Fiancee's Christmas Party in San Antonio

Victoria’s company has their Christmas party in two different places that alternate every other year. One year it is in Austin at the Salt Lick. The other year it is in San Antonio at the Hilton Palacio del Rio on The Riverwalk. I have attended both and blogged about the San Antonio one we took in 2015.

With this trip, I knew it would be perfect to get Victoria to The Alamo, and then propose to her in the same spot our first date ended up at with the custom ring I had made for her. Before we left, I made sure to put the ring in my pocket.

We got in the car and took a little pitstop at Flyrite to have breakfast.

Wide multi-lane highway stretching into the distance under clear blue sky with commercial buildings and power lines visible on both sides Vintage red neon Flyrite Chicken sign with retro arrow design standing tall above a restaurant building with outdoor seating area Metal tray filled with paper-wrapped burritos and containers of salsa and jalapeños from a fast-casual restaurant

After eating, it was off to San Antonio. Of course you can’t drive through Austin without some sort of traffic.

View from driver's seat of highway interchange with concrete overpass structures and directional signage overhead

It was also pretty windy that day.

Highway traffic with large American flag visible flying in the distance beyond vehicles on a clear day

Before you knew it, we were in San Antonio and I saw signs for The Alamo.

Electronic highway sign displaying traffic fatality statistics with 'The Alamo' overhead gantry sign visible in background San Antonio skyline silhouetted against bright sun with distinctive Tower of the Americas visible among downtown buildings

We made it downtown and then to our hotel and then parked and got things in the room.

Downtown San Antonio street view at dusk showing modern glass office building and historic beige tower with vehicles at intersection Architectural detail of curved arched windows on building facade with hotel tower visible behind, VIA bus passing on street Covered parking area with distinctive coffered concrete ceiling and cars parked in shadows

In the meantime of the party, I was able to pull off my proposal and thankfully she said yes. We had a little Texas-style celebration and then headed to the actual Christmas party. The food was excellent there! I made sure to load up on salmon, beef, and chicken.

Restaurant plate featuring smoked brisket, ribs, sides including broccoli and peppers, with iced tea glasses visible

After the official party, we hit The Riverwalk for the “second party.” This ended up being at Kremlin. When we first walked to Kremlin, The Riverwalk was crowded.

Marriott hotel tower illuminated at night with red and green decorative lighting on its distinctive architectural features San Antonio River Walk at night with illuminated red boat on water and crowds of people along the walkway with city lights above Evening scene on River Walk showing decorated canal with red-lit boat and pedestrians along the waterside promenade Modern River Walk commercial building at night with string lights creating ambiance and outdoor dining areas visible Blurred motion shot of illuminated structure with turquoise and red lighting reflected in River Walk water at night Underground section of River Walk with crowds gathered along waterway watching illuminated boat display with colorful lighting Dense holiday crowds walking along River Walk at night with Christmas lights decorating trees and buildings overhead Multi-level River Walk architecture at night with holiday lighting and crowds visible on various levels of shops and restaurants

Afterwards, it was not crowded anymore and it was a nice and peaceful walk.

River Walk pathway at night showing trees decorated with colorful Christmas lights and illuminated bridge crossing the canal River Walk canal at night with colored string lights reflecting in water and illuminated restaurant with arched architecture visible across the waterway Dark underground section of River Walk with Alamo Street sign visible and small candle lights lining both sides of the calm water Quiet section of River Walk at night with boat outlined in blue LED lights floating near concrete embankment with Christmas lights in trees above

We ended up getting back to the hotel a little after 1am. We only had 2 drinks while we were out, so the next morning was a pleasant hangover free experience. We walked to the parking garage and got the car.

Brutalist concrete parking garage or office building exterior with distinctive angular balconies and palm trees at street level on sunny day Decorative trash can with colorful painted portrait of woman against blue tile wall with ornate yellow and blue patterned trim border Multi-level concrete parking garage interior with rows of parked vehicles along walls and fluorescent lighting overhead Curved parking garage ramp with textured concrete walls and ceiling beams leading to bright exit opening

On the way back, we decided to get brunch at Zaxby’s. This definitely hit the spot! It’s been a while since I’ve been to one and I forgot how good their food is.

Black plastic takeout container with fried chicken tenders, waffle fries, coleslaw, ketchup packet and plastic utensils

After Zaxby’s, it was a quick drive back to Austin.

Highway view approaching downtown skyline under clear blue sky with modern high-rise buildings and red sports car visible ahead

Later that night, we decided to go to one of our favorite places to eat, Dos Batos. I ordered a taco and saw they had a new thing on the menu. It was soup and it was great! It basically tasted like homemade chicken noodle soup with rice instead of noodles and a Mexican twist to it.

Yellow bowl of Mexican pozole soup with hominy, meat, and cilantro garnish served with foil-wrapped tortillas and lime wedges

This year’s Christmas party for Victoria’s company was great. Instead of calling it “Girlfriend’s Christmas Party” like I did in 2015, I got to propose and upgrade Victoria to my fiancee. I’m definitely happy it all worked out and this is a Christmas party I will remember forever!

See more blog entries here