London, UK

London is a huge city, 7.5 Million to give you a round number, and the various cultures that have settled here are as vast as its population. Nowadays, with the US$ in the tank, traveling to Britain can be quite expensive if you're choosing a holiday location, but still a must see in anyone’s lifetime. Here is a link to Yahoo Finance for up to date currency quotes. After playing a central role in the international community for hundreds of years, London’s culture is hard to describe. As you walk around the city, you might pass a traditional English pub only to find yourself passing by a group of women wearing full Burqas leaving an Indian Market. This diverse cultural mix forms the distinctiveness of London, a city that has no more singular cultural identity than Americans do. It is said that London has more Indian restaurants than Bombay; this stands testament to all that London has to offer outside of fish and chips.

Getting there

AIRLINES

Getting to London from the States is a bit tricky; airline prices are pretty steep year round. If you are lucky enough to live on the East Coast, or a major airline hub like New York, you may have a better chance at finding a cheaper flight. One option I know can be very cost efficient is flying into Dublin instead of directly to London. Timing is everything and it really depends on what time of year you are doing you're traveling, but it is worth looking into when you're searching for flights. The Traveler’s Toolkit – London site has a great page on discount airlines running out of London.

UPON ARRIVAL & SIGHTSEEING

Once in London, you might feel overwhelmed by everything going on around you. London has so much to see and do that you might not know where to begin. I suggest that you make a b-line for your hostel or hotel and get settled in ASAP, if you we’re lucky enough to arrive in the morning, London time, you can get a whole day of sightseeing in so you can hopefully never have to do it again. Open-top, ‘hop on/hop off’, tour buses are also a good way to kill the sightseeing fast, here is information on the tours.

 

Note: I’ve never really experienced jet lag in the horrific ways some people describe it, I find that staying up as long as possible to reset my internal clock is the best solution. This being said, I like arranging my flights to land in the morning of my destination city so I can get the inevitably mundane tourist traps out of the way first.

 

Weather

The weather is always stereotyped as a drearily cloudy mess, but the experiences I’ve had paint a bit brighter picture. It does tend to rain, but nothing unbearable. Remember to wear layers around when you're exploring the city so you are prepared for any changes. I carry my pack around with a fleece or light raincoat just to be prepared, which is a good idea in any city you visit. There are definitely some things about the city you will find to make you forget all about the weather if it does turn sour, and what the hell, it’ll make for a good story later. One note, I have been told by my friend Zara, an Aussie living in London, that during the Winter it begins to get dark in the early afternoon, 4pm to be exact. Here is a link to check out the local weather for a heads up.

 

Getting around

CABS

I’m big on trying to see the city as the locals do, so using the tube and busses with a lot of walking in-between is just up my alley. Also, since I write for those young at heart, y'all might appreciate not having to pay a cabby to get you around, it gets expensive fast. If you do think you’ll be using cabs a lot, here is a link to a site that can help you understand their system a bit before you get over there. Also, offtolondon.com and londontoolkit.com are great sites with a lot of information on transportation, including nice breakdowns of the transportation system. Though I don’t believe in using cabs all that much, it is a nice experience to say you have ridden in a classic London black cab, and much cheaper than riding the Eye of London.

UNDERGROUND/TUBE/METRO

The London Underground is unbelievable; everything in the city is easily accessible through any tube station. For a nice pocket map, don’t purchase some book at Borders for $35 with “Maps included”, they’re included cause they’re free everywhere else. This is just as idiotic as buying bottled water, or eating at McDonalds while anywhere abroad (hint). If you choose, there are some nice street map books for £5 from newsstands or drug stores called London A-Z. You can get small ones that are easy to carry around in your bag. Here is a great map that lays out all the sights in London and gives you some great information. I just saved you $35 and having to carry around a 4” thick book, you’re welcome. If you don’t print out the linked map, just stop into the ticket purchasing area at the entrance to any tube station and pick up a free map located near the tellers, grab a bus line map while you’re at it. Orienting yourself to the map only takes a couple minutes, but once you’ve ridden the tube once or twice to get your general bearings down and be a pro in no time.

Just as I said before, London is expensive, so even though the tube is the cheapest means of getting around, its all relative. Depending on how hard up you are, you can stand outside the exit and see if you can coax a tube pass from someone on their way out.

