Impulse Cruising Again

We left San Angelo this morning and headed to San Antonio. Rolling green hills surrounded us most of the trip - farms, pastures, and trees. Very different than southern Texas we saw driving west!
We went right to the San Antonio Botanical Gardens since we were early for check-in at the hotel. Lunch at the restaurant there, Jardin, was delicious. Most of the items on the menu had a Mediterranean flair. I had edamame falafel in a pita and Bill had a lamb burger. Both were served with hummus and salad. Yum! After lunch we toured the gardens, including the greenhouses in the conservatory, which each had a theme like succulents, tropical, ferns, etc. All very nicely done, but a big disappointment for me was that very few of the plants were labeled, so the ones I didn't know I still don't know. I love going to botanical gardens because I learn so much but not today...
Leaving there we found our hotel and checked in. We parked the car in a lot nearby - hotel valet parking was $49!!
We rested a bit in our room and then walked the River Walk. So pretty and unique! We took the boat tour which does the loop and includes some history of the area. The River Walk itself is now over fifteen miles long. But our ride only did part of that. It is a neat way to vitalize a downtown area, and this was started in the early 1900's! It is always being improved and we saw some stonework projects underway.
We stopped for a beer and did some people-watching, and then walked to The Esquire Tavern, which opened 10 minutes after Prohibition ended. It is an old building with so much charm! We ordered two sandwiches and shared them - Brisket on Texas Toast and Pulled Pork on a Brioche Bun. Both were delicious.
After dark we walked along the river a bit to check out the lights - it was much more crowded than before. Bill was a bit uncomfortable with all of the people, so back to the hotel for bedtime!