San with a Plan: It’s as Fun a Time as Ever to visit San Antonio

San with a Plan: It’s as Fun a Time as Ever to visit San Antonio

The adjoining AC by Marriott and Element by Westin hotels, a block from the River Walk

A VIBRANT DESTINATION any time of the year, San Antonio is especially exciting in October, leading up to weekend-long Dia de Los Muertos celebrations all over town. A river parade and special events in the La Villita Historic Village are among the festivities Oct. 27-29. Walkability is key, as ever — and two new Marriott properties have just opened in the heart of the River Walk, ensuring an easy trip for all.


The adjoining hotels, AC by Marriott and Element by Westin, are located on Soledad at Commerce; each offers a tasty breakfast buffet, and there’s a rooftop bar with bites, brunch and unbeatable skyline views.

The River Walk itself offers plenty of tourist-trappy fun (especially for families), but hop over to Hemisfair for more park and garden spaces, plus trendy eats like Box St. All Day. Farther east, find a more sophisticated take on the city’s mariachi-and-margaritas vibe at still-new Carriqui, with South Texas-inspired fare.

People + Places

Chef-restaurateur Tyson Cole

AUSTIN-BASED UCHI, Japanese for “home,” was named for the little red house where chef Tyson Cole first created his nontraditional take on elevated Japanese cuisine in 2003. In the early days, you could pull up a chair at the sushi bar and chat with James Beard Award winner Cole himself as he handcrafted your sushi wonder. Texas had never seen Japanese cuisine like this. Frankly, we had never seen a sushi master like Tyson — a fresh-faced kid from Florida commanding a sushi bar with such skill and grace.

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MONTHLY MEMBERSHIPS LIKE massages and meal kits can be convenient and cost-effective — until, perhaps, you suddenly have dozens of them, and they stress you out.

If that stress is wearing on your face, there’s one membership that should remain high on the priority list: Skin Laundry, the California-based beauty company offering high-tech skincare like laser-resurfacing facials, is now open in Montrose. Members pay a monthly fee for one, two or even unlimited treatments.

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