San Antonio
in Texas

San Antonio does not get the attention it deserves, which means it still has the ease of a city that is not trying too hard. The River Walk winds through the downtown in a loop of cypress-lined water, lined with restaurants and bars that spill onto terraces in the evenings. The Alamo is smaller than most people expect and more affecting than most people admit. The food mixes Tex-Mex, barbecue, and Tejano traditions in ways that reward exploration well beyond the tourist stretch. It is a city with a genuine identity, a strong sense of its own history, and very good breakfast tacos.