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SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – Saturday we drove down to Galveston Island to check out the beaches. Now all of us just take for granted the beautiful white sandy beaches we have at Gulf Shores and along the emerald coast, because thats all we know. Well at Galveston Island you would be shocked as to what passes as a beach. Lots of rocks, lots of seaweed washed up and a dead fish smell that takes a little while to get used to. There is some nice beaches, but they are privately owned and you have to pay to park and pay again to get to use the beach. But evidently folks in Texas don’t mind because the lots were full and beaches crowded. We rode all around the island and while there were lots of new beach houses, condos and motels, there were few buildings with any age on them. The hurricanes continually do urban renewal on Galveston.
The most interesting house we seen was the “Teapot House”, someone has taken a domed tank and flipped it up like a bowl and build a two story house out of it. Looks like it would float off when the high water was coming in during a storm. Check out the picture below of the house.
For lunch on Saturday, we decided to try out the Star Drugstore with it’s original 1927’s lunch counter and ice cream fountain. The building, we were told, was build in 1895, and the drugstore opened in 1904. Their claim to fame was being the oldest drug store in Texas. For lunch, I got the Blue Cheese burger and Debra got the club sandwich. Both were good and the portions appropriate for the prices charged. The star of the meal was the milk shakes we ordered for dessert. Debra got the Peanut Butter Vanilla shake and I ordered the Peanut Butter Chocolate Shake. Both had real peanut butter mixed into the homemade ice cream when they made the shake. They even leave the spoon in the shake that they used to scoop the peanut butter with. They were so good that I would have licked the inside of the glass if I could have.
For breakfast Sunday, we tried out Timmy Chan’s again after having supper there on Saturday evening. We had eaten from the Chinese menu which was surprisingly good. They also advertised an “All American” breakfast and as it turned out, wasn’t half bad. Debra got bacon and eggs while I went off the reservation and ordered Wings and Waffles. They gave me a large portion of wings and a huge waffle for $6.50. I’ve paid a whole lot more than that just for 10 wings. Timmy Chan’s was located right in front of the motel in an old Shonney’s location so it was convenient.
On Sunday afternoon, we went to check out a couple of woodworking stores, both Rockler and Woodcraft have stores in Houston. We enjoy going and just looking at all the great gizmos and gadgets they have. Purchased a few small items but passed on several larger items that we just didn’t have room for on our westward trip.
After we had visited the woodworking stores, we decided to do a late lunch, early dinner. We headed over to Goode BBQ’s original location on Kirby Road. You enter and get in line, select yourself a cold adult bottled beverage (they’re iced down in old horizontal drink coolers) or a soft drink from the fountain dispenser. Then you slide down the line and tell the guy what you want. We both opted for the sliced brisket plates with two sides. Debra got beans and slaw and I got the potato salad and slaw. Next on the line is your opportunity to load up on the sliced onion, jalapeño peppers and sliced pickles After that you can grab one of their great desserts, we snagged a couple of pieces of the pecan pie. Which reminds me, here in Texas it pronounced pacans, not pee-cans, because pee-cans is something you find on a submarine. The brisket was the best we’ve had since I quit smoking meats at C. Mor’s BBQ. I had forgotten how good real smoked brisket tasted. Guess when we get back I’ll have to pickup a brisket and fire the ole smoker up.
After a fun filled weekend in Houston, we rolled out Monday morning again heading west. It wasn’t a bad drive since San Antonio is only a little over four hours driving time from Houston. Of course, an hour of that drive time was just getting out of Houston.
After our ride to San Antonio, we got checked into the Comfort Inn & suites. A new hotel that is located close to downtown and the Riverwalk. We drove over to the Riverwalk area and parked in a parking garage, and they do love tourists according to the rates they charged, $9.00 for three hours. But it was worth it, being right across the street from an entry point to the Riverwalk.
Before we went down to the Riverwalk, which by the way is below street level, we decided to get lunch. Now I know you folks are thinking we’re eating our way across the US, but we’re always looking for interesting places to eat and tell you about.
Debra spotted Schilo’s (pronounced She-Lows) Delicatessen, a German Deli that has been around since 1917. Their website saids it is a San Antonio institution and I believe it. A truly unique place to eat. For lunch Debra ordered the Ruben and I got the burger on french bread. Both were excellent and the price was right. They even serve homemade root beer which I didn’t notice until after we had ate. I would have taste tested that if I had know about it.
After leaving Schilo’s we went down to the Riverwalk. There was an elevator that you can take, so we took advantage of it. I purchased a couple of tickets for the river tour boats and we boarded for the ride. The guide kept up a constant chatter about what and how the Riverwalk was constructed which was informative. The tour was well worth the $5.00 each senior ticket price.
We closed out the day by locating a delightful Thai restaurant about five miles north of downtown. Lucy, our GPS, took us right to the spot. The restaurant was named the Thai Dee. The food was exceptional good and we were well pleased to have found the location. I had read the reviews on Yelp and everyone gave it high marks. It was one of those places though if you were judging the place from it exterior, you would keep on riding. We’re glad we didn’t make that mistake. We ordered the Thai Dee Vegetables with chicken and the Pepper Steak. Both were some of the best Thai food we’ve eaten. Thai cuisine has a different flavor from Chinese cuisine. So, if you get the opportunity to eat authentic Thai food, don’t miss out on it.
Well, I’ll close out this edition and will be back soon with all of the things we’ve done during our last two days in San Antonio. Oh, and we do appreciate your comments, so if you’ve got any questions just leave them in the comments and we’ll answer you back. Also, please share this Quad-Cities Daily article with your friends on Facebook.
