NTA WORKING FOR YOU
My San Antonio walkabout
NTA’s Anna Pettus shares 3 city favorites from her first visit
I WAS LUCKY enough to be sent on a “work” trip to San Antonio
in August. My task was to interview local members, get footage
of our Travel Exchange ’17 host city and attend the associa-
tion’s Meet-up event, which brought together area tourism
professionals to meet and mingle. Sure, I was there in prepa-
ration for our December convention, but the good people of San
Antonio made sure that my trip felt like anything but a job.
With barely three days to spend in the city, I laced up my best
walking shoes and hit the pavement. Here are three of my favor-
ite experiences from the time I spent deep in the heart of Texas.
1. River Walk, of course
This being my first time visiting San Antonio, I definitely wanted
to spend some time wandering up and down the famous River
Walk. It was both charming and lively (as expected) in the
summertime, but I’m sure we’ll be in for a treat in December,
when it’s decorated with 100,000 lights to celebrate the holi-
day season. I found my own treat on the River Walk in the
form of Café Olé, home of the 60-ounce margarita. Don’t
worry, I didn’t partake in this tequila-filled concoction, but my
guess is we’ll have a few TREX attendees go for it.
2. San Fernando Cathedral
Down by the riverside: Anna Pettus, communication and
marketing manager at NTA, placed the River Walk atop her
list of favorites during a recent trip to San Antonio. Travel
Exchange attendees will experience this iconic attraction at the
Deep in the Heart of Texas party, Friday, Dec. 15.
Meet me in SAT: Visit San Antonio’s Francisco Gallegos (second
from left) and NTA Board of Directors Secretary Paul Larsen of Ed-
Ventures (second from right) joined NTA’s Anna Pettus (left), Dawn
Pettus (middle) and Katey Pease at the August Meet-up event.
TREX
Checks
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Situated downtown, the gorgeous and gothic San Fernando
Cathedral towers above the city’s Main Plaza. With a quaint
setup of tables and chairs, and water bubbling up from foun-
tains, the plaza seemed the perfect spot to stop and kick my
feet up for a while. So I did. I sat in a pure, peaceful bliss and
stared in awe at the cathedral. It truly was one of those “life
is good” moments. You can check it out for yourself on the
Travel Exchange Iconic Sites of San Antonio sightseeing tour.
3. The locals
For me, trips are made special because of the people I’m with
rather than where I am. And for the most part, I was on my own
in a new city. But that proved to be a non-issue with San Antonio.
Everyone I came across was helpful and friendly, and I can’t
describe how comforting that was for 1) a people-person and 2)
someone who’s prone to getting lost on the way to the mailbox.
Thanks to Francisco Gallegos of Visit San Antonio, who recom-
mended I check out Pearl Brewery. The name is deceiving, as it’s
no longer a brewery but a neighborhood bustling with restau-
rants, shops and cafés. Thanks to my cab driver, who, on the way
to Pearl Brewery, told me I needed to stop in Bakery Lorraine. And
thanks to the folks at Bakery Lorraine for hooking me up with the
best pastry/coffee combo I’ve maybe ever had. San Antonio locals
truly love to show off their city, and that’ll be no different when
you arrive this December for Travel Exchange ’17.
What: Travel Exchange ’17 | Where: San Antonio, Texas | When: Dec. 14–18
Register: NTAonline.com/convention
October 2017