San Antonio of tomorrow (Houston, Dallas: hotel, pre-k, universities)

[royal744]

Originally Posted by KerrTown

Funny you mention Houston. Out of curiousity, is it the second oldest city in Texas?

No, Kerr. Galveston is quite a bit older than Houston which was founded by the Allen Brothers as a land speculation scheme which is pretty much par for the course in Houston. I think Nacogdoches, Texas is a good bit older than Houston, probably a few other places as well. But the queen of Texas cities has always been San Antonio, though it is certainly not the largest nor the richest, except in history and urban design.

[TXRose]

Originally Posted by royal744

Lots of good ideas here.

As long as we're speculating, here's a thought. Everyone has experienced the hassle of flying lately. One way to help alleviate this is to do a "Texas-Triangle" high-speed rail that goes from Dallas to Houston to Austin to San Antonio. Don't use the wimpy Japanese rails but use the French TGVs which are simply fabulous. Yes, I know this has been proposed before, but a 160-200mph train - maybe the German experimental mag-lev train? - would be fabulous. If France, which is about the size of Texas, can do it, so can we with fewer right of way problems because opur land is relatively empty. I would much rather ride the rail to Austin than driving 35, or to Houston with its dreadful Katy Freeway into town. The way it is now with all the security, it is faster for me to drive to Houston than it is to fly, which is simply...... ridiculous!

If there was a rail system to Dallas and Austin I'd take it in a heartbeat. One of the reason I don't visit friends there often enough because I hate driving on I-35.

[Tone]

i didnt read all the posts but im just replying to the post about getting an aquarium. I dont know if yall forgot that we got sumthin way better than an aquarium that no other Texas city has. It goes by the name of Sea World. Sea World kicks those aquariums butts. so in my opinion we dont need that. i would love some more pro teams here though. specificaly football. im sure another pro team would bring in a lot of money for the future after we spend a lot of money gettin em here.

[tgannaway89]

Sea World is great but it is expensive and would take a day (or more) to enjoy. If you've been to the Texas State Aquarium you'd see what I'm talking about. No rides. It is a great place to get away for tourists and locals. Very tranquil and peaceful. It is a completely different mindset than Sea World, more like a museum. Don't get me wrong I love Sea World! Do you have any info. on that aquarium 210? Sounds exciting!

[Tone]

u r right about the prices. but just like with six flags i would just get a season pass. just about the same price as a one day admission and it last all season so u can take as long as u want to see everything. i guess im thinkin less boring and more fun. i think the light rail is a good idea though. and as far as tourism i think the city made a great choice in bettering one of are mane attractions that is the river walk. once the project is done it will be awesome. but i think we need more big exciting ideas like that to really draw more people than we already do. to me, an aquarium really doesnt do it. we already have better. so why step it down?? and a tourist will pay that single day admission. thats probly why its so high. they got the season pass for the people that call san antone home n like goin back and having fun. we gotta have a better idea than the aquarium. im tryna think of one rite now!!

[tgannaway89]

It's not stepping down, it's stepping out. Expanding things to do in the city. The Texas State Aquarium ranks among the top tourist attractions. While it doesn't top the Alamo, Riverwalk, or Sea World it does rank higher than Fiesta Texas, San Antonio Zoo, and Schlitterbahn. I think it would add something for tourists (and locals alike) to do.

[tgannaway89]

It isn't a good idea to call what some people consider a great attraction "boring". Everyone has different tastes. Some people (perhaps older tourists) may prefer to visit an aquarium as opposed to a theme park. Don't be so quick to judge.

[AtlantaTexan]

i love the idea of an aquarium in SA, but i would hope they go all out (something along the lines of the Atlanta Aquarium) and not skimp on many things, thus making it "second rate". the Atlanta Aquarium was primarily made possible by a $200million donation by Bernie Marcus, the founder of Home Depot. if we can get an aquarium DOWNTOWN (with donations by guys like McCombs and HEB) that would be a huge asset for the city and downtown tourism and growth.

[TXRose]

I think an aquarium would be a great attraction for San Antonio. I know that my inlaws would love to visit an aquarium when they visit (and would probably go multiple times) but have no interest in going to SeaWorld.

There are also a lot of families in San Antonio that might not be able to afford the $50+ daily admission to SeaWorld, but would be able to afford an aquarium admission. It would also be great for school field trips, etc.

[Tone]

if they do it up like atlanta texan suggested then go for it. but if its gonna be sum rinky dink aquarium that doesnt set it apart from the others (besides the fact that its in SA) then i say scrap the idea. i say do it right or not at all. im not judging. i guess older folks would like it. maybe wen im old i will find the idea more appealing. but at my current age of 20, i dont like the idea of having to pay an admission to a place were u really cant do much. i went to the aquarium in chorpus a few years ago and i dont remember a whole lot that i was impressed by. i guess it kept my attention for a little while. but i dont think i would go back unless i had a specific purpose to do so or wus forced. lol. again. im not judging. just stating my (younger) opinion. im interested in what everyone else has to say as well. there are some good convos that go on here. i enjoy participating sometimes between calls at work. just tryna give my 2 cents.