Friday, May 26, 2006

Streets of San Antonio

In previous blog postings I've named a few of the streets of San Antonio. In my travels by VÍA bus around the city I've become very familiar with some of the major streets. I've found that this city shares one characteristic with Nashville, Tennessee. Some major streets change name without making a bend or a jog or any other logical reason for the name change. (I don't know, perhaps this is a characteristic of most metropolises?) For example, Buena Vista Street of the Westside enters downtown as a one-way east-bound route, then changes its name to Dolorosa Street, and then at Main Plaza changes its name to Market Street! The latter change apparently happened when an angular connector was forged thru the square to connect the two streets. But why the former switching of names?

Changing the topic slightly, I'd like to now give a list of my "Top Ten" favorite streets of this city:

1. Zarzamora Street. I like this north-south street of the Westside, first because of the charming sound of its name (in Castilian Spanish it's "thar-thah-MOH-rah"; in Mexican Spanish "sar-sah-MOH-rah") - "bramble" or "mulberry" in Spanish. And second because of some of its attractive addresses, such as the Basilica of the Little Flower on the north section. This church looks like a church straight out of el Bajío, the region of central Mexico containing several charming cities whose fortunes were made in Spanish colonial times by area mines. There are a few other charming churches on Zarzamora, including one in the Spanish mission style on the south section. And then there is Salzamora's Café, where I like to eat; the food is "nothing to write home about", but the decor is charming (featuring paintings of Westside life by a local artist) and I personally know the owner-manager. And my favorite mural on a Westside business is on Zarzamora, north section.

2. Calle Guadalupe (a.k.a. Guadalupe St. or Avenida Guadalupe ). My Westside church sits on Guadalupe at the corner with San Jacinto. A block east of the church is the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center and next to it Guadalupe Plaza, and further west are cantinas emitting conjunto music, and other colorful businesses, some of which sport mural wall art. Just recently I noticed one cantina called "Guadalupe Cheers", and the "Cheers" part of the name is exactly like "Cheers" 1980s television show! Wonder how much they had to pay in royalties for use of the name of the TV bar?

3. Broadway Avenue. Leads from downtown north and northeast into the '09 ZIP where I live. In fact, when I moved here in A.D. 2002 I first lived on Broadway across from Brackenridge Park and near Mahncke Park (which gives its name to the neighborhood). And the Witte Museum, the campus of Incarnate Word, the two Jim's Restaurants where I worked the longest, and Alamo Heights High School where I now do sub-teaching are all on Broadway.

4. Nueva Street. I tried to think of ONE downtown street to include, and this one's entirely within downtown. It has Casa Navarro, the restored home and store of Texas Revolutionary patriot José Antonio Navarro toward its west end, and La Villita (the "Little Town" restored first "suburb" of S.A.) and HemisFair's entrance archway at its east end.

5. Durango Boulevard. This one passes thru the southern part of downtown. The east section of Durango passes the Institute of Texan Cultures, marks the southern boundary of HemisFair and then the north boundary of the King William historic neighborhood. Close-in on the west section of Durango is Sidney Lanier High School. Further west, Durango intersects Zarzamora at Salzamora's Café (see #1 above).

6. Roosevelt Street. Goes past Mission San Jose, the Visitor's center for S.A. Missions N.H.P. and passes not far from the other missions of that park (See my posting about the old Spanish missions). 'Nuf said about why I like THIS street!

7. Thousand Oaks Road. Yeah, funny that I shound include a Loopland thoro'fare. But I find Thousand Oaks attractive because it has a fine branch library toward the east and a couple of actually attractive strip-shopping centers toward the west. Including one named Mil Encinos, the Spanish version of the street's name. And there probably ARE 1000 encinos or live oaks along this way!

8. Flores Street. The north section of this passes along the west side of San Pedro Springs Park and is one of the streets of "Five Points", a historical intersection in the near northwest from downtown (and it IS historic - there's a texas Historical Marker there). The south section passes thru the Harlandale neighborhood of the south side, to link up with Roosevelt just north of Ashley Road; this road has a church where I go often for gospel music concerts.

9. New Braunfels Avenue. The south section goes out past McCreless Mall to the former Brooks AFB. The north section passes thru Fort Sam Houston next to its historic quadrangle (unfortunately, since 9-11 both gates on New Braunfels are permanently blocked), and then by my other church.

10. Nacogdoches Road. Another main road in Loopland, but it begins in Alamo Heights, intersects North New Braunfels not far northwest of where I live (and still within the '09 ZIP) and continues out into the country to the northeast. In fact, it was originally a portion of the route going that way to Nacogdoches in East Texas. It was thus a part of El Camino Real, the "King's Highway" of Spain's Empire in North America. Comanche Lookout Park, with the new and environment-friendly Semmes branch library are on Nacogdoches Road in Loopland. (See? Not everything about "Loopland" is bad; it's not the REAL San Antonio but it has it positive elements.)

Well, that's the "Top Ten" of my favorite streets/roads in San Antonio. And yet there are many other streets that I really enjoy. Such as Nogalitos Street. I'm still trying to figure out how it got the name of "little walnuts"; nevertheless, I delight in passing along the street on the bus.

And then there are Austin Hwy., Basse Road, Brazos Street, Castroville Road (which is Guadalupe after it bends toward the west-southwest), Ceralvo Street, Eisenhauer Road, Freeman Drive, Ingram Road, Pleasanton Road, Poplar Street, Rigsby Road, South Presa Street, Southcross Street, Woodlawn. . . So many delightful roads and streets here!

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