Our grumpy porter DID wake us after all. The train was running 20 minutes early so that’s a good thing. We got dressed and collected our things and made our way down to the door. The train stopped but the porter didn’t come down. I was wondering if we should open the door ourselves but B wisely convinced me that would be a bad idea. I went back up and asked the porter “we’re not in the station yet?” and she grunted a “uh-uh” to me so I went back down and waited. The train moved a bit more and then she finally came down and opened the door. We said thank you and good-bye and did not give her a tip.
Outside the air felt fresh and cool. We claimed the two bags we had checked in LA and went outside the front of the station. We stood away from the station a bit since there was someone smoking where they shouldn’t have been.
Cousin Derek arrived and drove us to our hotel so we could drop off bags until check-in time at 3pm. We had to poke around a bit to find a door with a ramp. That door was locked. I went around to the front door where someone let me in at the same time someone else heard Bernadette knocking at the accessible door and let her in. The building is not large. Built in 1878, it was originally the Bexar County Jail but is now a comfortable modern hotel. https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/san-antonio/satcm/hoteldetail
They happily stashed our bags for us, right behind the front desk where anyone could see them, and assured us there was someone there at all times. We were too tired and hungry to care.
Derek took us to Denny’s for breakfast, where they had a limited menu due to short staffing. (Later as we were leaving, after the place had filled up for a regular breakfast rush, they were using their usual full menus – wtf??) We enjoyed some decent food and conversation for a couple hours, then drove to the house to see Arti and Elese.
Aunt Elese is one of the primary reasons for this trip. She is now in hospice at home, with her daughter, Arti, taking primary caregiving duties. Also in town are Elese’s other children, Derek and Karen who are there to help regularly. Elese was glad to see us and we each spent some time talking with her. I have been recently entrenched in Ancestry.com and asked her some questions about her siblings and parents. Arti and I also talked about family and Arti shared some old pictures. It was a peaceful slow day.
At 3pm, Derek took us back to the hotel so we could officially check-in and have a little down time before dinner. We were glad to see that all our bags were still there behind the front desk. We got settled into our room and had a good nap; it had been a short night on the train.
For dinner Derek took us to a Korean restaurant where we stuffed ourselves on rice noodles and tofu and veggies. They automatically load up the table with many little dishes of things: kimchee, potatoes, sprouts, radish, fish, and other veggies. Then the main dish you ordered is added on top of that. It was delicious. We stuffed ourselves and couldn’t finish it all. We got a To-Go box, thinking we would give it to a homeless person outside, but there weren’t any.
Back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.
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Adrian Dee, flutist, composer 