San Antonio Info
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 Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 12:33 am Post subject: NIGHTLIFE IN SAN ANTONIO / SAN ANTONIO NIGHTLIFE GUIDE |
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NIGHTLIFE IN SAN ANTONIO
San Antonio has its symphony and its Broadway shows, and you can see both at one of the most beautiful old movie palaces in the country. But much of what the city has to offer is not quite so mainstream. Latin influences lend spice to some of the best local nightlife. Don't forget San Antonio is America's capital for Tejano music, a unique blend of German polka and northern Mexico ranchero sounds (with a dose of pop added for good measure). You can sit on one side of the San Antonio River and watch colourful dance troupes like Ballet Folklórico perform on the other. And Southtown, with its many Hispanic-oriented shops and galleries, celebrates its art scene with the monthly First Friday, a kind of extended block party.
Keep in mind, too, that the Fiesta City throws big public parties year-round: Fiestas Navideñas and Las Posadas around Christmastime, Fiesta San Antonio and Cinco de Mayo events in spring, the Texas Folklife Festival in summer, and Oktoberfest and the International Accordion Festival in autumn.
For the most complete listings of what's on while you're visiting, pick up a free copy of the weekly alternative newspaper, the Current, or the Friday "Weekender" section of the San Antonio Express-News. You can also check out the website of San Antonio Arts & Cultural Affairs: www.sanantonio.gov/art. There's no central office in town for tickets, discounted or otherwise. You'll need to reserve seats directly through the theatres or clubs, or, for large events, through Ticketmaster (tel. 210/224-9600; www.ticketmaster.com). Generally, box office hours are Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm, and 1 to 2 hours before performance time. The Majestic and Empire also have hours on Saturday 10am to 3pm.
The Bar Scene
Most bars close at 2am, although some alternative spots stay open until 3 or 4am. Some of the hottest bars in town are also in restaurants.
The River Walk plays host to several fun, but somewhat touristy, bars such as Polly Esther’s retro dance club, The Hard Rock Café, Swig Martini Bar, d***’s Last Resort and Durty Nelly’s. Street-level downtown gets more interesting with the Houston St. Alehouse, Zinc Champagne and Wine Bar, and The Bonham Exchange, arguably the city’s best dance club. Predominantly a gay and lesbian bar, The Bonham Exchange draws decidedly mixed crowds on the weekends, with Wednesday nights affectionately termed “Straight Nights.
Every neighbourhood has its most popular hangouts. In Alamo Heights, try The Laboratory Brewing Company, Stonewerks or Niles Wine Bar. If you are in North Central, be sure to visit Martini’s Lounge or one of two multi-club entertainment complexes, The Atrium and Park Place. Around the Medical Center area, The Aquarium, Mama’s Bar and Dave & Buster's are a few of the hot spots. South of downtown, near the Blue Star Arts Complex, locals’ picks include the Blue Star Brewing Company, La Tuna and Beto's Empanada Bar.
Movies
The alternative cinemas in San Antonio are not in the most trafficked tourist areas, but if you're willing to go out of your way for an indie fix you can get one at the Regal Fiesta Stadium 16, 12631 Vance Jackson (tel. 210/641-6906). The city also boasts a cinema that not only screens off-beat films, but also allows you to munch on more than popcorn and licorice while viewing them. At the homegrown Bijou at Crossroads: A CaféCinema, 4522 Fredericksburg, Crossroads Mall (tel. 210/737-0291 [show times] or 496-1300, ext 0; www.santikos.com/sites/crossroads.htm), you can dine on deli sandwiches, burgers, or pizzas, accompanied by a cold one (or glass of wine) at bistro-style tables in the lobby or at your seat in the theatre. An Austin import (its name notwithstanding), the Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes, 1255 SW Loop 410 (tel. 210/677-8500; www.drafthouse.com/westlakes), shows mostly first-run films but accompanies them with seat-side food service.
