Thursday, December 6, 2012

Walking the Walk: The Pearl and River of Lights

I love holiday lights, the more the merrier and San Antonio has a lot of lights like these at The Pearl just north of downtown.

The Pearl Brewery buildings have been an iconic presence along the San Antonio river for more than a century.  Now known simply as "The Pearl" the brewery closed in 2001 and the buildings have been redeveloped into spaces for restaurants, shops, and special events.  It's one of my favorite places in town because it also provides easy  access the north end of the River Walk.  Last night we went down to take a look at The Pearl and the nearby "River of Lights" display.

The former brewing building is outlined in lights.  The smokestack is one of several in town which have been preserved.



Like a giant gingerbread house.


You can see this view from the nearby freeway.


A look at the shopping area and the beautiful oak tree in the courtyard.


Another view of the courtyard with a train car on display


The former stable is used for special events.



The River of Lights display is about 1.5 miles long and an addition to the more famous light display along the Paseo del Rio downtown.  This is behind the old admin building.


Lighted hand rails lead the way down to the river



The lights stretch across the river and arch over Rio Taxi and river barge riders.


 A tree of lights at the Lock and Dam near Brooklyn Avenue.


Closer view of the tree



Reflections of the tree and handrails near the dam




The San Antonio version of the Brooklyn Bridge.


Beautiful reflections for the holidays.



To see my two posts on how this area appears in the daylight click here and here.  Because I can never show enough lights during the holidays, I'll bring you more lights from the River Walk next week.

11 comments:

  1. Thanks for the Xmas tour. I was in San Antonio one Fall so I didn't see the lights. Nice. Jack

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    1. They are just for the holidays but I'd love to see them at Fiesta which is in the spring.

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  2. Beautiful! The river walk is so pretty in the summer, I can only imagine how absolutely wonderful it must be all lit up!

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    1. Beautiful anytime, but especially at Christmas.

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  3. Wonderful night pictures to get us in the holiday mood. We have a district called the Pearl in Portland, too. It began as industrial warehouses and is now one of the more chi chi areas of town.

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    1. I think I saw that on a Portland blog a while back and thought it interesting too.

      It's not the only thing, we're building a streetcar line and the advocates reference Portland as an example.

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  4. What festive lights! I can never get enough of them this time of the year! Thanks for sharing. The ground looks dry. I'm envious.

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    1. It's also warm but both of those conditions will change soon.

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  5. Gorgeous pictures Shirley! I especially LOVE the oak all lit up. I can hardly wait to make it down with my husband - anxiously awaiting my Daddy'O's visit so we have babysitters! I have these visions of the kids getting knocked in the river, I guess not so much by Pearl, but the section downtown! - EEK! Happy Holidays!!!! :)

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  6. Great night photography. Thanks for the tour...without the crowds!

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  7. One of my most favorite towns I ever visited, this just adds another highlight to a beautiful city.

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