TICKETS

Tickets are normally good for an allotted time period, and once the machine stamps them, you have a window of time to travel within your zone. You shouldn’t need more than a Zone 1 pass to see the city, at the most a Zone 2. I’ve been all around the city and never needed anything more than a Zone 1. If you do want to see something outside of Zone 1: make sure it’s worth the step up in ticket price, risk riding the line outside of your zone, or walk it out.

OYSTER CARD

Alternately, if you were going to be in London for a bit of time, the Oyster Card would be a good thing to look into. It may not be worth loading the card with credits, only to be leaving the next day, it’d kind of like having a gift card that expires and you lose the money to big brother. The great thing about the Oyster Card is that it gives you discounted fairs compared to paying cash for single fairs, and you don’t have to look like a hobo asking for old tickets outside the tube station, though it does make for a good story later.

Note: Zara sent me this helpful tip: it’s good idea to put a weekly zone 1 & 2 on it - £23.20 and this allows you unlimited tube, bus and overground train rides. It works out cheaper, depending on your usage, otherwise each single bus trip costs £2.

 

Where to go

Now that you have the means of seeing the city, just get out there and start wandering. I’ll tell you this right now, you will not see everything, it’s impossible, so pick out the major sights you want to see and hit those first.

LONDON EYE

Don’t lose any sleep over not seeing something lame like the Eye of London. It looks just the same up close as it does from across the river, and unless you want to stand in line behind every idiot with a camera and a group of little kids, I’d take a picture and move on. Save your money for a couple of pints later on at night. Quick tip though, they have free clean public restrooms and water fountains in the museum located at the base of the glorified Ferris wheel. Actually, in hindsight I’m not sure if they are “public” per say, but walk in like your supposed to be there and nobody will say anything to you.

FOOTBRIDGE

Since you will be walking around a lot, try and make your way across the London Millennium Footbridge. This is an architectural masterpiece that is free for everyone. You can get some great views of the city skyline from the bridge, and you’ll always remember walking across it and being able to tell people you were there.

BUCKINGHAM PALACE

As you're moving around to the different sights, try and make it over the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. It’s a great change from seeing statues and buildings but be careful, there are tons of tourists, which mean tons of pickpockets. Just keep an eye on your stuff and you’ll be fine.

Note: If you're from Texas, or wish you were, when the guards march back to Wellington Barracks, follow them back up Marlborough Rd. Spend a moment or two to watch the guards forming ranks and disbursing, then continue up the road to the intersection of Marlborough and Pall Mall. As you come to the intersection, continue walking straight and veer left up Saint James St. Within one block from the intersection, there is an alleyway on the right hand side of the street. It’s a very narrow alley and you might miss it the first time by. When you do find it, just inside on the right hand side there is a plaque for the original Embassy of The Republic of Texas.

LOCAL MARKETS

Another great alternative to the overcrowded tourist hotspots are the local markets, and wandering doesn’t cost a thing. Local markets are a great way to get an authentic cultural experience in any city. Zara highly recommends the following markets:

·      Camden – kind of a “hippy” market, very London.

·      Portobello Rd – famous London market

·      Borough – located near London Bridge, Zara describes this as “one of the coolest markets ever!”

ARSENAL FC

If you have the opportunity, the money, and are lucky enough to get tickets, try and make it to an Arsenal FC game. This world renown team is a tube ride away while in London. Having the opportunity to see a soccer game anywhere in Europe is one of the greatest experiences you could possibly have. I normally would not suggest spending a lot of money on any attraction while traveling abroad, but this is an exception. If things work out, this is an opportunity of a lifetime, and one that should not be squandered. Here is a link to the directions published on the Arsenal FC official website, you can also find the season schedules and ticket information.

 

Shopping

I’m not big on shopping, stickers are the only souvenirs I buy, but Zara accused me of doing the “boy thing” and leaving it out so I added this section for her. She notes, “Any visit to London should include a quick shopping trip to Oxford Street!” This is a famous shopping strip between Marble Arch and Bond Street tube stations. Check out the website linked above for heaps of great information on stores, events, and directions. More importantly, Zara noted that located just off the main street you can find some great bars, pubs, and restaurants in the little alleyways. This way you can spend the day looking at stuff you can’t afford, then drown your sorrows in a pint.