The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center and the McNay and Witte museums often have interesting film series, and the Esperanza Center, 922 San Pedro (tel. 210/228-0201; www.esperanzacenter.org), usually offers an annual gay and lesbian cinema festival. In addition to Alamo, the Price of Freedom, the San Antonio IMAX Theater Rivercenter, 217 Alamo Plaza (tel. 210/225-4629; www.imax-sa.com), shows high-action films like Spiderman or Into the Deep suited to the big, big screen. Be on the lookout for a second large-screen theatre on the River Walk, the Aztec Theater, a historic venue which was still under reconstruction in early 2005 with no definite opening date in sight; check www.aztecontheriver.com for updates.
Mission Accomplished--When it premiered in 1947, the screen of the Mission Drive-In, 310 Roosevelt Ave. (tel. 210/532-3259 or 496-2221), was framed with a neon outline of nearby Mission San Jose, replete with moving bell, burro, and cacti. San Antonio's last remaining open-air movie house, refurbished and reopened in 2001, now has four screens and features first-run films. It's as much fun to come here for a family filmfest or romantic under-the-stars evening as it ever was.
The Club & Music Scene
The closest San Antonio comes to having a club district is the stretch of North St. Mary's between Josephine and Magnolia -- just north of downtown and south of Brackenridge Park -- known as the Strip. This area was hotter about 15 years ago, but it still draws a young crowd to its restaurants and lounges on the weekend. The River Walk clubs tend to be touristy, and many of them close early because of noise restrictions. Downtown's Sunset Station, 1174 E. Commerce (tel. 210/222-9481, www.sunset-station.com), a multivenue entertainment complex in the city's original train station, has yet to take off when there are no events in the nearby Alamodome. When there are, you can get down at Club Agave, where the movement has a Latin flavour. More regular action occurs on Sunday at noon, when the House of Blues lays on a gospel brunch buffet in a covered outdoor pavilion. Call the Sunset Station office or check the website for details.
In addition to the Alamodome, 100 Montana St. (tel. 210/207-3663, www.sanantonio.gov/dome), the major concert venues in town include Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, 16765 Lookout Rd., north of San Antonio just beyond Loop 1604 (tel. 210/657-8300, www.vwatx.com), and, when the Spurs aren't playing there, downtown's SBC Center, 1 SBC Center Pkwy. (tel. 210/444-5000, www.nba.com/spurs), which opened in late 2002.
Conjunto: An American Classic
Cruise a San Antonio radio dial or go to any major city festival, and you'll most likely hear the happy, boisterous sound of conjunto. Never heard of it? Don't worry, you're not alone. Although conjunto is one of the country's original contributions to world music, for a long time few Americans outside Texas knew much about it.
Conjunto evolved at the end of the 19th century, when South Texas was swept by a wave of German immigrants who brought with them popular polkas and waltzes. These sounds were easily incorporated into -- and transformed by -- Mexican folk music. The newcomer accordion, cheap and able to mimic several instruments, was happily adopted, too. With the addition at the turn of the century of the bajo sexto, a 12-string guitar-like instrument used for rhythmic bass accompaniment, conjunto was born.
Tejano (Spanish for "Texan") is the 20th-century offspring of conjunto. The two most prominent instruments in Tejano remain the accordion and the bajo sexto, but the music incorporates more modern forms, including pop, jazz, and country-and-western, into the traditional conjunto repertoire. At clubs not exclusively devoted to Latino sounds, what you're likely to hear is Tejano.
Long ignored by the mainstream, conjunto and Tejano were brought into America's consciousness by the murder of Hispanic superstar Selena. Before she was killed, Selena had already been slotted for crossover success -- she had done the title song and put in a cameo appearance in the film Don Juan de Marco with Johnny Depp -- and the movie based on her life boosted awareness of her music even further.
