Above SA

[The Model]

Welcome to an aerial adventure over San Antonio, Texas.
[IMG]Above San Antonio by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Thompson Hotel by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Towers of San Antonio by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]San Antonio Skyline by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Miliam Building by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]St. Joseph Catholic Church by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]The Vistana by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]San Antonio Skyline by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Above San Antonio by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]San Antonio Skyline by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Over San Antonio by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Tower of the America's by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Sunset over Hemisfair park by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Lone Star Brewery by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Southtown District by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Above San Antonio by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Above San Antonio Highways by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Over SAMA by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Pearl District by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Pearl Brewery by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Trinity University District by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Brackenridge Park by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Fort Sam Houston Quadrangle and Museum by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]AT&T Center by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Splashtown San Antonio by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Mission Concepcion by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Mission San Jose by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]San Antonio Skyline by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]San Antonio Skyline by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[JACKinBeantown]

https://i298.photobucket.com/albums/...on-niice-o.gif

[Coldrsx]

Nice Mission shots.

Having been there, it truly is one of the oddest skylines/built-forms I've ever seen in person.

Also, dear lord.

[AviationGuy]

Nice job showing different perspectives of my favorite city in this part of the country. Although not the purpose of your photos, I'll mention that my favorite thing is the street level experience in the historic downtown.

[Murphy de la Sucre]

SA means a lot of places on this forum, firstly for me is South Africa, secondly is Saudi Arabia, next is South Australia, even San Francisco is ahead of San Antonio in my simple mind.

[Crawford]

Pretty cool aerials. Nice work.

[dc_denizen]

sort of a weird and unique city

[MplsTodd]

San Antonio has a very eclectic skyline, but is attractive at the street level in the downtown core and Riverwalk areas. Wonder if Austin’s highrise boom will rub off on San Antonio!

[Nomad9]

Originally Posted by MplsTodd

San Antonio has a very eclectic skyline, but is attractive at the street level in the downtown core and Riverwalk areas. Wonder if Austin’s highrise boom will rub off on San Antonio!

I was hoping for that as a teenage skyscraper nerd in the early 2000s and so far…not really. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If downtown could continue to density outside of the river walk, it could be a really special place even absent fancy 750 footers.

Thanks for the photos!

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by Murphy de la Sucre

SA means a lot of places on this forum, firstly for me is South Africa, secondly is Saudi Arabia, next is South Australia, even San Francisco is ahead of San Antonio in my simple mind.

Yeah, I thought of South Africa too (SA) when I first saw the title of this thread.

Great photos of San Antonio! I honestly have never been to Texas, so I have no frame of reference of what San Antonio might have looked like before, or any "standard" of what San Antonio would look like. Very interesting!

[SLO]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

Yeah, I thought of South Africa too (SA) when I first saw the title of this thread.

Great photos of San Antonio! I honestly have never been to Texas, so I have no frame of reference of what San Antonio might have looked like before, or any "standard" of what San Antonio would look like. Very interesting!

Its a very good tourist town, great blend of Mexican/Texan culture. The riverwalk is the high point and much more substantial than people expect.

[Architype]

Very nice, I am noticing that Texas seems to be very flat. One thing that surprised me is the old mission buildings, which must to be of historic significance, appear to be neglected and falling apart. Is there no love for history there?

[bilbao58]

Originally Posted by Architype

Very nice, I am noticing that Texas seems to be very flat. One thing that surprised me is the old mission buildings, which must to be of historic significance, appear to be neglected and falling apart. Is there no love for history there?

The San Antonio Missions are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and as such are preserved as is… but if you think they could be better preserved, blame the US federal government and the National Park Service, not Texas or San Antonio itself.



https://www.nps.gov/saan/index.htm

[AviationGuy]

Originally Posted by Architype

Very nice, I am noticing that Texas seems to be very flat. One thing that surprised me is the old mission buildings, which must to be of historic significance, appear to be neglected and falling apart. Is there no love for history there?

