Partying in San Antonio

The Riverwalk is my favorite thing in San Antonio. I've been on it countless times and I always seem to find something new to love about it. It's fun strolling on during the day, shopping in the stores and the malls, wandering around La Villita, people watching from a restaurant, and at night, there are some great bars and clubs down there!

Quick Tips:

You want to stay as close to the Riverwalk as possible. It's a very central location. And you'll have a nice, safe, interesting area to eat dinner in every night within walking distance of your hotel!

Best Way To Get Around:

If you're staying on the riverwalk, you can walk to a lot of things (the Alamo, etc), but for travelling elsewhere, having a car is nice!

It''s situated across the street from the Rivercenter mall (which is on the Riverwalk), making it a good location; HOWEVER, it''s right next to the freeway. The one time I stayed here was with 3 guys and 3 girls (two guys slept on the floor - college students do it cheaper!!), so we felt safe walking to and from the riverwalk late at night. I would not, however, stay here with a family or just girls. It''s not really a bad part of town or anything, it just seems a little shady.

At any rate, the room was pretty nice, what you would expect from a motel. Two doubles beds with cheap bedspreads, table and chairs. Nothing spectacular, but still clean and what we expected for $54/night.

I stayed here in November 2000, and I think they were almost brand new. I was VERY impressed! The room was gorgeous and we (sort of) had a view of the riverwalk (you had to press right up against the window and look down). I work for the government, so we got a discount rate of $80, which was a STEAL. Drury Inn is at the far end of the riverwalk, but it's a short walk to all the restaurants and bars.

As a frequenter of major cities on my travels, I am a big fan of the Hard Rock Cafes. Each one is unique and different, but you can always find the same good old American food! The one in San Antonio is no different. It's situated in what I consider the "heart" of the Riverwalk, so even if there is a wait, you have a great view outside of the Riverwalk and all the people. I've been there a few times, and I don't think I've ever waited longer than 20 minutes, even on a weekend. You also have the option of waiting at the bar, where they have a wide assortment of specialty drinks. A little pricey, but still good. You can also order them in a special "Hard Rock Cafe San Antonio" glass or shot glass, to take home as a souvineer. As all Hard Rocks, the decor consists of rock and roll memorabilia and they are always pumping out all kinds of music from Hard Rock to Disco. The menu consists of everything from loaded hamburgers to spring rolls to fettucine with blackened chicken. My friend's favorite thing there is a "black and white shake" which is vanilla and chocolate swirled together. The waiters are always very nice and fun, cracking jokes and providing excellent service. The convenient Riverwalk location always makes this Hard Rock a stop on almost all my SA trips!

The San Antonio Fat Tuesday's is definitely one of my favorites. The main entrance is on the street level next to the Riverwalk, but if you try to enter from the Riverwalk, they will direct you around. There is sometimes a line where they are checking id's (it's 21 and up), and then you pay your $5 (or maybe $3) cover, and get your beads (sometimes), and then head for the bar! Fat Tuesday's is known for their wide selection of different flavored Daquiri's served up in their signature plastic cups (different in every city!)... The daiquiris are everything from Pina Colado to High Octane 151 stuff. Most are fruity and colored, almost all are good. Some contain more alcohol than others (usually noted in the name), and some taste like milk shakes (White Russian... a personal favorite!). They also serve beer and have a limited bar. There is also a $2.50 shots shot girl roaming around. You can chill at one of the tables near the downstairs bar, where there is a dance floor and usually a cover band playing or outside where you can still hear the band, but it's a little quiter and you can look out at the Riverwalk. There is also an upstairs, with another bar (with limited daiquiris... they keep the full selection downstairs), and a couple of pool tables and another outside area. It's a fun bar, filled with mainly college-aged people looking to start the night out right (or maybe stay there all night!).

Pollyesther's on the Riverwalk is fairly new (I think it opened in the past year). There used to be another (local) club there with cheap cover and semi-cheap drinks. The place where it is is very cool. It's located across from Fat Tuesday's and a couple other bars. On the lower level is a Joe's Crab Shack (also new... used to be a casual burger place). Pollyesther's occupies the three floors above that. The layout is very cool... I've always loved this "building." On the outside, all you see are brightly painted balconies and a lot of people having a good time! You usually stand in line, and follow the line up the stairs where you pay the $7 cover. Once inside, you are in the "90s room" where they are playing rap, techno, etc. It's a little dark, with a lit-up floor and television screens behind it. There's a balcony overlooking the Riverwalk with some tables to your right. Heading up the stairs to your left, you will find the 70s room. Filled with all kinds of 70s memrobilia (I love the lifesize John Travolta painting!), a big list of 70s-inspired shots they offer, and the Saturday-Night-Fever dance floor, this is probably the most crowded room. There are quite a few older people here and they are playing mostly disco. It's very fun. Going upstairs again (this gets tiring after a while.. going up and down the stairs, especially in heels), you will find the biggest room which is the 80s room. It's covered in 80s portraits and movie posters and 80s music is blaring. I wasn't as impressed with the music they played in here... it seemed to be concentrating on the "New Wave" 80s, which isn't as fun to dance to as other 80s stuff. There is a huge dance floor, and this is where most of the college-aged kids hang out.

Overall, I'm not sure that it's worth the $7 cover and $3.50 beers and $6.50 Crown & Cokes, but I'm not sure if there's anywhere else you can dance to a DJ on the Riverwalk... but it's still fun.