Midnight at the Alamo

It is always interesting when you have a holiday in the middle of the week. This week Veteran's Day took place on Wednesday so the TABC offices are closed. That means I could take a bit of a road trip, but I couldn't go too far since I had to be back to work Thursday. Victoria and I grabbed dinner and hung out a while and even cruised around Austin until she had to get home because she had to work the next day. I was itching to take a road trip so I decided I'd drive to the Alamo see how tourists were there on a Tuesday night. Come to find out, I was the sole tourist there.

A lot of the times, I will drive without a GPS if I have been in the area just to test how well my memory is. There ended up being construction, so I got turned around a little bit. Luckily, I remembered there was a unique looking hotel and I was able to use that as a point of reference to get me to where I needed to go.

Illuminated tower of a historic building at night with darkened structures visible below against a dark sky

What I came to find out was it was pretty dead. I was happy I could actually find street parking close to the Alamo that I didn't have to pay for.

Night street scene with cars parked along a downtown street lined with storefronts and businesses

I came to find out I was the only one actually visiting the Alamo at midnight on a Tuesday night. The streets were very dead on my walk from the car to the Alamo.

Wet pedestrian walkway along a riverwalk at night with decorative street lamps and buildings with storefronts

When I got to the Alamo, there was nobody around except a lone security guard.

The Alamo mission facade illuminated at night with trees flanking the historic limestone building and a Texas flag visible

The walking paths around the Alamo were also empty.

Nighttime view of Alamo Plaza with paved walkway, stone barriers, and a multi-story hotel building in the background Alamo Plaza at night showing historic buildings, decorative pavement, and various structures around the plaza Wide view of Alamo Plaza at night with stone archway structure, trees, and illuminated buildings in the distance

Obviously the inside wasn't open.

Blurry nighttime photo of a wall-mounted Alamo sign with tour information partially visible

With nobody there, I was able to get some awesome shots of the Alamo.

Close-up nighttime view of the Alamo's ornate Spanish colonial limestone facade with carved details and arched entrance The Alamo illuminated at night from across the plaza with Texas flag and trees framing the historic mission Stone-paved pathway at night leading toward an illuminated government building with decorative lamp post Stone wall with four arched openings at night, part of historic Alamo complex architecture

I did go by the monument dedicated to all the fallen at the Alamo. Everyone thinks Ozzy pissed on the Alamo itself, but he really pissed on this monument that is across the walkway from the Alamo.

Cenotaph monument at Alamo Plaza at night with carved relief figures and tall obelisk structure

On my walk back, the city took advantage of nobody being out and they were pressure washing the sidewalks.

Buc-ee's storefront entrance at night with illuminated signage and glass doors

On my drive back, I actually used the GPS since I took a wrong turn. Once back on route, I turned it off. One place I usually stop at is Buc-ee's in New Braunfels. It's super famous in Texas, and people base their stops on Buc-ee's. It's also the biggest gas station I've ever seen in my life.

Buc-ee's red logo sign illuminated at night on building exterior Buc-ee's gas station at night with multiple fuel pumps under large canopy and vehicles refueling Interior of Buc-ee's convenience store showing wide aisles, product displays, and bright fluorescent lighting Interior of Buc-ee's showing extensive snack and product aisles with organized shelving and yellow caution signs on floor

It was nice going for a late-night cruise. There's something about the open road and being able to go, especially when you can easily see historical monuments. I found out that the best time to visit them for good pictures is late night on a weeknight since nobody is there. This impulsive road trip allowed me to be the sole tourist at the Alamo and see it all by myself.

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