Favorite spots on bus routes

During this year of sharing with you my life here in San Antonio, dear reader, I've often written of the city's mass transit, VÍA, on which buses and trolleys I get around this fascinating city. So, I consider sharing with you some of my favorite places to be on the bus as it passes along.

Before I get to that, a word about my favorite routes. Actually, for the first year and a half of living here, my favorite routes were #11 New Braunfels and #15 Fort Sam. That's an interesting coincidence, in that my two favorite numbers are 11 and 15 (don't ask me why, they just are). But #11 had a stop on either side of North New Braunfels outside the front door of my church, Alamo Heights Christian Church. Therefore, it was my way to and from church activities. And North New Braunfels is such a lovely street (see my early posting about "Streets of S.A."), passing between the Botanical Garden and the uphill, wildflower end of Mahncke Park, the S.A. Country Club, the McNay Art Museum, and lots of pretty houses (and a few pretty apartments) in Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills and adjacent parts of the '09 portion of San Antonio.

Route #15 actually went along the south edge of Mahncke Park and its wildflower-carpeted uphill end, then cut across the northern part of the Army post, to exit onto Harry Wurzbach and pass by the National Cemetery.

Alas! in August of A.D. 2003 both routes were among the third of VÍA bus routes that tanked in the so-called "Consolidated Service Plan" to allegedly help the transit company get back into the black.

So, which routes are my current faves?

Well, my favorite of all is #520 Zarzamora. This is the one my best friend, Joe Tovar, drives on weekday mornings, which alone would make it my fave. But then, it does pass certain cherished spots on Zarzamora, such as Karam's Mexican Restaurant,the Malt House, the now-defunct Salsa Mora's cafe, St. Alphonsus Catholic Church (it looks like an old Southwest mission), the Basilica of the Little Flower (it looks like a colonial church straight out of the Bajío area of central Mexico), and my barber shop, García's.

Also favored routes of mine will include:

505 Basse. This one serves the very closest bus stop to my room, and goes from Randolph Park & Ride to Crossroads Park & Ride, including the entire length of Basse Road.

IH Ten Express. This used to be #93, but then it was split into two, with #93 operating only on weekdays and only as far as UTSA. #94 skips Crossroads P & R on weekdays and goes to Fiesta Texas daily (it, however, doesn't go to the drop-offs for entrances to the park if the park isn't open to the public -- not even when there ARE employee events such as training). Also, toward the end of '06 this #94 began serving the new shopping center still being built on the other side of IH Ten from the park; it's called "The Rim".

68 Guadalupe. This route passes my church on the Westside, Mexican Christian, the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center and the adjacent Guadalupe Plaza.

42 Roosevelt. This one passes Mission San José and the visitor center for San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. If I want to get to the most remote mission of that park, Espada, I'd have to take #42 almost to its end and then walk a good mile to the left (east).

77 Martin. This one passes two other small Westside churches that have personal significance: Soldiers of Christ, a storefront church located on Martin, and El Buen Pastor, a Mexican-American Methodist church on Poplar. And the neighborhood at its end-of-line reminds me of Devine, Texas, for some reason.

515 Southcross. This one goes along the east-west street on the South Side of that name. I kind of like the neighborhoods it passes thru, the name of the street, and the route number (which includes my special number, 15). Plus the facts that my eye doctor's office lies near the east end and the west end loop for this route involves a rather short street with the name of Bynum -- a small village near Hillsboro (northern central Texas) and home of one of my favorite authors and cyber-buddies, "Ace" Collins.

NOW: for my favorite spots to be on a bus as it rolls along its route.

Tops is southbound on North New Braunfels Avenue between Chichester and the Terrell Hills City Hall -- #8 and #509. As the bus reaches Chichester it begins descending an increasingly steep hill, at the bottom of which are three traffic signal sets in quick succession (at three closely-spaced cross streets). It's something of a thrill to look out the windshield as we descend, especially in twilight! It has the sensation of going down into a body of water with a channel marked by numerous buoys (the traffic signals).

IH Ten-bound on La Cantera Parkway (from UTSA), after passing most of The Shops at La Cantera -- #94. The bus rider gets a great, fairly close view of The Rattler wooden roller coaster in Fiesta Texas. If one is fortunate one will see a train of cars as they reach the first summit and plunge down into the old quarry that's now a theme park. And in the distance are Superman Krypton Coaster and Scream. As one rounds the hill and approaches the four-way stop at Fiesta Texas Drive, one gets a full view of the guest parking and beyond it employee parking and the building that houses ESO (Employee Services Office) and Wardrobe.

Southbound on San Pedro Avenue between Rector and Rampart -- #3. This major north-south avenue descends from the higher elevations around North Star Mall and the airport, to the lower area closer-in. One gets a great view of the Tower of the Americas and other downtown skyscrapers in the distance, beckoning one to draw closer.

Either direction on Nacogdoches Road north of OConnor Road -- #640. Here the bus is passing Comanche Lookout Park (west of the road). It's reputed to be the third highest high point in the county and was a good lookout post for watchers for marauding natives back in the mid-1800s Indian conflict -- hence the name. The park appears to be largely left natural and undeveloped except at the south end next to the fairly new Semmes Branch Library.

Railroad crossing and a railroad-side street in "downtown" Converse -- #639. Most of far-suburban Converse is the same Loopland-like soul-less spread of fairly recent residential areas alternating with strip-shopping -- "all made out of ticky-tacky and they all look just the same". BUTthis particular couple of blocks still has old buildings, some still in use, from when Converse was just a remote rural hamlet serving surrounding farms.

Either direction on WW White south of Southcross -- the "Looper" routes 550 & 551. This is one of the few places on the Looper routes that still has a rural look to it. One certainly won't find such "open country" on the Loopland portion of the Looper!

Southbound on South Flores Street between Nogalitos and the railroad crossing -- #44. There are interesting little old buildings and xeriscaping (landscaping with "desert" plants) on the east side, and St. Henry's Catholic Church and School on the west side. St Henry's features the California-mission style of architecture and is white with a red roof. And just beyond the church is a street marked (in the City of San Antonio style) "W Fest". The "W" obviously stand for "West", as just across Flores is "E Fest". But I don't look that way; I smile instead as "West Fest" call to my memory the little north central Texas town of West, settled by Czechs and featuring an annual celebration of Slavic heritage called "Westfest"! Ha, ha! Cute pun, which admittedly few folk in S.A. would even "get", but I do, since I've "been there done that"!