On Street Level: Random Thoughts on our Urban World

Photo courtesy of Flickr user lannadelarosa

For those familiar with San Antonio, the most popular attraction (apart from the Alamo) is the famous River Walk.  The walk consists of a somewhat narrow pedestrian pathway that runs along the San Antonio through the center of the city.  While the walk is a great detour from the streets above, it has become overly crowded and a haven for chain tourist shops and restaurants.  To certain locals, the walk seemed like nothing more than a tourist trap.

However, the river walk was recently extended 1.3 miles northwards away from the center of the city towards the San Antonio Museum of Art and other cultural institutions.  The difference between the two stretches of the walk?  The new one (called the Museum Reach) feels a lot more like it made for the residents of the city.  The new walk provides wider paths, far more green space beside the pathway and a far less commercial atmosphere all the while still providing the same fun atmosphere of the original River Walk.  Along the walkway is a number of fantastic public art and water features making the walk more entertaining and culturally enriching.  While a city like San Antonio has a far way to go in the urban planning sense, the Museum Reach is a fantastic start.  For more information check out the Museum Reach page.