 

Eating

With all this walking and sightseeing, you're undoubtedly going to want to eat somewhere, and if you dare go traveling anywhere in the world and eat McDonalds, you deserve to have your tongue cut out so you cant spread your blasphemy to anyone else. At the very least while in London you must have fish and chips in a pub with a pint, you get a great story, a full belly, and a beer, what else could you ask for.

PRICES

Most places will have prices written on chalkboards or a clearly posted menu in the window. Staying off the main streets is a good rule of thumb, though there are some exceptions. Just make sure to look around a little bit to find a good place at a reasonable price. You shouldn’t pay more than 6£ for your meal. Use this base price to gauge the prices at restaurants and pubs around London, they are all more than likely to have fish and chips.

ORDERING & SUGGESTIONS

For travelers, the ordering process may be a bit strange. You have to order at the bar in most pubs I’ve been to, so don’t sit there like a fool waiting on a server like I did. Also, try and make it to an Indian restaurant while in London. As I said earlier, they are everywhere, and London is rumored to have some amazing Indian food.

Note: Zara once again suggests a famous street in NE London, Brick Lane. Here you will find “heaps of really cheap but great Indian places.”

If you're in a bind, some local websites like allinlondon.co.uk, or plain ol’ asking other people, will help you find a good place. The AllinLondon website lets you find restaurants by name region or tube station which is very helpful in such a large city.

 

Nightlife

Choosing where to go out in London is a daunting task. Each time I go through London and am fortunate enough to have a night out, I usually end up at the closest neighborhood pub. They aren’t hard to find, and a beer is a beer. On the other hand, I really like clubs and have not had the opportunity to visit many while in London. I can best relate it to trying to choose where to go out while in Vegas, there is a lot to choose from and it can be a bit overwhelming at times. It is for this reason that I strongly suggest either making some friends preemptively, upon arrival, or at a pub. Notice how pubs always seem to make it back into my conversations. Unless you have a specific place in mind, you can brows these sights for some ideas 1 2 3, I would ask the locals for what’s around. There is no way, unless you’re moving over for a while, that you’ll be able to take in the whole nightlife. This mean you need to narrow down your choices, and there is nothing better to do than talk to the locals. My personal favorite is to ask bartenders for suggestions, if there is anything I have learned from being a bartender is that they always know where a good party is.

 

London is an amazing city and is defiantly a main point of interest for any trip through Europe. The amounts of history, uninhibited cultural influences, and the unique blend of experiences that these combine to create, make London the astonishing city it is. Try and spend at least three days in and around the city, and I suggest you only use one at the most to see the run of the mill touristy side of the city. Spend an afternoon eating with some friends or reading a book in Hyde Park, ride the tube to some random part of London and get lost for a while, visit some random cultural section of the city, or sleep in after spending all night out with friends and new acquaintances. Whatever you decide, just get out and do it. London is an experience, and holidays like this should not be taken for granted.

 A special thanks to Zara for her help with this article. I couldn't have done it without her Aussie touch.

 

 

 

 

Austin, TX

Population: 657,000 (City only)

 

Predominant Languages: English, Spanish

 

Demographics:

            30% Hispanic, 10% Black, 45% White

51% Men, 49% Women

            15 – 19            7%

            20 – 24          13%

            25 – 34           21%

 

Newspaper: Austin American-Statesman

 

Culture:

If you’re young, like to party, or have a wild artistic personality, Austin is for you. If you’re a techy, an up-and-coming businessman, honors student, or love the outdoors, Austin for you. How is this possible? Austin has something for everyone, and once you’re here, you may not want to leave. There is more to see and do here than you could possibly fit into a day, and just when you think you ‘know” Austin, you’ll hear about somewhere new. It’s impossible to describe just how diverse Austin is. Any new culture or trend is immediately assimilated into the city’s character. The weirder and more far-fetched it is, the more popular it becomes.

Austin grew into its current popularity in the later 60’s during the time of the protests against the Vietnam War. Austin was at the forefront of protests against the US involvement in the war, fueled by the campus of University of Texas. It was for this reason that the hippy movement came to and settled into Austin and the surrounding countryside.

Nowadays, Austin is the equivalent of silicone valley for the central United States, being home to the Dell Headquarters. There are tons of computer-based jobs in and around the city. This is not to say that it has lost any hippy flair. Instead, the hippy culture has assimilated into the business environment and created a unique atmosphere that can only be experienced. This is most evident in South Austin, which is considered the main artistic and musical portion of the city. North Austin has grown into a dose of mainstream reality, having most of the local shopping centers and chain businesses. South Austin promotes local business and unique products instead of big business, mass production, stores. Think of south Austin as boutique shopping, while North is more Wal-Mart.  Don’t believe me? Just stop by local head shop The Gas Pipe and get acquainted with the under-culture of South Austin. 