Just to clarify, West Texas has a lot of mountains, including two mountainous national parks: Guadalupe Mtns National Park and Big Bend National Park. There's also the Davis Mtns and other smaller mountain ranges. The Hill Country is as big as New England and is dramatic in some areas, particularly on the west side of Austin and northwest suburbs of San Antonio. Northwest of San Antonio toward Bandera, Leakey, Utopia, and Vanderpool, it's high terrain cut by canyons. East Texas, starting about 50 miles north of Houston, is hilly and pine forested, with scenic ridges in such counties as Anderson (where my family is from), Cherokee, and Upshur. Yes, there are broad expanses of stereotypical flat terrain, particularly the Permian Basin and Panhandle, although the Panhandle has some deep canyons cut into the plains (e.g., Palo Duro Canyon, Caprock Canyon). The coastal plain is also flat, but well vegetated and swampy/woodsy in areas.

[jdcamb]

Originally Posted by Architype

Very nice, I am noticing that Texas seems to be very flat. One thing that surprised me is the old mission buildings, which must to be of historic significance, appear to be neglected and falling apart. Is there no love for history there?

I participated in a bike race in San Antonio. It was quite hilly. Between the hills, the heat and all the Austin area riders. My team never went back.

[Architype]

Originally Posted by bilbao58

The San Antonio Missions are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and as such are preserved as is… but if you think they could be better preserved, blame the US federal government and the National Park Service, not Texas or San Antonio itself.



https://www.nps.gov/saan/index.htm

Thanks for that, there are different philosophies about preserving history, I assume there are more examples of historical sites not pictured here. Preserving them as ruins is actually a great photographic opportunity if they do not deteriorate too much, and that's the way some sites can be preserved, as opposed to a more living restorative manner (like the Fortress of Louisburg in Nova Scotia, 1713).

Originally Posted by AviationGuy

Just to clarify, West Texas has a lot of mountains, including two mountainous national parks: Guadalupe Mtns National Park and Big Bend National Park. There's also the Davis Mtns and other smaller mountain ranges. The Hill Country is as big as New England and is dramatic in some areas, particularly on the west side of Austin and northwest suburbs of San Antonio. Northwest of San Antonio toward Bandera, Leakey, Utopia, and Vanderpool, it's high terrain cut by canyons. East Texas, starting about 50 miles north of Houston, is hilly and pine forested, with scenic ridges in such counties as Anderson (where my family is from), Cherokee, and Upshur. Yes, there are broad expanses of stereotypical flat terrain, particularly the Permian Basin and Panhandle, although the Panhandle has some deep canyons cut into the plains (e.g., Palo Duro Canyon, Caprock Canyon). The coastal plain is also flat, but well vegetated and swampy/woodsy in areas.

Thanks, I know Texas is a big state, about 73% of the area of British Columbia, and has varying topography, but I am just referring to what I see in the photos, although I did see some hills in the background.

Originally Posted by jdcamb

I participated in a bike race in San Antonio. It was quite hilly. Between the hills, the heat and all the Austin area riders. My team never went back.

An unwelcomed combination for cyclists. places that are flat like the Netherlands are usually more conducive to cycling.

[Evo5Boise]

Fantastic thread. San Antonio definitely has a unique skyline. I will say that Frost Bank Tower is a beauty. Really like that one.

Anyway, excellent photos!! Drone I presume?

[Sigaven]

Beautiful pics! A lot of people don't realize that despite the lack of new towers, there has been lots of low-mid rise development in the downtown area. Lots of old car dealerships/parking lots turned into quite attractive apartment buildings all over. Old abandoned buildings are being restored and turned into apartments/hotels/etc. Downtown's really booming, hopefully we'll start seeing some good vertical height soon!

[AviationGuy]

Originally Posted by Sigaven

Beautiful pics! A lot of people don't realize that despite the lack of new towers, there has been lots of low-mid rise development in the downtown area. Lots of old car dealerships/parking lots turned into quite attractive apartment buildings all over. Old abandoned buildings are being restored and turned into apartments/hotels/etc. Downtown's really booming, hopefully we'll start seeing some good vertical height soon!

There was an excellent thread in the "found" photos area, but I haven't seen it in a long time. It showed exactly what you're talking about. A lot of beautiful infill.

[jdcamb]

An unwelcomed combination for cyclists. places that are flat like the Netherlands are usually more conducive to cycling.[/QUOTE]

Which explains why every spring all the Austin area cyclists make the trip there.