The Most Laid-Back Town — San Antonio

If Chinese people know about San Antonio, it’s almost certainly because of the NBA team, the Spurs 🏀. Thanks to my son, I had the chance to get to know this small southern city—full of mixed vibes, complex yet charming 💫. 🏀 First stop, of course, was the Frost Bank Center. In midsummer, San Antonio’s average daytime temperature exceeds 35°C—not exactly ideal for tourism 😅. From the outside of the arena to its center, we only ran into one other Chinese couple there to take photos. Since it was the off-season, the arena was completely closed. They just took a picture in front of the Spurs logo and left. We also visited the team store—no Duncan jerseys, no Kawhi memorabilia 😢. The most prominent displays were all about Wembanyama: jerseys, action figures, posters… At the checkout counter, there were plenty of pins blending Texan cowboy culture with Mexican Day of the Dead motifs. At the time, I thought they were just okay—kind of underwhelming. But later, when I visited the Golden State Warriors and LA Clippers arenas, I realized how naïve I’d been: I should’ve bought everything in San Antonio! 😂🛍️ 🌞 After the morning visit, we hid from the heat in the hotel at noon. The afternoon plan was to visit Texas’ only UNESCO World Heritage Site—the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park ⛪. ⛪ Of the four mission sites built along the river during the Spanish colonial period 300 years ago, we chose the largest one: Mission San Jose. On the U.S. National Park Service website, it’s called the "Queen of the Missions"—not only the biggest but also the most beautiful 👑. 🌙 The national park closes at 5 PM, so we returned to the River Walk. Because of this river, many compare the city to Venice or Suzhou. But as someone from Nanjing, it reminded me of Confucius Temple 🏮. We didn’t take a boat tour, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the night views 🌉. The peak tourist season here starts after October. During Día de los Muertos, Spanish guitars play along the riverbank, and colorful skeleton lights illuminate the entire city 💀🎸. #TravelUSA #CaptureTheMoment #America #TravelDiary ✈️📸