spent a little extra to get a room with a balcony overlooking the riverwalk itself. It does not disappoint. We enjoyed the view from up here for a few  moments then left to go downstairs to actually walk the Riverwalk.



The Riverwalk is a section of an actual river that winds through downtown San Antonio. Maybe 100 years ago walls were built around it to control flooding. A few decades after that businessmen got the idea to improve it with sidewalks, parks, restaurants, and shops. Now it's a fantastic place to go strolling. Or floating. There are dozens of small commercial boats providing tours around the Riverwalk area. We decided to ride a boat tour after grabbing a delicious lunch at one of the dozens of riverfront restaurants.



Normally taking mass-produced tours isn't our thing but we chose this one figuring it would be a way to get an overview of the area from a knowledgeable guide. It was that... in part. It was also part commercial for various bars, restaurants, and other businesses along the way. For example, we learned where a few famous people were born, and we also learned which bar serves a massive margarita with 13 shots of tequila. We take the good with the bad.

After the boat tour we walked the main loop of the Riverwalk. Yes, it was nearly the same route as we traversed on the boat tour. But going on foot let us slow down and explore certain areas in more detail, like the flower gardens and craft fair.

Now we're back at the hotel and honestly kind of tired from being out in the heat and sun for a few hours. We'll rest up here a bit, maybe hit the swimming pool on the 7th floor deck after that, then figure out dinner.