Shopping and Eating at the Pearl District of San Antonio | Hotel Emma | Time with the Grandson

Saturday we had early morning play time and a bit of breakfast. Soon after we left for the Pearl District of San Antonio. It was a chilly rainy morning, but the rain was misty and moving out for the most part. We were very lucky that the Lord provided us with less rain and storms as they came overnight. Katy and I had shopped this area before, a few years earlier.

There were a few street vendors set up. I had to take a few pics of some of the gift shops. I mainly had to after the day’s before debacle. Just because I’m stubborn. George actually bought some of the black mole.

I should have bought this towel, but I didn’t. It has both Dexter and Little Bit in it. It was probably anywhere from $17 to $32 – these stores were not always cheap. A pic will do.

River is a pretty good shopper. If you are strolling and rolling – he’s good. Stop for a minute and he’s still pretty good. After a few thought, he’s ready to get out. See below, lol. But, he is such a good boy. Still very much a “toddler” and into things -well mainly just likes to run off and go explore – so you have to be careful with him. I was very disappointed that he was too heavy for me to pick up and he could easily wriggle away from me. It made me sad. I didn’t trust myself with him because I couldn’t contain him or pick him up. But he loved me anyway because I am his Nonni and can make fun noises that make him laugh. George is the better player and entertainer though, so he loves his Poppy.

Here’s a shot, focusing on the fountain.

And a shot focusing on the flowers.

Such pretty old buildings in San Antonio.

Then we went to The Hotel Emma. First of all, it’s just a beautiful place. Second of all there are restaurants in and around. We ate at one. We might have blown it out of the water. lol. But it was a fun time and we all enjoyed it very much. Eating is always our main entertainment – but of course shopping, zoos, breweries and wineries trail close behind.

Here are some pics from our time there at the Hotel Emma. It also has a gift shop, bakery, coffee shop as well.

The hotel lobby is incredible. All kinds of nooks and crannies – places to sit, places to shop, places to ready about history – it’s also a sort of museum of sorts. The charm is just incredible. You are on sensory overload of the best kind when you walk in. A wait to be seated at the restaurant? No problem, just grab a seat next to a fireplace (this time of year during a cold spell), or tour about the place. So let’s go.

I loved these chairs. They were comfy. Ours was by the fireplace.

So we ate at the Southerleigh, in the Hotel Emma.

We got flights. It was a brewing company as well, lol. Of course. These were small beers by the way, meant for a little more than tasting – just to experience more than one. You can see my choices there.

George and I split a shrimp boil – b/c we knew we’d be eating a lot and already had been. We had a great breakfast too already. And it was perfect to split. And good too. I guess I didn’t take pics b/c we dove in.

Take note of that “Winey Cucumber” – lol. Katy and I got one to go to sip on. Yes, there…they let you shop around with it.

It was a little sweet at first but once the ice melted a bit it was perfect.

And because Lick has “weird oddball flavors” we had to get one. Katy had lavender ice cream. I got a Paloma ice cream. Because I was still sipping my drink and I figured it would go well with it. I like Paloma’s anyway. Yes it was great. We all got the little cone/scoop.

I shared mine. ;-). Someone else was happy to have ice cream. He LOVES ice cream!

Yeah, I know. I changed the scenery on you. We tried to go to the children’s museum for the afternoon but everyone else also had that idea. Even at 3:30 it was an hour and a half wait to get in, so we spent some chilly hours as the zoo instead. We were all bundled up and visited the inside exhibits when we got cold.

Saying goodbye was hard. I didn’t cry. I just held on to the fact that we’d get to see him sooner rather than later. He came out and gave us two more hugs after the first one. Maybe he was delaying going to bed, lol. But part of me knows he will miss us in some way. I worried that he would not love me as much as his other grans, but I have to accept that I am me. I am the one that is more serious and talks less and plays less, and am worried over his safety a bit too much. But we had our fun moments. Even though I may not be as cool as Poppy, or as hands on as his other grans, I still love him so very much. I’m more of a less talking, but funny noise making, kinda granny. I’m just me and I’m quiet much of the time, including with kids. Plus, there is no race or competition for his love. I just want him to love me for who I am. And he does. 😉

And I will play this video over and over and over. (If WordPress will allow it to show.) I love his laugh. I’m crying now though, b/c I don’t like being so far away. And it’s so expensive and requires so much effort and planning to even get to see him. And we are old farts now. So things don’t always come easy.

We got a text this morning that Little Roo was asking for us and ran over to see us (our bedroom was empty). This makes me sad too.

We got up at 4:00 a.m. and walked to our Uber pick up place at 5:00 a.m. And onto the airport. I was very nervous about this because, I wasn’t totally sure about the area, but it seemed pretty safe with people out walking and biking in the early morning hours. But not this morning. It was very cold.

A guy named Peace picked us up in Toyota Highlander. We checked license plate, of course and I kept the map pulled up to make sure we truly were headed to the airport. So all was well. I prayed hard because I was uncomfortable with that. But I was not going to make Cody get out and take us to the airport that early. They already had a big drive ahead of them.

We had plenty of time to kill at the airport. But of course you have to allow extra time to get there (didn’t know how easy it would be getting an Uber that time of morning), and also have to allow for traffic and security and such. Airport breakfast tacos were really good. I had two but had eaten the other one already.

Back to work Monday. Our flight was fine. Got a lot of reading done on the trip and relaxed my mind from anything other than our vacation and reading and eating and sleeping. Just really really really needed the chill time.

Then I’ll have to focus on the next video. It’s unclear yet if I’ll make it by Saturday morning, but I’ll try!