18 Apr 2023 - Market Square

 

Today we headed off base and refueled the truck from our drive down from Arlington yesterday.  Then we drove to downtown San Antonio and visited the Market Square.  When our daughter Jennifer was stationed down here she used to enjoy shopping there.  Market Square, or "the Mexican Market", is an area composed of the Farmer's Market, El Mercado, Centro de Aries del Mercado and three mall areas along Produce Row and Concho Street known as Mariachi Plaza, Madero Plaza and Hidalgo Plaza.  It has been the site of a public market for more than 100 years.  It was renovated in 1976-1978.  Public markets have played a vital role in the culture and economy of San Antonio.

One thing that stands our to us is the vibrant colors throughout the market.  You can find glassware, clothing, jewelry, accessories, sombreros, leatherwork, and about anything you can think of.

  Jennifer wanted us to bring her back some vanilla for baking and we obliged!

 We wove our way in and out of the shops and by then they had packaged up our vanilla and the other items we bought.  I was considering some awesome looking horns for the hood of our big ol' brown truck, but Doreen was not so keen on the idea!  That would be awesome (Tommy Boy's voice)!

After shopping we made our way to nearby Mi Tierra restaurant and had an authentic Mexican lunch along with a Sol cerveza and a margarita, and then headed back to Fort Sam Houston.  Later in the evening back at our campground we visited Norma and Randy Myers at their Alliance rear kitchen model.  It is interesting to see other models and how people make them home.  

Tomorrow we will explore Fort Sam Houston and visit the commissary and exchange, and later we will reconnect with my Iraq war buddy Frank Leota and his friend Vanessa.  We have dinner reservations with them at Supper Restaurant in the Emma Hotel in the Pearl District.  Thursday Randy and Norma Myers plus our good friends Rob and Yvonne Boyer will have a cold beverage and an early dinner in the Pearl District.  The Boyers are both retired Air Force Chiefs!  We love reconnecting with our friends, relatives, Alliance FamAlly and military comrades!!