San Antonio, Texas



San Antonio is the seventh most populous city in the US and the second most populous city in the state of Texas, San Antonio is commonly referred to as Greater San Antonio, and the metropolitan area has a population of over 2.27 million based on the 2013 US Census estimate, making it the 25th-largest metropolitan area in the US and third-largest in the state of Texas. Growth along the Interstate 35 and Interstate 10 corridors to the north, west and east make it likely that the metropolitan area will continue to expand. San Antonio is notable for Spanish colonial missions, the Alamo, the River Walk, the Tower of the Americas, the Commercial entertainment includes SeaWorld and Six Flags Fiesta Texas theme parks, and the city is visited by approximately 26 million tourists per year. The city is home to the five-time NBA champion San Antonio Spurs and hosts the annual San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, one of the largest such events in the country.




Throughout our travels through the United States we noticed that there have been no laws or signs for distracted driving laws, now we know why. Upon entering downtown San Antonio on the freeway we saw the very first sign that is only now being enforced as of Jan 1, 2014, enforcing laws for distracted drivers.





The Alamo Mission in San Antonio, commonly called "The Alamo". It is a former Roman Catholic mission and fortress compound, and the site of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836.
The chapel of the Alamo Mission is known as the "Shrine of Texas Liberty".
The Alamo is now a museum in the Alamo Plaza District of downtown San Antonio, Texas.
As of 2002, the Alamo welcomed over four million visitors each year, making it one of the most popular historic sites in the United States Visitors may tour the chapel, as well as the Long Barracks, which contains a small museum with paintings, weapons, and other artifacts from the era of the Texas Revolution. Additional artifacts are displayed in another complex building, alongside a large diorama that recreates the compound as it existed in 1836.

The Alamo became a rallying cry that helped the Texans defeat the Mexican Army at San Jacinto. Texas' independence laid the ground work for Texas' admission to the Union. Texas' admission to the Union led to a war between the United States and Mexico. At the end of the war, Mexico was required by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to give the United States the area that now comprises California, Arizona, New Mexico as well as the parts of other western states. 

 

Well, we finally made it to our first Triple D... Featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Texas Pride Barbecue in San Antonio is known for its Barbecue, fish, fry, and country music. 
Steeped in the finest quality mesquite Barbecue tradition of his grandfather, Tony Talanco has developed a 1940's country store gas station to create a nostalgic family friendly real Texas BBQ Joint. Enjoy slow-cooked brisket, pork ribs, chopped beef sandwiches, and an array of side orders.

 

This place is massive. With indoor dine in area and you go around the back and there is a huge area where they  have a large stage featuring live country music bands, a couple of bars, a general store, a tatoo shop, and a large dance floor with picinic tables for seating.

 

New Orleans, Louisiana AKA The Big Easy or NOLA

 

From top left: A typical New Orleans mansion off St. Charles Avenue, a streetcar passing by Loyola University and Tulane University, the skyline of the Central Business District, Jackson Square, and a view of Royal Street in the French Quarter.

 

 

 

 

 

New Orleans is a major US port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area had a population of 1,167,764 in 2010 and was the 46th largest in the United States. The city is named after the Duke of Orleans, who reigned as Regent for Louis XV from 1715 to 1723, as it was established by French colonists and strongly influenced by their European culture. It is well known for its distinct French and Spanish Creole architecture, as well as its cross-cultural and multilingual heritage.

On our way down to visit the French Quarters in New Orleans we were able to see some of the houses that remain damaged since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. New Orleans was catastrophically affected by what the University of California Berkeley's Dr. Raymond Seed called "the worst engineering disaster in the world since Chernobyl," when the Federal levee system failed during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. By the time the hurricane approached the city at the end of August 2005, most residents had evacuated. As the hurricane passed through the Gulf Coast region, the city's federal flood protection system failed, resulting in the worst civil engineering disaster in American history.

