City Profile: San Antonio

One hell of a place to watch the sunset
Location: Outside The Hotel Contessa

This is the place that made me fall in love with Texas. The second biggest city in the state and the seventh most populated city in the entire country, San Antonio is my favourite city in the Lone Star State. Have 48 hours in this amazing city? No problem, here's how to see this incredible city by the river.

The Riverwalk

Not to be missed.
Seriously, it runs through the heart of the city, you cannot miss it.

When visiting San Antonio, you cannot miss the River Walk.  This is the most popular attraction in the city and it is understandable why as once you get by the river to see the various activities and Latino culture infused with the American South. A must is jumping on one of the riverboat tours where the tour guides drive you down the river explaining the amazing history ranging from Native Americans, Spanish missionaries in the 1700s to Robert H.H. Hugman developing the plans for the River Walk which then led to the construction of a 21-block section from the Nueva region to Lexington finished just in time for the 1941 March Fiesta.

Tickets available here.

There are amazing restaurants, bars and vendors all by the river with incredible food and drink. On the first night in San Antonio, I had the most incredible steak I've ever eaten at the Little Rhein Steak House, and yes it is pretty expensive. This dinner was for my parents' wedding anniversary so they were willing to spend some more money on a celebratory dinner, so if you are celebrating a special event or feel like having some amazing food, I cannot recommend this steak house enough (recommend the Filet Mignon with a Baked Potato). The view on the river is amazing and there is always Latino-Spanish guitar music playing creating a beautiful atmosphere. 

In the evening if you want somewhere to party and listen to live music, Mad Dogs British Pub is located by the Hyatt Regency with great live music, a very homely vibe particularly as a Brit abroad with the décor reminded me of an underground station mixed with a fancy Wetherspoons (and plenty of Royal Air Force memorabilia!). The food here, to me, is home: fish with actual chips - not fries - bangers and mash, Shepherd's pie, and all the food you'd expect at your local. In addition to this, there is live music from some extremely talented musicians playing some absolute tunes, mainly classic rock. 

The Alamo

The Church where the Texans stood their ground against Santa Anna and his troops

My mum is a huge fan of the 1960 Western film The Alamo with John Wayne, Richard Widmark and Laurence Harvey, and to be honest... I had never heard of the Alamo.

The first time I had ever heard about this historical battle was through the now-cancelled NBC show Timeless (side note: how can Timeless be cancelled twice?! BRING IT BACK!) wherein the first series, the three protagonists travel back in order to attempt to change the course of the battle saving the 200 Texans who were slaughtered during the Battle of the Alamo. Located in the middle of San Antonio is the site of that historic battle which is now an excellent museum and stunning memorial which is desired to immortalise those who fought and died with the church becoming an untouched shrine for the souls of the soldiers. In the front of the church is the 'Campo Santo' which initially served as a cemetery during the missionary years, whereas the Army years saw this section enclosed with an added cedar palisade which stretched from the south-west corner of the church to the south wall of the compound. Today, it is a courtyard which flows into the regular streets of the city. One of the main things I love about San Antonio is the combination of historical sites and style with more modern design.

This is such an integral part of Texas's history and to quote the soldiers: "Remember the Alamo!"

La Villita 

Photograph: The San Antonio Riverwalk

One of the best things about the Riverwalk is that you can stumble across a show or a place to eat, there is always a way to get involved. After having dinner on the first night at the Little Rhein, the view looked on to the Arneson Outdoor River Theatre which is part of the La Villita area of the river. Around this area, the architecture clearly reflects the original missionaries that came to San Antonio infused with the traditional Latin village. It is a true reflection of culture within the State and if you can catch the show in the evening, you absolutely should!

Yes, I've been gone for ages! University is now done and I can now begin writing again :D there will be more travel tips coming, including product reviews and packing tips, and a couple of cosplay posts to jazz things up a bit. Thank you for sticking with my blog and there will be lots of new posts coming this summer.

- Katie

City Profile: Dallas

The infamous Texas School Depository

On to the next stop in the Lone Star State: Dallas. There's a lot of history surrounding this city, and definitely not all of it good. 48 hours in one of the USA's fastest growing cities? No problem, allow me to guide you.

City Profile: Houston and Galveston

Time for the first international city profiles! Currently I am travelling abroad in the US of A road tripping west from Texas to California and you will be able to read all about my upcoming escapades in the Wild West right here."Houston, we have a problem" because you've only got 48 hours? Not to worry, I've got you covered with all the best places to visit.

How to survive your first Comic Con

It's a scary world out there...
Photograph: East London News

MCM London is in just under two months (hooray!) which means every nerd in the country is going to be doing their last minute adjustments to perfect their cosplay, or - if you are like me - it's a mad rush to get it all done in time. This will be my first time attending a May convention, but I am slowly becoming a seasoned Con-goer with this being my eighth convention and fourth time to London, therefore this means I have also made many mistakes when attending. I wish then to pass on my pearls of wisdom to those who are thinking of attending or are going to their first convention on how to survive.

Who I Am

Cruising down the Mississippi River in New Orleans, Louisiana 

So... it looks like I'm doing this.