Group+3+San+Antonio+Riverwalk

The San Antonio River Walk ﻿  IDS 3123   Dr. Dentith   July 10, 2011  Vanessa Montelongo, Vanessa Dorman, Cayla Skjoldal

The San Antonio River Walk has grown and changed immensely over time. The river originally started as a clear spring used for everyday living, but has slowly transformed into the place it is today with all the expansions of shops and events. The River Walk brings in huge amounts of tourism to the city which has helped our town in an economical aspect as well as to become very diverse in cultures and in lifestyles. The River Walk is an ever changing place and is still evolving today with expansion projects like the Mission Reach. **History:** The people who originally lived near the San Antonio River were Native Americans, in the San Pedro Springs area, calling the vicinity “Yanaguana,”meaning “refreshing waters.” Years later in 1691, a group of Spanish explorers and missionaries came upon the river and the settlement of Native Americans on June 13. The river was named after the feast day of St. Anthony of Padua, Italy, “San Antonio”. The San Antonio River Walk has been called several things ranging from the Crown Jewel of Texas to the Heart and Soul of San Antonio. The River Walk has definitely been the source of much attention for hundreds of years. Back in the 1700’s when the River was originally discovered it was crystal clear running spring. These days the river water is not quite the same however the River Walk is still a very beautiful source of culture, history, and entertainment.  The lead visionary and architect on the River Walk project was originally Robert H.H. Hugman. Hugman planned on naming the river walk the shops or Aragon and Romula. After waiting an entire decade of debates and political issues work on the project finally began in 1939. Hugman was only working on the project for a year before he was fired.  The lead visionary and architect on the River Walk project was originally Robert H.H. Hugman. Hugman  planned on naming the river walk the shops or Aragon and Romula. After waiting an entire decade of debates and political issues work on the project finally began in 1939. Hugman was only working on the project for a year before he was fired. April 21, 1941 marked the opening of the River Walk and nearly 50, 000 people lined the river to dedicate the project and to watch ﻿ a show of what is now an annual parade of boats. The World’s HemisFair in 1968 really helped market the River Walk. There were thousands of tourists in San Antonio for the HemisFair and when they saw the River Walk they all fell in love. After the fair the visions of the River Walk began to transform and it started to become an international sensation. Today tourists come from around the world to San Antonio Texas just to see our River Walk. **Political/Economic/Tourism**
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In 2009 the River Walk extended to Pearl Brewery and The San Antonio Museum of art. However there is more River Walk to come. Plans are underway to extend the River Walk an additional nine miles for a total of 13 miles. This more still addition will connect visitors to four of San Antonio's 18th-century Spanish colonial missions. The $279 million River Improvements Project is expected to reach completion in 2014.The River Walk is the 14th most visited tourist attraction in the country. Each year more than 5 million visitors come; this brings $800 million a year into our local economy.

As some of us know the River Walk passes by the River Center Mall, Hotels, and the Tower of the Americas. You can stop by at the Mall and enjoy from the variety of shops, foods, and theatre that they have there. Right outside the mall there is also is a patio with umbrellas and tables next to the River Walk where you can enjoy from the flowing music of the handmade flutes of the men who make them. It is art just like Grazian mentions; these people are making unique instruments and are performing their skills.

The River Walk can also take an approach to Postmodernism many of the Restaurants that are attached to the River Walk are new but yet they are built to look old-fashioned in a sense. But this is what makes these places attractive and enjoyable to the tourist and people from San Antonio. (kellionsaipan.blogspot.com)

