The buzz surrounding Fiesta had been going on for months. The energy in the city as April approached can not be described (Hint hint....ya'll need to be here next year). I heard things like, "What? This is your first Fiesta? You're going to love it!" and"People come from all over the world", "You have to check out Fiesta". "Don't forget the parades!" and the statement that I refused to believe was, "The whole city shuts down for Fiesta". Sure, now ya'll are exaggerating. When asked what exactly Fiesta was, the consensus was it's a 3 week party. Now ya'll are really taking it over the top. But it was all true. Here's a snapshot into our first Fiesta experience.
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Fiesta 2017 kicked off at work of all places. Brookdale hosted their first ever Fiesta event...kind of. The Fiesta gods caught wind of the celebration and forced a name change because it was not an actual approved Fiesta event. Regardless of heat from the commission and a looming storm, Brookdale moved forward. All of the San Antonio properties leadership descended on the Patriot Heights campus.
Each campus had a booth and served our food of choice. The event was open to residents, family members, marketers, and all care associates. Our team served street tacos. Also on the menu were chicken avocado balls, carnival goods like popcorn and cotton candy, micheladas, margaritas and nachos--just to name a few. The petting zoo was a hit and mariachis set the party tone. I picked up my first medal, met lots of people and had my share of good food. Friday, April 21, 2017
I mentioned to the seniors that I serve that we had plans on going to the party at Market Square. The sound advice given by several of them was to wear close toed shoes that I didn't care about because I would certainly get beer on my feet; they were so right!
Yolanda met us at home, we parked at The Pearl and took an Uber to Market Square. I'm glad we did. Not only was traffic horrendous but parking prices were outrageous. The Goodwill parking lot across the street that was usually $5 had been marked up to $20.
The event was free to enter and it was almost magical. Beautiful colored banners draped across the market along with lights. Someone near us had a bubble blower going. The tight crowd moved slowly and we were surrounded by laughter and loud talking. There was tons of fried foods for sale along with flower crowns, leather purses, churros and beer. Lots of beer. Live music of different genres blared at all the entrances. We covered all the entrances, marveled at the grandiose quesadillas, and stopped for agua frescas.
We then walked down to the Main Plaza. Yolanda had never seen the light show on the cathedral so we watched some of that, Ubered back to The Pearl, and ended our night at Jim's where we gorged on appetizers and a pancake. I was happy to get home and dry out my beer soaked canvas shoes for the next outing.
Sunday, April 23, 2017
Today Naysia and I parked at the garage near Luther's Cafe and requested a Lyft ride. It was a short ride with Clemmie from California. He dropped us off right in front of the seemingly dilapidated building called The Bonham Exchange. Seeing as this was an 18+ event, we were both carded at the door. Naysia's hands were marked and we meandered through the hall. It was dark, there were rooms to our left and bathrooms to our right. Straight ahead was the main dance hall. And just beyond that was a patio.
We went outside. I envisioned a party different than it actually was. Chili was served at the counter and in the center of the patio was a bar. About 75 people were in attendance. We found a bench to sit at, but didn't sit long. Figuring we showed up too early, we agreed to go walking. We found ourselves near the Alamo, sat in the plaza and people watched then had lunch on the Riverwalk.
Our return trip to the Bonham was a bit more entertaining. The party on the patio had grown in numbers and there were several people on the dance floor. I would have danced if Naysia did. The music was cut short to announce the 2017 Chili Queen.
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Having worked the previous Sunday, I decided to take this day off in exchange. The morning started off with an appointment that just might turn into a spin off blog. After that, what I thought was going to be a medal transaction turned into a 3 hour lunch date with our new friend mentioned in a previous blog, Anita De Leon. Her church, St. Henry's was selling medals for the first time ever. Ms. Anita sent a mass text out to share the news and although I'm not a parishioner I was happy to support her sales.
I still don't have a clear understanding of the medal fascination. From what I've learned so far medal collecting goes back at least 70 years. During our Fiesta outings we've seen several people that have hundreds pinned to their vests, sashes, or jackets. As the person walks the medals cling and you can hear them from a distance.
After lunch at Nadler's Bakery, Naysia and I got a short nap in before Yolanda arrived.
NIOSA (Night In Old San Antonio) was probably the event that friends and strangers raved most about! When asked what it was the answer was consistently, "A big ole party at La Villita". And that was an accurate description. We parked near Luther's again and stopped inside for a drink and appetizers. I had this wild thought that if we ate and drank before NIOSA we wouldn't spend that much money there. Hahahah, yeah right.
The smell from the food booths wafted through the air long before we reached the entrance. The tickets for entry were $13/each. I bought $20 in tickets and encouraged Naysia to buy her own. Thursday night at NIOSA was and has always been college night. I expected a bunch of young folks but the crowd was quite diverse. Using the word crowd may be an understatement. I read an average of 85,000 people attend NIOSA each night. (It takes place 4 nights).
Marketed as a night celebrating the 15 heritages that molded San Antonio in the old days, the proceeds fund the conservation society that is instrumental in preservation of historic buildings, customs and places that relate to the city's history.
Highlights: Chicken on a Stick, live music, running into some of my new co-workers, observing karaoke, talking to strangers, cascarones, watching seniors do some serious square dancing, beignets, sweet tea, and fried oreos. Not only did I use all of my tickets, I used some of Yolanda's too ;)
It truly was one big party and I will most definitely attend next year!
Saturday, April 29, 2017
The final festivity that we attended was the infamous Fiesta Flambeau parade. We parked at the airport and took the VIA shuttle. The parade took place downtown and covered approximately 3 miles of the city center. It's the largest night parade in the country--and not only is it televised, but boasts 700,000 attendees.
The tickets were $23 and although we were in the same section we weren't seated together. I bought a flower crown because when in Rome....Personal pizzas were being sold so we enjoyed a lukewarm box and waited for the fun to begin. Our seats were near the Alamo. Yolanda was closer to the beginning of the parade and kept us posted on the happenings on her end.
It kicked off with a run. Literally. I'm not sure if it was a race or a fun run, but hundreds of people ran down the street in costumes, with speakers, flags, strollers, solo and in groups. Imagine my surprise when I heard someone calling my name. It was Frank, one of my co-workers.
Eventually the seats around us filled in. I was sitting among a really fun, wild group of people. By the end of the night I had all kinds of loot...glow in the dark bracelets and necklaces, cascarones, and even a medal to add to my collection. Naysia squeezed in and we cheered on as bands, performers, and floats passed before us. And then I got mushy. While sitting there I thought about so many people who I love that I wish were with us in that moment. And I started to cry. Lame, right?
A storm was brewing, the wind was blowing fiercely and lighting was striking overhead. My understanding was the parade was to go until midnight, but our bus would make it's last run at 11. At 1030 we gathered our belongings. We negotiated pricing for two drinks, stopped at the Hilton to use the ladies room, Naysia chased and caught a scarf the wind ripped out of a woman's hand, and we got lost looking for the bus stop. The bus ride to the airport was jam packed and everyone was talking about their Fiesta shenanigans.
Everything everyone told me about Fiesta was true. Forget scheduling appointments, expect staff to call off, I met people from all over the world, I had a great time. I've started a Fiesta savings account, need to find someone to make us a wreath, and I'm hopeful that next year we'll have company to party with.
And seriously, there is a Fiesta App :)
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