There is something great about a day when you have no plans, no scheduled events and nothing tying you to a specific place at a particular time. When you have a day like that after so many days that are exactly the opposite, you get a little confused. Where should you go? Who knows? What should you do? Who can say?
It’s liberating. It’s how we felt yesterday. Disoriented- but with a smile. We started off by sleeping in, a luxury we don’t get often enough in Dallas. After that, we were off to breakfast. Our restaurant choice was driven by the quest to drink a cup of the very yummy Mexican hot chocolate we had last time we were around these parts. The restaurant was about a mile away from our hotel, which made for a nice morning walk. When we got there, the line to put our names on the list was a ten minute affair, after which the wait list was about 45 minutes long. It was well into lunchtime when we sat down to have our breakfast, but fortunately, Mi Tierra serves breakfast all day. When we were finally seated, we ordered the Mexican hot chocolate first thing. Apparently, it’s made in a big pot in the back of the restaurant, and the pot was empty when we arrived at our table. We had to wait for a new batch to cook up. So, we had a whole breakfast while we waited. We watched a group seated after us pay the check and leave. We watched the busboy clear the plates and get the space ready for the next occupants. Finally, we got the hot chocolate. First, it’s a good thing we were in no hurry. Second, it was worth the wait. We sat and enjoyed our beverages- apparently, they make this stuff by melting chocolate in warm milk. I think they added some cinnamon and a little magic or something. All in all, it was pretty great.
We walked from there back to the hotel, where in an act of useless optimism, I had left my jacket. Hey, I took that jacket everywhere on New Years Eve and didn’t need it. So I left it at the hotel on New Years Day. Also the wrong call… No worries, because there were no hurries. We got the jacket and decided to take an Uber to the Pearl district. It’s where the old Pearl Beer factory used to be. They’ve taken the bones of the old manufacturing site and turned it into a pretty neighborhood. There were restaurants, bars, shops and a bookstore that had the audacity to be closed on New Years Day. It was clearly where young families in San Antonio go out. We were one of the few couples walking around without at least one toddler or dog. We went into a spot for a glass of wine, admiring the way they repurposed the industrial elements as decor. We stepped out to wander a bit, finding a spot where the patio was dotted with propane fire pits- a very nice touch. We finally settled on a burger place for dinner. Sam’s Burger Joint had personality to spare. The walls were covered in license plates, posters from musicians, ads promoting long past concerts and autographed headshots. I dined next to the autograph of Tom Petty. We shared our booth with him, a trio of signatures from the members of ZZ Top, and a shot of Willie Nelson with an illegible signature on it.
After that, we wanted to top off the stress free day with a little quiet time, so we headed back to the hotel and watched an episode of one of the shows we’d been streaming before hitting the hay. Evidently, the whole world spent the waking hours of the day laser-focused on college football, and since we’re currently about 80 miles from Austin, there are folks around here with some pretty pronounced interest in the results of yesterday’s Sugar Bowl. I looked it up- the Longhorns are all done for the season. I’m kind of glad I wasn’t sitting at a bar somewhere when that result became final. I’m sure there are plenty of broken hearts to go around. There are really no low-stakes football games this time of year at the college or the professional level.
Anyhow, as I get ready to head to the hotel gym this morning, I suspect there are plenty of folks who drowned their sorrows last night. Perhaps there will be precious little company at the elliptical machines and treadmills while I squeeze in a morning workout on the way out of town. For me though, it’s time to get moving. As much as the Menger is interesting and historically significant I do miss my own mattress. One more San Antonio Morning, then it’s back on the luxury bus and a restful ride back to Dallas. See you on the road!
No comments:
Post a Comment