Tower of the Americas
While visiting San Antonio to attend Adam's graduation ceremony, we visited a number of well known places as well as a few lesser known places. One of these lesser known places was the Tower of the Americas.
We had previously spent a rainy day briskly walking the Riverwalk through downtown San Antonio. The Riverwalk can be a beautiful downtown area but when it is raining, that really puts a damper on sightseeing. When it is raining, you are focused on getting to your next destination... quickly... and staying as dry as possible. We were wet and a bit uncomfortable the day we walked (almost ran) the Riverwalk and I think I can safely say that none of us were looking forward to another day dodging rain outdoors.
Most of our time in San Antonio was under cloudy skies with precipitation falling from those clouds. By the time our last day in San Antonio arrived, we were pretty tired of getting wet (and, admittedly, tired of all the walking) so we were hoping to visit a place where we could stay dry and just relax. With no particular plan in mind, we headed out in our rental van with the Garmin GPS providing ideas.
We quickly found ourselves at the base of the Tower of the Americas.
Before we even left our home for San Antonio, we had read that this tourist attraction was always a crowded place which required reservations booked far in advance. Other families who had attended previous BMT graduations had warned us that dinner at this iconic tower required reservations months in advance! This day, however, we were flying by the seat of our pants with absolutely no plans nor prior arrangements. We knew we were taking a chance by just showing up without any advance planning but, at this point in our long trip, we were out of ideas. (And, I think we were all too tired to make any more decisions!)
Now we found ourselves at the base of this tower on yet another very overcast, damp and wet morning. We knew the visibility from the observation deck would be limited on a day like this but we knew we could stay out of the rain here if we so desired. Unfortunately, we also knew that the chances of getting a table in this extremely popular restaurant at the top of this tower would be slim. None of us could think of any better ideas so we parked the van and started walking toward the tower looming a short distance away.
By the time we walked into the base of this impressive structure, it was lunchtime. Sheila, ever the optimist (unlike me, fortunately) decided to check to see if we could possibly get reservations in this popular restaurant. This restaurant sits just below the observation deck at the top of this tower and it slowly revolves providing a 360 degree panoramic view of all San Antonio and the surrounding area. Needless to say, it is a popular destination for families visiting San Antonio for BMT graduations which occur every week. Yet, here we were... flying by the seat of our pants... no reservations... no plans... just hoping to get lucky, to find something interesting to do, and to stay dry.
"Wow... this couldn't have worked out better if we had planned it months in advance!" We looked at each other with raised eyebrows and wide eyes, in amazement, did a little bit of a shrug of the shoulders like we weren't really sure if this could really be possible... and she escorted us to the elevator...
This tower soars toward the clouds at a height of 750 feet. By comparison, the much more famous Space Needle in Seattle tops out at 605 feet while the Empire State Building in New York City is almost double the height at 1,454 feet. On a clear day, I am sure that the view from this tower is amazing. On this particular day, it was overcast and raining so our view would be a bit limited but interesting nevertheless. There would be no blue skies nor distant features to see but we would be able to see the entire city below us and the near surrounding area.
The elevator ride to the top was surprisingly fast! I hardly had time to shoot a photo or two before we were at the restaurant just below the observation deck. By comparison, the elevator in our hotel was slower than climbing the stairs... and we always wondered if we would get stuck in the hotel elevator as it bobbed and jerked, moving slowly (that elevator should not have been in service!). This elevator at the Tower of the Americas was surprisingly fast and smooth.
The elevator has a glass side to it providing a spectacular view as you swiftly ascend like a rocket. I held my camera over my head in an attempt to capture all of us in the elevator as well as the view out the glass side. Before I could attempt another photo, the elevator was slowing to a stop at our restaurant.
As the elevator doors opened at the restaurant, we were then greeted by another hostess who happily seated us. In hindsight, I suspect this hostess already knew we were on our way up to the restaurant after being sent on our way by the hostess in the lobby at the base of the tower.
Our very courteous and friendly waiter arrived almost immediately to introduce himself. He asked if we had ever visited this restaurant before and when we said, "no", he immediately jumped into all the usual questions asked of out-of-towners. Of course, since Adam was sitting with us in his dress blues, he knew exactly why were were all in town. After some small talk about where we were visiting from and congratulating Adam on his graduation from Basic Training, he promptly took our drink order and explained the specials.