San Antonio is to conjunto music what Nashville is to country. The most famous bajo sextos, used nationally by everyone who is anyone in conjunto and Tejano music, were created in San Antonio by the Macías family -- the late Martín and now his son, Alberto. The undisputed king of conjunto, Flaco Jiménez -- a mild-mannered triple-Grammy winner who has recorded with the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and Willie Nelson, among others -- lives in the city. And San Antonio's Tejano Conjunto Festival, held each May, is the largest of its kind, drawing aficionados from around the world -- there's even a conjunto band from Japan.
Most of the places to hear conjunto and Tejano are off the beaten tourist path, and they come and go fairly quickly. Those that have been around for a while -- and are visitor-friendly -- include Arturo's Sports Bar & Grill, 3310 S. Zarzamora St. (tel. 210/923-0177), and Cool Arrows, 1025 Nogalitos St. (tel. 210/227-5130). For live music schedules, check the Tejano/Conjunto section under "Entertainment" and "Music" of www.mysanatonio.com, the website of the San Antonio-Express News. You can also phone Salute! to find out which night of the week they're featuring a Tejano or conjunto band. Best yet, just attend one of San Antonio's many festivals -- you're bound to hear these rousing sounds.
The Gay Scene
In addition to the Bonham, Main Street just north of downtown has three gay clubs in close proximity (it's been nicknamed the "gay bar mall"). Pegasus, 1402 N. Main (tel. 210/299-4222), is your basic cruise bar. The Silver Dollar, 1418 N. Main (tel. 210/227-2623), does the country-and-western thing. And The Saint, 1430 N. Main (tel. 210/225-7330), caters to dancing fools. Covers are low to nonexistent at all three.
The Performing Arts
The San Antonio Symphony is the city's only resident performing arts company of national stature, but smaller, less professional groups keep the local arts scene lively, and cultural organisations draw world-renowned artists. The city provides them with some unique venues -- everything from standout historic structures like the Majestic, Empire, Arneson, and Sunken Garden theatres to the state-of-the-art SBC Center.
Most of San Antonio's major shows turn up at the Majestic or Empire theatres, but several smaller theatres are of interest too. The Actors Theater of San Antonio, 1920 Fredericksburg Rd. (tel. 210/738-2872), uses local talent for its productions, which tend to be in the off-Broadway tradition. Their venue is the Woodlawn Theatre, opened as a movie house in 1945. At the King William district's Alamo Street Restaurant & Theatre, 1150 S. Alamo (tel. 210/271-7791; www.alamostreetrestaurantandtheatre.com), interactive comedies and murder mysteries take place on Friday and Saturday nights in the Green Room Dinner Theatre -- the former choir rooms of a converted 1912 church -- accompanied by buffet meals; upstairs, in the former sanctuary now called The Mainstage, there are lectures, concerts, musicals, comedies, and dramas, sans food. The community-based Josephine Street Theater, 339 W. Josephine St. (tel. 210/734-4646), puts on an average of five productions a year -- mostly musicals -- at the Art Deco-style Josephine Street Theater, only 5 minutes from downtown. Whether it's an original piece by a member of the company or a work by a guest artist, anything you see at the Jump-Start Performance Company, 108 Blue Star Arts Complex (1400 S. Alamo; tel. 210/227-JUMP; www.jump-start.org), is likely to push the social and political envelope. This is the place to find the big-name performance artists like Karen Finley or Holly Hughes who tour San Antonio. The only professional family theatre in town, the popular Magik Theatre, Beethoven Hall, 420 S. Alamo in HemisFair Park (tel. 210/227-2751; www.magiktheatre.org), features a daytime series with light fare for ages 3 and up, and evening performances, recommended for those 6 and older, that may include weightier plays. About half the plays are adaptations of published scripts, while the other half are originals, created especially for the theatre. San Antonio's first public theatre, the San Pedro Playhouse, 800 W. Ashby (tel. 210/733-7258; http://san_pedro_playhouse.tripod.com), presents a wide range of plays in a neoclassical-style performance hall built in 1930. For information on other small theatres in San Antonio and links to many of those listed in this section, log on to the website of the San Antonio Theater Coalition, www.satheatre.com. |
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