With the campus of University of Texas splashed all over downtown, St. Edwards university just south of downtown, and Texas State University just down the road, there is always an abundance of youth in the city, and as I will detail later, that has very beneficial effects on the nightlife and culinary scene in Austin.

 

Getting There:

Located just north of San Antonio, Austin is near the center of the “Texas-Triangle” that is Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. So getting there depends on you time and budget constraints. If you’re living outside Texas, don’t fool yourself, pay for the airplane ticket, it’s a big state and you don’t want to drive through North or especially West Texas. . Here are the drive times from some cities around Texas.

            San Antonio – 1hr

            Houston – 2.75hrs

            Dallas – 3hrs

           

Air -

      Southwest Airlines is always a good bet for airline deals in the Southern United States but a recent addition to the Austin airport is JetBlue Airlines, so make sure to check them both out.

 

Car -

      Renting a car to travel around Texas isn’t a bad idea. Driving around isn’t like in the Chainsaw Massacre at all. Most small town people are very friendly and will help you out when you’re in a jam. Once in Austin you might still need the car to get back and forth to the different hotspots located in the Hillcountry and inner city. It totally depends on the type of experience you want to get from your trip. A drive through the unpopulated Texas backcountry really gives you that old-school feeling of what most people think of when they hear Texas. On the other had, once you’re in Austin for one night you’ll forget everything you thought you knew. Hertz

 

Bus -

      If you’re short on cash, this is the best way to get around Texas. It isn’t really a joke when people say that everything is bigger in Texas. As long as you’re down for hanging out with strangers in close proximity for a couple hours, you’ll be fine, and end up with a little more cash on hand for your nights out. Greyhound

 

Train -

      I would only suggest this if a nuclear explosion hit the greyhound bus-yard and all flights were grounded due to global warming. Texas isn’t exactly at the forefront of public transportation. Amtrak is the only major carrier that can get you around by train, but for the sake of time and your sanity, spend a little extra money and take a bus or better yet fly.

           

Getting Around:

            Downtown Austin has a great shuttle system, and everything is so close that you can probably walk wherever you’re going downtown. Outside of that, the metro buses to get out an about to the various locations of interest around the city are a little lacking; I would rent a scooter or small car.

Depending on when you’re going, Austin Metro has plans for a light rail system that will help get you around, but this system isn’t up and running yet. Check their site for updates.

 

Weather:

            Austin has one of the more mild climates in Texas. Though it does still get hot in the summer, and chilly in the winter, the amount of humidity is a lot less than San Antonio or Houston. The summers are just as warm as anywhere else in Texas. You can expect mid to upper 90s, occasionally some low 100s. The winter months are very short, November to January, and even during this time you’ll have days where it’s freezing in the morning and warm by mid-day.

 

Where to go:

Parks and Outdoor Recreation

Austin is the capital of Texas, but there is a lot more to see while visiting the city than just the capital building, and the good thing is it won’t all cost you money. Austin is home to tons of outdoor activities, parks, hiking trails, and beautiful scenery. The City of Austin Homepage has a full listing of all the outdoor and municipal activities available to the public.

 

Town Lake

I would strongly suggest that if you are visiting Austin during the warmer months, you rent a kayak and wander around Town Lake. Here is a place I like to use, pretty good prices. At the very least, you should take time to make one lap around the Town Lake trail.

 

Alamo Drafthouse

Another experience you might enjoy while in Austin is at The Alamo Drafthouse. Here you can watch a movie while eating dinner or having some drinks with friends. The Drafthouse regularly plays foreign films and will publicize different theme nights, like free pizza for the screening of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

 

South Congress

If you want to wander around, South Congress has some great shops and stands during the weekends. They are all located south of the river, so if you’re staying downtown, you may have to do a little walking. Once you get there, it will be worth it. The local shops are just as outlandish and diverse as some of the restaurants you’ll find. If you happened to see Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof, this is the stretch of Austin highlighted in the opening scene of the movie, you’ll also find the infamous Guero’s taco bar here.

