Randolph-Riverwalk & Alamo

The Riverwalk

The Riverwalk is a famous attraction in San Antonio and for good reason. It is full of bars, restaurants, beautiful hotels, stores, and a mall. There is always something to do there. Plus during Christmas time they hang thousands and thousands of lights and its beautiful. The Riverwalk is one of my favorite places in all of San Antonio.

Gelato
Majestic Theater

There is a gelato place inside the majestic theater on the right. It opens at 1pm and is family run. He makes all of his own gelato right on site. Plus they give military discounts. It is a little pricey but is worth every penny and is a frozen piece of heaven. When we went in the owner insisted that we try every flavor. We ended up choosing cookie dough which was good. However, He also had this raspberry flavor that was wonderful.


Other Riverwalk attractions include...
Hooters
Hard Rock Cafe
Joe's Crab Shack
Salt Grass Steak House
Sea Island
Starbucks
A million Tex mex restaurants
Coyote Ugly
Ice cream
Imax theater
Rivercenter mall
Boat Tours down the Riverwalk

The Alamo
Near the Riverwalk
(Park next to the Rivercenter Mall)

The concept of going to the Alamo is great. There is lots of history and its a great tourist spot that is free. However, I was not impressed. The people who run the Alamo are rude and mean. You are not allowed to take pictures, where a hat, or really talk above a whisper. If you do they get upset at you, and there are many "guards" standing watch. Also they consider it a shrine if that puts there strictness into perspective. The alamo itself is ok. It is only one building and there is very little to see inside. The gift shop/museum (yes they are the same) is full of fun Texas trinkets. There are also some fun Alamo artifacts that you can look at. There is also a beautiful courtyard with a stream and giant goldfish. I must say that the court yard is my favorite of the Alamo.

Parking.

The best place to park is near the Rivercenter mall. The best stuff on the riverwalk is near the mall, plus the Alamo is across the street. There are many little lots that range from $7-$12 for all day parking. Make sure to bring cash though. I haven't heard of a lot of crime down in that area but I wouldn't leave anything in the car just in case.

p.s. Lots of places down at the Riverwalk have military discounts. Don't forget to ask

Randolph-To Do List

When I came to San Antonio I began a list of all the things I wanted to do while here. Many of these are places I have heard are fun or have really good food.

1. River walk
2. Coyote Ugly
3. Seaworld
4. Six Flags Fiesta Texas
5. Lulu's Bakery and Cafe (918 N Main Ave)
6. Taco Cabana
7. Find a good sushi restaurant
8. Alamo
9. Ripleys Believe it or not
10. San Antonio Zoo
11. see the ocean
12. Eat and shop at Ikea Austin
13. Visit Houston
14. San antonio botanical gardens
15. Try tazzas
16. La Fiesta Patio and Cafe
17. Big Lou's 42'' Pizza

So far I have completed the Riverwalk, Taco Cabana, the Alamo, Ikea, Tazzas, La Fiesta Patio and Cafe, and Big Lou's

I am so excited to try some of the others. Like Lulu's Bakery, they have 3 lb cinnamon rolls!

Makes me laugh

Have you ever read Jenny Spouse? I think that she is hilarious. And it is so nice to know that I am not the only one going through this type of stuff. If you haven't read her click here.

Randolph-Las Palapas

Las Palapas
8151 Agora Pkwy
San Antonio, Tx 78154
(At the Forums Mall)

By now I am sure that you have seen 100 of these around San Antonio. It seems as though they are Everywhere! That is because it actually started in San Antonio in 1981. They are a local favorite and I am hoping that one day they will go national.
Anyways, Las Palapas is this awesome Tex Mex restaurant. The prices are really cheap. The concept throws me off alittle because it is a cross between sit down and fast food. I say this because you seat yourself but you have a waitress. You order to the waitress and she quickly delivers your food to your table but you pay up front. The system just surprised me.
As far as food goes it is delicious! The chicken tacos are our favorite and are only about $1.79! My husband eats a lot (He is a big guy) and he can only eat two of them.

Overall, Las Palapas is great and now I am craving a taco.

Adios!

Randolph-Freebirds

Freebirds World Burrito
8603 State Hwy 151
San Antonio, TX 78245
or
11224 Huebner Rd.
Suite 101
San Antonio, TX 78230

Ok, I know that this is far away but trust me when I say that you won't have experienced all the good things in Texas until you have been here. And I must confess that I am cheating on this post. My first encounter with Freebirds was at one of the Dallas locations. However, due to my love of it in Dallas I made the journey to one of the San Antonio locations and found it to be just as wonderful.

Freebirds is like the Subway of the taco world. There is a lot of options about what you can choose o put in your burrito. There are 4 different burrito sizes but unless you can eat an entire cow I would stick with the smallest two. I personally go with the 3 taco meal of $5.99 but there are also salads that I hear are wonderful. After you pick your size you tell your associate what you would like in your burrito. The options are numerous but my favorite is rice, refried beans, guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, mixed cheese and then 2 beef and one chicken taco. I also put bbq sauce on my burritos. Don't ask me why its good, it just is.
Other reasons to Love Freebirds...
-they grill there own meat right there
-nothing comes out of cans or bags, it's all fresh
-no msg
-you can be as healthy or as bad as you want

Plus, the environment in Freebirds is a blast. They always have Libby the lady liberty riding a motorcycle. The walls are painted with words of songs or sayings. The best thing though is the aluminum foil art. As soon as you walk in you will notice little aluminum foil sculptures all over the walls. If you want to create one yourself just grap some aluminum foil, create, and then set it on an empty place on the wall.

Overall, Freebirds is cheap, has great food, and is a fun enviroment.

Randolph-China Moon

China Moon
832 Pat Booker Rd
Universal City, TX 78148

I thought this would be a great restaurant to start with since it has quickly become a favorite. On the outside this little chinese restaurant looks like a hole in the wall. The colors are basic red and white and there is nothing special about the building. Their dining room is small but simple and elegantly decorated. On the kitchen door they display their health department grade of an A. I find it very important to eat at clean restaurants with good health code grades. It is not hard to get a B and I am incredibly hesitant to eat at anything less than a B because of it. The food is delicious. Each dinner meal is under $10 and comes with soup, rice, egg roll, entree, and choice of wontons, pork or other fried yumminess. Some of our favorites include the sesame chicken, low mein, and general chicken. The only thing there I was not impressed with was the mushroom beef. The meat tasted dry to me but there are so many other options to choose from. Plus their egg drop soup is some of the best I have ever tasted. Also, the staff is nice and friendly.

Overall, I love China Moon. I think that they do a great job.

Randolph

For the first time in my life I am at a loss for words. Normally people can not get me to stop talking, and here I am with no idea how to start.


My name is Amanda. I am an Air Force wife currently placed at Randolph AFB. Back in college I majored in restaurants and loved every bit of it. I am a fortunate one in that my husband's job keeps him home right now. This is a great comfort to me and it is a joy having him around. We have a crazy dog named Clark. He is a 1.5 year old blue heeler and is about the size of me when he stands up. Clark is a blast to have around and he keeps me well entertained. I enjoy photography, scrap booking and reading.

I have only been here a few weeks yet I have already seen so much of San Antonio, and there is still so much more to see. When my husband and I arrived here we made a goal to try every single restaurant near the base and in the Forums shopping center for these areas seem to be the excitement of the Randolph world. So here I am, starting my adventures of seeing, experiencing, and blogging about all that I find in San Antonio.