I believe I promised this last week, so here we are. This is NIT Stu’s Travel Guide: San Marcos, TX
What is it: San Marcos. Around 60,000 people. Texas State (34,000 undergrads, LBJ’s alma mater, member of the Fun Belt) is there. There’s a river you can float. There’s a square where the young folk go out to imbibe.
Where is it: Between Austin and San Antonio. Between Austin and New Braunfels if you’re really zooming in. On I-35. But it will take a while to get there from Albert Lea.
How to get there: Get a rideshare ride request from just off Manchaca to a construction site down there when you’re driving early on a Monday morning after taking your neighbor’s friend to the airport.
What to do while you’re there: Cruise for a bit. Make sure that guy didn’t leave his cigarette in your car. Take two Amazon employees to work (separate rides). Take two Texas State students to class (also separate rides). Get an email that makes you think you’re being audited. Realize it’s not the IRS but actually a lending institution. Relax a bit. You don’t need a loan. You’re doing fine. Also an audit wouldn’t be a big deal because your finances are in order. You’re doing fine. Don’t let them rattle you. Look at The Square. Make mental notes for a future blog post. Notice signs about a guy named Maxfield Baker (LINK). Look at Texas State’s campus. Use the bathroom at the Embassy Suites Conference Center. Take a snapchat with the geotag. Don’t send it to very many people. Drive past the outlet malls on your way back north. Compliment yourself on not driving through McDonald’s at eight in the morning to get a large coke or orange juice. Wonder if you’re getting sick because your throat feels weird. Remind yourself your everything feels weird because you’ve been up since four.
Overall impression: San Marcos seems like a good place to live. The Square underwhelmed by appearances—I was expecting quainter, and more clearly riotous on weekends (yes, it was Monday morning, but with certain places you can tell). I did not float the river, nor did I enroll at Texas State or get a job at the Amazon warehouse, so I can’t tell you about all the top activities. But I did spend some time driving on Wonder World Drive, so I basically went to that road’s namesake amusement park, and I can tell you it exists. Also, there were those outlet malls, so the city has a lot of similarities to Fargo except it’s smaller, doesn’t have as iconic a skyline, and isn’t home to a college football team that haunts Nick Saban’s nightmares (LINK).
Would I go back: Yes. Might go to a Texas State basketball game, or float the river next summer, or stop to use the bathroom on the way back from San Antonio if I ever make it down there. Not opposed to checking out The Square but guessing I’ll never actually do it. After all, I live in Austin, and I don’t drive drunk, so if I want to drink publicly I’ll do it here, not there. Anyway, yes, I’d go back. This is now a pro-San Marcos blog.