 

Nightlife:

For me to tell you exactly where to go in Austin would be very naive. Instead, I’ll suggest some times and areas when you can explore on your own to find a good time. The Austin nightlife scene is huge, way more than could be described in one entry in this blog.

 

4^th - 6^th Street

If you haven’t heard of 6^th street, it’s arguably the best stretch of partying and nightlife you can find in Texas. The general layout of downtown is a grid with the streets going North and South having names of famous landmarks in Texas, Politicians, Historical figures, you get the point. Alternately, streets running East/West are numbered lowest to highest starting with the Southern most street, 1^st Street. This will help you find your way around once downtown.

Clubs are classified into two sections, East and West 6^th. 18 and up clubs, as well as some new entrants to the nightlife scene, such as club Pure, are down on the East side of 6^th. As you move further West on 6^th, the clubs begin having an older crowd. At the furthest Western side of 6^th is Union Park, a really nice bar with a rooftop lounge.

While downtown, don’t be surprised if you run into Leslie, either read the linked article to clue yourself in or wait and ask people downtown for a surprise.

In recent years, clubs, bars, and restaurants have been moving into the warehouse district, located just south of the 6^th street party scene on 4^th and 5^th streets. While 5^th street has been branded as home to the Gay and Lesbian scene, there are other clubs and bars for the straight crowd.

4^th Street has some of my favorite places to go. Expect to spend a little more money here, as the venues are a bit more chic. Again, a little pre-partying goes a long way as far as your wallet is concerned.

Here is a link to a local site that will give you a little more detailed information on where to go while you on 6^th.

Remember that as much as you plan on where to go, you won’t really know until you get down there. Austin has such a huge nightlife that it would be silly to think you could know exactly where the night will take you. Just get down there and let the night take you where it will, you’ll have a good time no matter where you are on the strip, and if not, go next door.

 

ACL

Here is one of the big attractions that Austin has to offer. This is one of the few events I would suggest making an actual trip out of. Austin City Limits is a three-day music festival that highlights some local bands, but has some really good talent from around the nation. Previous headliners have been Tom Petty, John Mayer, and Common, to name a few. The city gets packed around this time with college students from around Texas and surrounding states making the trip down specifically for the festival, so make travel arrangements early. Tickets might be a problem, they can be found cheapest straight from the Austin City Limits official website. If you miss out on the online tickets, one slightly risky alternative would be purchasing tickets at the gates from scalpers. Scalpers will be all over the place when you walk up to Zilker Park, and sometimes you can find decent deals on tickets, but be careful, you never know what you might be buying.

I would strongly suggest getting a bunch of friends together and make this a weekend long party, but if not don’t worry, meeting people at the festival isn’t very hard. The entire city is one huge party for the entire weekend ACL is going on, so rest up before you go down.

 

SXSW

South by Southwest (SXSW) is another festival Austin is famous for. Unlike ACL, SXSW features musical acts from around the globe, trade shows, highlighted discussions, and film presentations. This festival engulf the entire city in what some locals say is a revival of the, taking Austin back to its hippy beginnings.

Unlike ACL, SXSW is not centered in one specific area, and to try and list the bands that play in Austin during the festival would be exhausting. Just know that this is a great time to visit Austin and once you’re there, pick up some local music guides from any neighborhood music store or bar to find some great places with live music to check out.

 

Eating:

Austin has some great food, and the restaurants décor is just as diverse as their menus. There is everything from traditional Mexican to Vietnamese, if you can think of it, chances are there is a restaurant that specializes in it. Here are some of my favorites that you may want to try.

 

Chuy’s – Great Tex-Mex restaurant with some modern spins on traditional Mexican dishes. The owners of Chuy’s also have some other concept restaurants around Austin that are worth checking out. The price isn’t too bad, reasonable for the atmosphere. Defiantly try some margaritas while you’re here.

 

Dirty Martin’s – Arguably the best cheeseburger in TX, Dirty Martin’s has some good ol’ fashioned Burger and fries combination that will easily make you heart clog a bit, stomach expand, and it wont be long before you take a nap in true Texas fashion. A great meal after a long night.

 

Austin Java – One of my favorite places to hang out with friends after a late night. Austin Java serves breakfast all day, their migas plate and a cup of coffee will run about $10. Austin Java also has free WiFi, which comes in handy when you’re trying to write blog entries but you’ve got a pestering headache.