Floodwalls and levees constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers failed below design specifications and 80% of the city flooded. Tens of thousands of residents who had remained in the city were rescued or otherwise made their way to shelters of last resort at the Louisiana Superdome or the New Orleans Morial Convention Center. More than 1,500 people were recorded as having died in Louisiana, most in New Orleans, and others are still unaccounted for. The city was declared off-limits to residents while efforts to clean up after Hurricane Katrina began. The approach of Hurricane Rita in September 2005 caused repopulation efforts to be postponed, and the Lower Ninth Ward was re-flooded by Rita's storm surge. Before Hurricane Katrina, the city called for the first mandatory evacuation in its history, to be followed by another mandatory evacuation three years later with Hurricane Gustav.






On this building you can see how high the flood water levels were.







Hurricane Katrina at its New Orleans landfall.




An aerial view from a United States Navy helicopter showing floodwaters around the Louisiana Superdome (stadium) and surrounding area (2005).
 
 




Louis Armstrong home was where this hotel is now located.

Entering the French Quarters the three story grey house is owned by Johnny Depp and has a open patio on the rooftop.  

 

The French Quarters is lined with beautiful wrought iron balconies on all the buildings.

 

 

 

The St. Louis Cathedral is one of New Orleans' most notable landmarks. Its triple steeples tower above its historic neighbors and looks down on the green of the square and General Andrew Jackson on his bronze horse. St Louis Cathedral is the oldest active cathedral in the United States.

 

 



 When you come to New Orleans you have to visit the iconic Café du Monde, where you will experience the famous  Beignets. The Original Cafe Du Monde Coffee Stand was established in 1862 in the New Orleans French Market. The Cafe is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It closes only on Christmas Day and on the day an occasional Hurricane passes too close to New Orleans. The Original Cafe Du Monde is a traditional coffee shop. Its menu consists of dark roasted Coffee and Chicory, Beignets. The coffee is served Black or Au Lait. Au Lait means that it is mixed half and half with hot milk. Beignets are square French -style doughnuts, lavishly covered with powdered sugar. It was very delicious.

 









The jazz and blues music in New Orleans is fabulous and the street musicians are scattered everywhere throughout the French Quarters. Their talents are unbelievable!

Plenty of Cajun, Creole and various spicy rubs for your cooking enjoyment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are thirsty, or hungry don't worry, there are hundreds of bars and restaurants that line the streets of the French Quarters. Bourbon street in particular is completely lined with bars. Outdoor bars set-up everywhere. Like this outdoor daiquiris bar.

Colorful and fabulous street entertainment.

 

 New Orleans is world famous for its plethora of unique architectural styles, from creole cottages to the grand mansions on St. Charles Ave, to the balconies of the French Quarter. The city boasts fine examples of almost every architectural style, here you will discover fascinating architecture and unique buildings.

  

 The City of New Orleans and the Mississippi River.

Gulf Shores, Alabama

 

Gulf Shores is a coastal city in Baldwin County, Alabama, Gulf Shores is located on the Gulf of Mexico and is the southernmost settlement in the state of Alabama. It is served by Alabama State Route 59 (Gulf Shores Parkway), which leads north to Foley, Gulf State Park occupies a large eastern part of the city. The location of Gulf Shores on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico makes it vulnerable to hurricanes and in September 1979, Hurricane Frederic leveled most of the town then In September 2004, Hurricane Ivan caused extensive wind and flooding damage. In 2005, while the city was still cleaning up from Ivan, Hurricane Katrina caused extensive damage and flooding and that is not all, the 2010 BP oil spill was expected to severely effect both local real estate and beach tourism. However, after a rough year, the tourism economy in Gulf Shores appears to have returned to pre-spill levels.

From the shores you can look out across the Gulf of Mexico and see a lot of oil and gas rigs. They are everywhere you look from the shorline.

Once again we spent some time at the beach as we were told that there may be some shells there. We did not find many but we met some people on the beach and they showed us some shells that they had picked up and some of them still had residue from the BP oil spill that happened in 2010. Since the oil spill we were told that the sea shells have not been plentiful since this event.

We did manage to capture a picture of one of the local birds eyeing the beach for some food to wash up on shore.