Something New from Something Old

 Yesterday, we decided to visit the Pearl Brewery .  When I was in college, Pearl was my favorite beer. Not because it was good beer, because you could by a case for about $10.00.  Pearl no longer makes beer.  Today they are in

 the process of turning the brewery property into a mixed-use development.  They have office space, living space, restaurants and shops all together.  The property sits on the north end of the San Antonio river and has been connected with the famed San Antonio river walk.  It is an exciting project. San Antonio is "on the list" of future homes for us, and this the kind of development that piques our interest.

Lounging on the balcony

Stable

 Currently, they only have 19 living units but expect to have close to 300 by 2013.  One of the early residents is enjoying the San Antonio sun on this beautiful day!  His outdoor space is a little limited. Much like living in an RV, you have to think of the whole community as your "back yard."
 We were impressed with the early stages of the development.  They have done a nice job with new, very modern buildings, mixed with restoration of some of the originals. This beautiful old, draft horse stable building can be rented out for special events.  There is a tamale festival on Saturday - may have to check that out :)

The largest business resident is the Culinary Institute of America.  They have a bakery, and a restaurant on property and have turned these old ammonia tanks into herb gardens.  There is also a year round farmer's market on property.

We also spotted this bike rental stand.  We had not seen these in previous visits to San Antonio.  There are 18 stations in the downtown area,operated by San Antonio Bike Share. For 10 bucks, you can bike all over town for 24 hrs and just return the bike to any station-love it.  They also offer weekly, monthly and annual passes.

We love downtown San Antonio, but there is not much affordable/appealing living space downtown.  We hate the urban sprawl and the traffic of the suburbs. So, we would only consider living here if it could be downtown in a walkable neighborhood, with easy access to the river walk and water taxi system. It will be interesting to see how the "Pearl Project" progresses. If it all comes together, it has the potential to spawn other similar projects downtown.

We were planning another new twist on something old for today as well.  They have opened a bike trail between the San Antonio missions.  However, I have finally succumbed to the cold that got everyone else last week - not sure we will get that done today.  See you down the road...