 

Although these are some great restaurants that you probably wont find to far outside of Austin, there are even more that I have never tried. I would strongly suggest making your own way around the city and pop in somewhere that looks interesting.

As far as a price determinant goes, one good local menu item to use when determining the overall price of the restaurant would probably be a margarita. Any price over $5-6 is way to high, unless its top shelf or bigger than the average bear. It’s hard to pick one specific item that will be on most menus, but a margarita is a Texas favorite that should be just about everywhere.

 

Austin is a great city with tons to do and if you have the chance to visit, I strongly suggest you take it. There is way more to do in the city than what I have outlined, but the only way to experience this city is to walk around and get lost. Austin is truly a unique city, with one of a kind shops, restaurants, and character all its own. Try and make your experience here just as unique as the city. Walk around as much as possible and take in the distinctive vibe of the city, you won’t regret it. 

San Antonio, TX

Population: 1.4M

Predominant Languages: English, Spanish

Demographics:          

60% Hispanic, 31% White

 48% Men, 52% Women

15 – 19 (8%)

20 – 24 (8%)

  25 – 34 (16%)

35 – 44 (15%)

Newspaper:       

• San Antonio Express News- Main local paper. $ .50 during the week and Saturday, $1 Sunday
  
• San Antonio Current- Great current events guide. Free at most restaurants and cafés
  

Culture:

San Antonio is a very friendly city known for having great hospitality no matter where you are. There is a definite Hispanic influence throughout the city and it affects more than just the food. Hispanic and Texan culture has deep roots in maintaining a relaxed atmosphere and dishing out hospitality like candy. This being said, don’t be afraid to ask anyone for help whenever you need it, and definitely talk to strangers at all times.

As is the case in most places, a nice smile and a sense of humor are the best keys for information and suggestions from anyone you meet. I’ve always believed that you cannot get to know a city or its people by following the crowd. To experience San Antonio and its people, you need to let go of any inhibitions you may have and just start talking, any conversation started about the dominance of the Spurs is sure to gain you a friend or two.

Getting there:
Air - 

                   San Antonio is a hub for Southwest Airlines, who have great prices.

Car –

Driving anywhere in Texas is going to take a while, so if you do choose to load up the car, make sure your iPod has enough juice for the journey. Here are some locations around Texas you can use as anchors to estimate your trip time depending on what direction your coming from. Hertz

Dallas – 4.5 Hrs

Houston – 3 Hrs

El Paso – 7.5 Hrs

Brownsville – 4.5 Hrs

Bus –

Probably your best bet if your on a budget and don’t want to spend hours of travel time. Fares from Dallas ranged from $30-$70 depending on student or military discounts, and advance purchase options (cheapest is the 14-day advanced purchase option). GreyHound

Train –

Amtrak is really nice, if you live on the East Coast. In Texas, it is much easier to fly than to take some indirect route into San Antonio, a quick quote on Amtrak’s homepage showed the train ride, one-way, from Dallas to be $35-$45 and lasting 10.5 Hrs. The Amtrak station is located in downtown San Antonio.

Getting Around:

To get a feel for San Antonio, you’re going to need to venture outside of downtown. San Antonio is a VERY spread out city and there is no one specific area for anything, except tourist traps, that’s downtown. VIA is the main public transportation carrier for the city, and just so you know, taxis get pretty expensive when you venture outside of downtown. VIA is cheap and good for trips in and around the downtown area, but if you have the money, I would suggest renting a small car if you want to get around at your convenience.

Weather:

San Antonio is notoriously warm throughout most of the year. If you do happen to come during the winter months (Nov-Jan), nothing more than a light coat is really needed. Artic winter days, relatively speaking, happen so rarely that the city makes little preparation for them. This being said, if it does get to the point that a freeze or even more unlikely a snow comes through, the entire city shuts down anyways, so you won’t be venturing out too far. If you come during the summer, make sure you have a lot of light clothes. San Antonio has a massive amount of humidity at all times, so hot and sticky is the norm during the summer.

Where to go:

I’m not going to tell you about going to the Alamo (which by the way, isn’t the real one, which was destroyed. Did you think they preemptively built a gift shop and display area in the original?) or strolling down the Riverwalk, if you want to follow the same tourist trap route through San Antonio that most do, be my guest. If instead you feel like making the most of your time here by exploring the city and its hospitality, cultural differences, and relaxed atmosphere, instilled by the overwhelming Hispanic population, here are a few suggestions.