**Culture**

As we investigated in class about Rosita Fernandez we found that not only is she named The First Lady of San Antonio but also a bridge on the river walk was dedicated and named after her. Rosita donated her talent and time to the annual festival “Fiesta Noche del Rio”. It is something very special to have a bridge named after someone in the river walk. By her performance in the river walk they also established a plaque that said, “Interpreter of songs that have helped edify the communication between the cultures that make San Antonio such a great place to live in.” Millions of people visit the River Walk each year bringing different cultures together. There are numerous things to do at the River Walk such as; fifty restaurants, bistros, cafes, clubs, bars. All of these places go from a Tex-Mex style to a haute cuisine and locally-owned spots as well as popular international names like The Hard Rock Café.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 200%;">Another interesting thing about the River Walk is the ride on the boats or Gondolas. While on the ride you take a tour of the River Walk learning many interesting facts about its history. The gondola ride also enables you to meet and mingle with all types of people. This shows perfectly how truly diverse our city really is and how the River Walk attracts people from not only all over this country but also internationally. This is a great example of the functions of popular culture because it provides the source material that allows consumers to communicate with strangers in public just as popular television (Grazian, 2010).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 200%;">The River Walk hosts a number of important events throughout the year including parades, pageants, and other cultural events. There are several times throughout the year when the River Walk uses its code-switching abilities to change from its usual appearance to fit the occasion. For example in the picture below you can see all the lights and decorations hanging from trees and other things. This was done during the Christmas season as a way to light up San Antonio's River Walk. (Flickr.com) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 200%;"> Also, in addition the Christmas decorations the River is dyed green on St. Patrick’s Day as a way to celebrate our Irish culture and citizens. In deep contrast to that during the 10 day FIESTA celebration the River Walk is decked out in flowers, mardi gras beads, tents filled with little items to buy, and so much more. The San Antonio River Walk has many faces and that is just one thing about it that makes it such a beautiful place.

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<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">More text goes here, editing the CSS please don't delete! <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**Pop culture/Mass Media**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 200%;">Pop culture is driven by the media and the River Walk has had plenty of exposure in the media. From bring in scenes from major Hollywood blockbusters to local magazines and brochures the River Walk is no stranger to being in the spotlight. In just recent years there has been two major movies that had scenes shot on the River Walk. The movie Miss Congeniality has several scenes in the movie that were shot at The Alamo as well as on the River Walk. The scenes depict the River Walk in a beautiful and inviting way. In addition to Miss Congeniality, the movie Selena also has a very memorable scene that was shot on the River Walk. This scene is actually taking place on Rosita's Bridge. This bridge is an important piece of our River Walk as it is not only iconic but also symbolic. For most residents in San Antonio the River Walk is a special place where we can go to enjoy our cities beauty. While walking on the River Walk you see several forms of media ranging from people talking on their cell phones, taking pictures, recording videos, listening to music, and picking up brochures and guides. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__**Conclusion**__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 200%;">Never the less if you don’t visit the River Walk in San Antonio it is like you missed a big part of your trip. Even though the River Walk commenced as a spring it is now a River that is continuing to expand in other parts of the city, not just only in the downtown area. By the creation of the River Walk as we have seen it has created many jobs, by employing people to expand it, people who work in the restaurants, for people who work in the hotels, and for people who work at the River Center Mall. The expansion of the River Walk is helping our economy in many ways. However as consumers we should consider the damage this obsession for expanding the River Walk can bring to us. We are destroying ecosystems, and another thing that worries us is the flooding that can occur if it rains too much. Never the less if you don’t visit the River Walk in San Antonio it is like you missed a big part of your trip. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__**References:**__ ===<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">[|New //River// Walk //Extension// Opens Historic Hotels Run Deep in //San// **...**] === <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - [|View as HTML] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">//San Antonio// just unveiled a new,. 1.3 mile //extension// that almost doubled the **...**

<span class="f" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">[|www.visit**sanantonio**.com/tourism-professionals/download.aspx?id=5894] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">[]

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">The San Antonio River. (n.d.). In //The Edwards Aquifer website//. Retrieved June 30, 2011, from [] [] Retrieved from July 5,2011

[] Retrieved on July 1,2001.

Bennet, Michele. __La legendaria Rosita Fernandez.__ May 1996

Walker, Lawrence Jr. San Antonio Express News __Fiesta.__ July 1996

San Antonio River Walk (2006, December 21). In //flickr//. Retrieved July 9, 2011, from http://www.flickr.com/photos/21084296@N00/393045955/in/photostream