travel

San with a Plan: It’s as Fun a Time as Ever to visit San Antonio

San with a Plan: It’s as Fun a Time as Ever to visit San Antonio

The adjoining AC by Marriott and Element by Westin hotels, a block from the River Walk

A VIBRANT DESTINATION any time of the year, San Antonio is especially exciting in October, leading up to weekend-long Dia de Los Muertos celebrations all over town. A river parade and special events in the La Villita Historic Village are among the festivities Oct. 27-29. Walkability is key, as ever — and two new Marriott properties have just opened in the heart of the River Walk, ensuring an easy trip for all.

The adjoining hotels, AC by Marriott and Element by Westin, are located on Soledad at Commerce; each offers a tasty breakfast buffet, and there’s a rooftop bar with bites, brunch and unbeatable skyline views.

The River Walk itself offers plenty of tourist-trappy fun (especially for families), but hop over to Hemisfair for more park and garden spaces, plus trendy eats like Box St. All Day. Farther east, find a more sophisticated take on the city’s mariachi-and-margaritas vibe at still-new Carriqui, with South Texas-inspired fare.

People + Places
medicine

THI’s New Artificial Heart Saves Patient’s Life, Furthers Med Center’s Heart-Surgery Lore

A next-gen artificial heart from BiVACOR has successfully been implanted in a patient at Texas Heart Institute. The patient survived more than a week, until a donor heart was found for a transplant.

THE PIONEERING CARDIOVASCULAR inventors and surgeons at The Texas Heart Institute (THI) in the Texas Medical Center have made another huge leap forward in the treatment of heart disease, officially announcing yesterday what they’re calling a “monumental advancement."

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People + Places
art

‘Birds, Bugs and Flowers in the Oven!’ Foltz Presents Playful Work by Gardner, Other Texas Artists

Rachel Gardner with her flower necklaces and, at left, Calla Lilly necklace

ON SATURDAY JULY 27, Foltz Gallery presents Endless Summer, a lively, playful exhibit of works by a multi-generational group of 28 emerging and established Texas-based artists. Taking its name from the 1974 Beach Boys double-album, which compiled the group’s early 1960s hit singles, the show is a visual “mixtape” of colorful paintings, prints, photographs, wall-based installations, ceramics and sculptures, installed lovingly throughout Foltz’s spacious and sunlit galleries. Among the works in Endless Summer are several examples of handmade “sculptural jewelry” by artist Rachel Gardner — a series of wearable wildflowers and fruits, including olives and strawberries.

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Art + Entertainment