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| Entering the restaurant from the elevator... |
If I remember correctly, the restaurant rotated twice while we were seated at our table so we had plenty to see and talk about as we pointed out sights we had already seen at ground level. Even in the rainy, cloudy conditions we had that day, the view from the restaurant is spectacular and I suspect the view is even more spectacular at night with the sprawling city sparkling in nightlight. This meal was quite an experience.
The service at this restaurant was outstanding... our waiter clearly knew the menu inside and out because our table tested him on at least ten different dishes... the food was exceptional... outstanding service and exceptional food is something we have grown accustomed to while traveling (unlike near home). Even the restrooms in this high altitude establishment are worth mentioning with impeccable cleanliness, monogrammed towels and elegant design. Overall, we had an amazing lunch and one which will be remembered for many years. (I almost wish I shot a few photos of the men's restroom!)
We then hopped on the elevator again to head up to the observation deck. It was a wet and windy day so the moment we stepped out onto the exposed observation deck wrapping around the enclosed observation area like an outer open circular deck, we were slapped by rather cold, damp and wet high winds. Not only could we feel the tower vibrating under our feet due to these high winds, but we could also feel the tower sway slightly... I have to say that with my health problems which cause dizziness and vertigo fairly regularly, this was a very disconcerting feeling for me for sure!
"In my healthier, younger days, I climbed my fair share of towers (just because they were there begging to be climbed)... up ladders... climbing framework... I've free climbed up the side of buildings... I've climbed extreme cliffs... I've flown in all sorts of aircraft and even jumped out of a few... I've done many roofing jobs, some requiring some aerial acrobatics... while in engineering school, I've climbed skyscrapers in the stage of construction that resembles a giant-sized erector set... I was even offered skyscraper window washing jobs... heights never bothered me. At this stage of my health and at a time when my poor health makes just standing steadily on solid ground without falling over impossible at times, I have to admit that heights are no longer something I am comfortable with to say the least! Being on top of one of the tallest towers in the United States as it swayed and shook in the rain and gusting wind at a time when my health causes vertigo even on a small stepstool definitely made me feel a bit uneasy. I have to admit that I was looking forward to getting back on solid ground. Just a few days ago, as Sheila and I stood next to each other talking, she had to actually catch me as I was falling to the floor. I wasn't even standing on anything! My brain mistakenly sensed that 'up' was now pointing 'right' so my body tried instantly rotating that way... right to the floor. Heights are no longer for me. I do not trust my body."
Regardless of this uneasiness, I somehow took my time and managed to get quite a few nice photographs from all areas of this iconic Tower of the Americas without rushing everyone along so we could get to more secure footing.
"I can't begin to express how this is yet another thing within me which has changed drastically since contracting this debilitating illness... to go from one extreme to the other... I even have great difficulty just carefully approaching those glass railings in shopping malls which overlook the floor below... the vertigo I experience now is a very foreign and odd feeling for me... this is a part of me I don't particularly like... hmmm... well, honestly, there isn't much which has changed in a positive way since coming down with this illness other than having a greater appreciation for the little things in life. The physical changes are tough to take at times though."
I did, however, manage to be patient and keep busy shooting photos and looking around as I waited until everyone else was ready to head back to ground level.
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| Sheila, Whitney, Adam (with binoculars) and Will. |
The winds at the observation deck were a bit brutal... wet and cold... getting slapped with raindrops... so we only walked around the circumference of the observation deck once before heading back into the covered and protected area of the observation deck to warm up. I managed to get a few nice photographs in this protected area as well.
After descending back down to ground level in our glass-sided elevator, we decided to view a 4D movie (unfortunately, a major disappointment as they usually are) in a small theater at the base of the tower.
After the pretty lame movie, we then visited the gift shop to buy a few things before venturing back outdoors to wander around the gardens surrounding the tower.
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| The gardens with their cascading waterfalls surrounding the base of the Tower of the Americas are a popular place for group photos for weddings and Quinceaneras. |
Overall, this really is a beautiful place to visit and our completely exhausted group enjoyed it immensely even in some fairly lousy weather. I'm glad we decided to take a chance on this attraction even though we had made no reservations in advance. The food was delicious, the view was spectacular, and the service was outstanding.
This was a sight worth seeing. We really had a good time!
To view an album of photos shot at the Tower of the Americas, - click here.
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| Sheila and Adam |
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| This is one of only two photos where I accidentally captured the Tower of the Americas off in the distance. The tower appears small here because it is the structure the farthest from where I was standing. I shot this photo from the top of a parking garage looking down toward Market Square. |
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