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The engineering behind the San Antonio River Walk

practical.engineering

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Re: The engineering behind the San Antonio River Walk

#21

Post by d4704 »

stevenwoo wrote: post #18
AlotOfReading wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is pretty revisionist. Slavery wasn't some ancillary factor that just happened to exist in Texas. It was core to the anglo side of the Texas revolution. The War Party was strongly proslavery and the increasing (Mexican) federal push towards abolition was a key point for them. They especially hated a Mexican predecessor to the Emancipation Proclamation called the Guerrero decree that (attempted to) free most slav…

As someone who went to public school in Texas, the textbooks in Texas are vetted by revisionists who still claim the Civil War was about states rights and not slavery, my civic teacher argued this repeatedly in the 1980s. A lot of kids are indoctrinated with the BS that downplay the slavery aspect, it's like the Big Lie of the south.

1984 / George Orwell: 'Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.'

Re: The engineering behind the San Antonio River Walk

#22

Post by db48x »

dylan604 wrote: post #10
db48x wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s a pleasant spot. Texas is dry and hot as a rule, but the river walk is a level below the city, right at the water’s edge, with trees providing ample shade for the whole length. If you are visiting San Antonio you will definitely want to eat lunch there so that you can be in the shade during the hottest part of the day. But is it special enough to make it worth a trip to San Antonio just to see the it? No, probab…

Not a bad comment until BAM! The Alamo is such a lackluster disappointing building. It's tiny. Even if you know it is small, it is still impressive in how small it really is. It is the exact opposite of knowing how big the Grand Canyon is but still being amazed at its size when you visit in person. It's also a total let down in that no bicycles were found there.

Why does a building have to be large in order to be historically important?

Re: The engineering behind the San Antonio River Walk

#23

Post by Brajeshwar »

Last year, I spent some time in Amsterdam and stayed at an Airbnb whose patio/balcony-ish extended to a canal (my host was a super awesome person, by the way). As a tourist to the new experience, it was kinda scary for me but this seems to be a normal thing for the locals.

Besides the ever-pleasing view, including the casual peeks from the window, I spent a lot of time, pretty much every day, walking on the sides of many other canals — that engineering is something to think about.

I read somewhere that it is even more beautiful and breathtaking in the outskirts and beyond the city. I need to revisit to experience those.

Re: The engineering behind the San Antonio River Walk

#24

Post by [deleted] »

bombcar wrote: post #6
dylan604 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's the same thing as anyone recommending a visit to high street, the Santa Monica 3rd Street promenade, SF's Embarcadero, NYC's 5th Ave or Times Square, or any other touristy area of a city. It is what it is.

I find those to be highly worth visiting if you’re in the area. But few are worth making them the centerpiece of an entire trip.

[deleted]

Re: The engineering behind the San Antonio River Walk

#25

Post by Rapzid »

stevenwoo wrote: post #18
AlotOfReading wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is pretty revisionist. Slavery wasn't some ancillary factor that just happened to exist in Texas. It was core to the anglo side of the Texas revolution. The War Party was strongly proslavery and the increasing (Mexican) federal push towards abolition was a key point for them. They especially hated a Mexican predecessor to the Emancipation Proclamation called the Guerrero decree that (attempted to) free most slav…

As someone who went to public school in Texas, the textbooks in Texas are vetted by revisionists who still claim the Civil War was about states rights and not slavery, my civic teacher argued this repeatedly in the 1980s. A lot of kids are indoctrinated with the BS that downplay the slavery aspect, it's like the Big Lie of the south.

I went to school in Texas and slavery was absolutely taught as the primary issue leading to the civil war.

Re: The engineering behind the San Antonio River Walk

#26

Post by dylan604 »

db48x wrote: post #22
dylan604 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not a bad comment until BAM! The Alamo is such a lackluster disappointing building. It's tiny. Even if you know it is small, it is still impressive in how small it really is. It is the exact opposite of knowing how big the Grand Canyon is but still being amazed at its size when you visit in person. It's also a total let down in that no bicycles were found there.

Why does a building have to be large in order to be historically important?

Because it goes against the everything is bigger in Texas narrative.

It’s just hard to express how small it is until you’ve been there. Once you are there, it’s just underwhelming.

Re: The engineering behind the San Antonio River Walk

#27

Post by divbzero »

dylan604 wrote: post #26
db48x wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does a building have to be large in order to be historically important?

Because it goes against the everything is bigger in Texas narrative. It’s just hard to express how small it is until you’ve been there. Once you are there, it’s just underwhelming.

Doesn’t the small size make it more impressive that the Texians held out for so long?

Re: The engineering behind the San Antonio River Walk

#28

Post by hombre_fatal »

dylan604 wrote: post #26
db48x wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does a building have to be large in order to be historically important?

Because it goes against the everything is bigger in Texas narrative. It’s just hard to express how small it is until you’ve been there. Once you are there, it’s just underwhelming.

Well, all that remains of the alamo is the chapel and a residential unit.

It was originally a quickly fortified missionary complex which is a large plaza surrounded by walls.

Re: The engineering behind the San Antonio River Walk

#29

Post by DontchaKnowit »

TechPlasma wrote: post #11

Grew in San Antonio as well and one of the best parts about the Riverwalk is that it offers a fantastic pedestrian corridor across almost the entirety of downtown San Antonio and connects a lot of really interesting places, The missions down south, Pearl Brewery and it's shopping district, downtown mall and Convention center as well as La Villita and The Art Museum. Sure you can walk the streets but getting around vi…

San antonio is easily my favkrite city in the US. Awesome, food, events, bars, music scene (saw some sweet ultraviolence bads there) etc. The city is pretty, clean,easy to navigate. Its just great

Re: The engineering behind the San Antonio River Walk

#30

Post by [deleted] »

TechPlasma wrote: post #11

Grew in San Antonio as well and one of the best parts about the Riverwalk is that it offers a fantastic pedestrian corridor across almost the entirety of downtown San Antonio and connects a lot of really interesting places, The missions down south, Pearl Brewery and it's shopping district, downtown mall and Convention center as well as La Villita and The Art Museum. Sure you can walk the streets but getting around vi…

[deleted]
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