Ode to San Antonio

by Trish Milburn

I’ve decided one of my favorite cities is San Antonio, Texas. In fact, I’m in the land of the Alamo as I write this. It’s one of those places I like to return to again and again and think I’d like to live at some point. So, I thought today I’d give you a list of the top eight reasons why I like San Antonio, then invite you all to share the name of a favorite town or city and some of the reasons it draws you back again and again. You never know, you might convince one or more of the traveling Banditas to visit it too.

8. It’s warm. Sure, it’s really hot in the summer, but it’s so nice here during times of the year when I’m bundled in layers of fleece at home.

7. Live oaks. I’d love to have some of these gnarly, cool trees in my yard.

6. Taco Cabana. I like Taco Bell fine, but Taco Cabana is several steps above for Mexican fast food.

5. History. The Alamo and the Mission Trail allow you to visit several old Spanish missionsl. It’s an aspect of American history that I wasn’t exposed to a lot, and I find it fascinating. That's the archway to San Jose Mission (circa 1720) to the right.

4. Day trips. There are lots of fun places to go on day trips from San Antonio. I’ve been through parts of the lovely Texas Hill Country before. Yesterday, I got to visit cute, historic and artsy Gruene (pronounced Green), home to The Gristmill River Restaurant, housed in an 1870s cotton gin on the Guadalupe River, and Gruene Hall, the oldest dance hall in Texas. Gruene claims it's been "gently resisting change since 1872," and the town is on the National Register of Historic Places.

3. Biscuits and gravy at the Guenther House. Oh. My. God. These are the best biscuits I’ve ever put in my mouth, and I have to go there for breakfast every time I’m in San Antonio.

2. The Riverwalk. This is what makes the city’s downtown so unique. Visiting the shops and eating in a restaurant overlooking the Riverwalk are musts for any first-timers (or returning visitors) to San Antonio.

1. Visiting my friend Mary. Tonight, she and I had a joint book signing at a local Barnes & Noble, a fun event at which we both sold several books. Yay! Our roads to publication have been so similar, we are so similar. It seemed only fitting that we would have a signing together since both of our debuts have firefighter characters and were released the same week.

So now it's your turn. What is one of your favorite towns or cities? Why do you like it so much? Do you revisit favorite restaurants, sites, etc., each time you visit, or do you try to explore new aspects of the locale? Or a mixture of both? Go ahead, convince me and the other Banditas that it's one of the best places in the world to visit.

Happy travels!