The city of San Antonio is located in the Southwestern part of the United States, and more specifically in the state of Texas. The city was named after San Antonio de Padua, whose feast is on June 13th, when a Spanish expedition stopped in the area in 1691. Famous for Spanish missions, the Alamo, the River Walk, the Tower of the Americas, and host to Sea World and Six Flags Fiesta Texas theme parks, the city is visited by approximately 26 million tourists per year according to the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau. The city also hosts the four-time NBA champion San Antonio Spurs and the annual San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, one of the largest in the country.

In the beginning Native Americans lived near the San Antonio River Valley, in the San Pedro Springs area, calling the vicinity "Yanaguana," meaning "refreshing waters." Early Spanish settlement of San Antonio started with the Martin de Alarcon expedition and the establishment of the San Antonio de Valero Mission, which is now the Alamo, to emphasize Spanish dominance over Texas from the nearby French in Louisiana.

Like many cities in the American Southwest, San Antonio has experienced a noticeable population growth; the city's population has nearly doubled in 35 years, from just over 650,000 in the 1970 to an estimated 1.3 million in 2010.

San Antonio lies close to the western edge of the humid subtropical climate zone. Its weather is alternately dry or humid depending on the winds, turning hot in the summer, warm to cool in the fall, and cold in the winter, with comfortably warm and rainy in the spring.

San Antonio has an economy that focuses mainly on financial services, government, health care, and tourism. The city is also home to one of the largest military concentrations in the United States.

San Antonio is a popular tourist destination; the main attraction is the River Walk, which strolls through the downtown area. With numerous shops, bars, and restaurants, as well as the Arneson River Theater, this charming place is transformed into an impressive festival of lights during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday period; while it is inundated with the local sounds of folkloric and flamenco music during the summer, particularly during celebrations such as the Fiesta Noche del Rio. In addition, also based along the River Walk is the newly restored Aztec on the River, the only exotic-themed movie palace in Texas.

Another main attraction, along with the River Walk, is the Alamo; SeaWorld, located 16 miles west of downtown, is the number 3 attraction. There are also the very popular Six Flags Fiesta Texas, and Morgan’s Wonderland, a theme park for special needs children.

The downtown area also features the Cathedral of San Fernando, The Majestic Theater, the Hemisfair Park, La Villita, El Mercado, the Spanish Governor’s Palace, and the historic Menger Hotel. The Fairmount Hotel, built in 1906 and San Antonio's second oldest hotel, is in the Guiness World Records as one of the heaviest buildings ever moved intact, as it was placed in its new location, three blocks south of the Alamo.

Besides the monuments and the entertainment parks, another big attraction of San Antonio is the Tex-Mex cuisine; many are, in fact, the restaurants that San Antonio offers. Mexican restaurants are abundant in virtually all parts of town, and most are relatively inexpensive. Some outstanding examples of Tex-Mex eateries include Jacala, on West Avenue on the near Northwest side, La Hacienda de Los Barrios, on the North East side, Tommy's on Nogalitos at I-35 near downtown, and Los Barrios, on the near North side of town.

A bus and rubber tired streetcar system is provided by the city's metropolitan transit authority, also known as VIA Metropolitan Transit. In August 2010, the transit authority has revealed the next set of buses that are powered by diesel-electric hybrid technology; these new buses are being put into service on VIA’s express routes to serve daily commuters across the city. The set of buses follows the introduction of new vehicles powered by compressed natural gas, which were unveiled in May 2010. VIA offers 84 regular bus routes and three downtown streetcar routes. This includes express service from downtown to park and ride locations in the South, West, Northwest, North Central, and Northeast areas of the city with service to the University of Texas (UTSA), Six Flags Fiesta Texas, and SeaWorld.

San Antonio is a constantly growing and evolving city; although a big metropolis San Antonio is still able to offer a warm feeling as if it was a small town, with friendly people ready to welcome tourists and new comers.

Our next appointment with the city of San Antonio will be on November 10th; at our next rendezvous we will offer information about the monuments surrounding this beautiful city.