• Try and make it down around late April during Fiesta, think of a notched down Marti Gras, it gets the job done. This is a weeklong celebration all over San Antonio that invokes the entire city in constant party atmosphere. If you do choose to go to some of the events around the city, the very publicized NIOSA is a great place to people watch, but be careful, this event gets crowded in a hurry and the food and drinks are expensive. I suggest a pre-party with some friends to get the night started without taking a hit to your wallet. 

• With food and drinks at a little more reasonable prices than the events held downtown,Oyster Bake on the campus of St. Mary’s Univ. provides all the same fiesta experiences, great live local bands, and an elaborate carnival, all located throughout the campus. Parking is a problem, so instead of driving down to the campus, use VIA’s park-and-ride system. VIA has multiple pick-up locations around the city where you can ride a direct route to and from the events. Each pick-up location has different busses going to various events across the city, just check the schedules provided.

• Southtown is a recent development in San Antonio. Located just outside of Downtown, it is quickly becoming the trendy art center for the city. This area is also overlapping into the King Williams District which has tons of older houses and gives its surrounding area a definite historical feel. There are enough restaurants, bars, salsa clubs, and artists lofts, to fill en entire night of wandering. Being that its located near downtown, and it is currently being intensely developed, the prices are slightly high to subsidize the atmosphere, but still not too bad.

• A good way of experiencing not only San Antonio but Texan culture is a Friday night football game. You can expect to not pay more than $8 admission to any big game around the city. Some of the more notable games will be highlighted early on in the week in the SA Express News, San Antonio’s local paper. Look for any 4 – 5 A football game and you’ll be in for a decent game, most of the teams in San Antonio are pretty decent to watch.

Nightlife:

If you’re looking at going out clubbing in San Antonio, don’t get your hopes to high. There are some really good dance clubs in San Antonio, but they are far and few between, here are some of the notable ones with links to their web sites:

• Club Rio – Mostly hip/hop, hosts some great events, DJs, and concerts.
  
• Bliss Ultra Lounge – R&B, Hip-hop, good House music scene on Sat nights (small cover)
  
• Bonham Exchange – Gay club, but is known around the city as having a great dance scene.
  
• Posh Ultra Lounge– DJ, Top Hits, Dance.
  

San Antonio has a better bar scene than anything else. The real problem with trying to go out and bar-hop is that most bars are spread out across the city. For those of you used to walking from bar to bar, you may not like this too much. Below are some good bars worth checking out with some other clusters of late night destinations, and follow this link for more ideas:

• Blue Star Brewery – Near downtown in the King Williams district, a nice area with some small trendy places scattered around it. Located in the artists section of the city, you’ll find some great, but pricey, pieces.
  
• Rebar – Nice place with some live music. There are 4 other really nice places to go, all right around each other. You can spend your night moving in-between them for a nice mix of music and a change in scenery.
  

Eating:

I’ve always found there is normally some basic type of food that I can use to gauge the price of any restaurant. This tactic has served me well around the world. If you go to San Antonio, you have to eat Mexican food, it’s not really a choice. There are Mexican restaurants everywhere in San Antonio. Go in any direction around town, pick any place that says “Jalisco” after it or has the tackiest paint job you have ever seen, life-size religious murals are a plus, and you’ll be in for a good meal. Usually the more of a hole in the wall the restaurant is, the better the food they serve, this methodology goes likewise for the greasiness. One more thing, please do not eat from any fast food restaurant while in San Antonio. If you look around you can get bigger portions, better food, and most of the time at a cheaper price. 

I like to use the price of a puffy taco plate as a benchmark to make my judgment. Any self-respecting Mexican restaurant will have this plate, and it shouldn’t cost more than $8 or your getting ripped off. Breakfast tacos are another good measure for any restaurant around town, a good potato and egg taco shouldn’t cost more than $1.

San Antonio isn't Las Vegas by any means, but the common myth of it having no nightlife is a huge mistake. San Antonio is a great place to visit for a relaxing time, think having a few beers with good friends instead of dancing till 6AM. San Antonio is a friendly city with great food and a relaxed nightlife.

You might get to San Antonio and never go to any of the places i've mentioned above, ad truthfully I hope you don't. I hope you go out and find your own way around the city, your own favorite restaurants, and make some new friends in the process. This article is only meant to facilitate your trip and give you some general ideas from which to build on with your own personal flavor.