Casting about for a phrase that accurately describes San Antonio, what comes to mind is "urban sprawl gone wild". San Antonio is America's seventh largest city, and that figure may well be out of date by now. I can check out a new restaurant out by Loop 1604 one month, and when I return for another visit a little later in the year, the whole area has changed. seemingly overnight. Entire subdivisions and shopping centers are sprouting up here and there like wildflowers after a Spring rain. All of this is placing a heavy burden of our infrastructure, requiring new roads, schools, and city services such as water, power, and city government.

     The city center has not been spared this onslaught of development either. There is currently a project underway for a multi million dollar renovation of the plaza downtown, and the RiverWalk is being expanded. The RiverWalk is the jewel in the crown of the downtown area, drawing millions of tourists each year to stroll it's banks, and visit the many fine restaurants, shops and hotels located there. This is not to say that San Antonio's landmarks have been forgotten. You can still visit the historic Menger Hotel. It's got a great bar, and don't forget to ask about the ghost! You can also visit the Tower of the Americas in Hemisphere Park for a great birdseye view of SA. Don't neglect the Majestic Theatre or the Institute of Texas Cultures either.

     My perspective on what might be a fine place to live was fully formed a long time ago. I grew up in a small town in Massachusetts near CapeCod, and treasure to this day the fact that I can visit and still be greeted by folks I may not have seen for years. I've lived in Boston, and it's history is writ large on our nation's soul. I've lived in NYC, where anything is posssible, and available night and day. I've lived a carefree life in the Carribbean on a forty foot sailboat. And, I've lived in Miami with it's rich Cuban influences and manic drivers. I do enjoy San Antonio, especially for its cultural diversity, but here's a few pet peeves. and I hope no one will be offended by them. I may be wrong about this, and will accept any corrections offered, but San Antonio seems to lack neigborhoods with defining character. There are a few that I'd enjoy living in, such as the King William district, parts of the South Side, Alamo Heights, and downtown proper. For the most part however, the areas of San Antonio I've had occasion to visit all seem much the same. I've also never lived in a major city with such an abyssmally poor public transportation system. VIA busses, or taxicabs are the only options available, unless you drive. There was one day, a year or so ago, when I decided to take a VIA bus downtown rather than deal with driving and parking downtown. I caught a bus on Fredericksburg Rd and finally made it to Houston street over an hour later, with so many stops in between I lost count. That day, I took a cab home at a cost of $22.00. The dollar or so for the bus just was not worth the hassle.