07.05.2023

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Today’s Forecast

53º | Partly cloudy | 20% chance of rain | Sunrise 7:29 a.m. | Sunset 5:48 p.m.

🏗️ Building up with Gensler San Antonio

Discussing downtown’s evolution with Gensler San Antonio

Architecture firm Gensler is working on several projects that could revitalize downtown San Antonio, so we spoke with Co-Managing Directors Michael Rey and Johnny Kousparis about the company’s vision.

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

We spoke with Gensler San Antonio’s co-managing directors, Michael Rey and Johnny Kousparis.
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Graphic by SATXtoday team, photos provided by Gensler.

Our city skyline has been slow to grow. Why do you think that might be?

Michael: I’ve lived in San Antonio since I was seven, and growth has been very slow. The momentum is picking up though. I’m grateful that we’re finally on the uptick, but we need to grow a lot faster. Our skyline needs more verticality, for sure.

When designing buildings for San Antonio, how do you take into consideration the local community and culture?

Johnny: I’d say most clients want a combination. They’re coming to us for a new building, and they want it to reflect their future. Typically it’s a blend between their perceived brand and community influence. It’s our role that we help facilitate that.

HIPAU_Hilton Canopy_Conway_01_211130_hip.jpg — Gensler designed the Canopy by Hilton San Antonio Riverwalk.
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Photo by Ryan Conway courtesy of Gensler

In 2020, Gensler published an article about making San Antonio a 20-minute city. Do you think San Antonio will become that within the next 10 years?

Michael: Maybe 20.
Johnny: Yeah, maybe 20.
Michael: I think that’s a good thing, our slow growth, our steady economy has been a very good thing for our city because you don’t get the spikes and valleys. Thanks to Military City USA coupled with lots of higher education you just got such a mix here of different ideas and ideologies. It really turns into the best of what our city has to offer.

Read the full interview

Events

Wednesday, July 5

Geeks and Drinks | Wednesday, July 5 | 6-8 p.m. | Geekdom, 110 E. Houston St., 7th floor, San Antonio | Free | Come join local techies in the San Antonio area for a monthly meet up.
Sunset Sessions | Wednesday, July 5 | 6-8:45 p.m. | The Historic Pearl, 303 Pearl Pkwy., San Antonio | Free | Bring a blanket and enjoy drinks + live music by the best DJs in town.

Thursday, July 6

The Era of Entrepreneurship | Thursday, July 6 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m. | Boeing Center at Tech Port, 3331 General Hudnell Dr., San Antonio | $125-$1,500 | Learn from Shark Tank’s Daymond John about how to enhance your business and achieve long-term success.
“The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” | Thursday, July 6 | 2 p.m. | The Magik Theatre, 420 S. Alamo St., San Antonio | $27-$38 | Come catch a musical adaptation of the young adult book.
Candlelight: A Tribute to Beyoncé | Thursday, July 6 | 6:30 + 8:45 p.m. | The Josephine Theatre, 339 W. Josephine St., San Antonio | $35-$45 | Come listen to the Listeso String Quartet’s rendition of their favorite Beyoncé songs.

Events calendar here

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News Notes

Closing

Squeezebox owner Aaron Peña announced the bar will be closing its doors at the end of the month after seven years in business. The bar on the St. Mary’s Strip will host farewell parties all month long so patrons can say goodbye.

Award

VIA Metropolitan Transit was awarded over $3 million from the federal government under its Low or No Emission Vehicle Program. The new funding will allow VIA to replace 15 gasoline-powered paratransit vehicles with low-emission propane-powered vans — making public transit more accessible for individuals with disabilities.

Regional

Well that’s a first. Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin discovered the first known Jurassic vertebrate fossil in Texas. The bone fragments — found in the Malone Mountains — are from the limbs and backbone of a plesiosaur, an extinct marine reptile from 150 million years ago.

Art

The Wemby murals keep rolling in y’all. The latest sketch-turned-colorful-mural-installation by local artist Marty Leal can be seen at Tandem San Antonio. You can support Leal by purchasing a signed print — and other Spurs merch — from his Etsy shop.

Home

Energy conservation — especially in the middle of a Texas summer — not only helps your wallet + the environment but helps to ensure grid reliability (read: avoiding outages that interrupt your summer plans). Here are eight energy-conserving tips to keep you cool this summer.*

Giveaway

To celebrate our revamped referral program, we’re hosting a special giveaway until Wednesday, August 2, 2023. The top referrer will receive $500, and one additional person who refers at least one friend will automatically be entered for another $100 giveaway. Find the referral section at the bottom of this newsletter.

Eat

🍦 We all scream for ice cream

Get a taste of San Antonio as a flavor of ice cream

Grab a scoop from Lick Honest Ice Creams. | Photo by SATXtoday team

Recently, we asked you to come up with a unique ice cream flavor that describes San Antonio and utilizes one to three locally sourced ingredients. After reading all of your responses, it’s safe to say that our mouths are watering. Here were two of our favorites:

A bunuelo cone (made from a Mi Tierra Cafe y Panaderia bunuelo, of course) filled with half Mango ice cream, half Mexican Vanilla and topped with bits of churros from House of Churros and a dusting of chili lime salt from Twang. Called “Puro Dreamcicle.” - Sara B.

Creamy vanilla ice cream topped with pecans from Schilo’s Delicatessen, cinnamon from Mi Tierra Cafe y Panaderia, and caramel from Biga on the Banks. Called “Alamo Crunch.” - Corrin G.

The only thing we need now is a local ice cream shop to make one of these flavors a reality. South Alamode Panini & Gelato Company, Kuma, and Black+White Modern Ice Cream — we’re looking at you.

Shop

Shop

It’s grilling season, and we want to make sure you are set for the summer. Elevate your grilling experience with flavors by Spicewalla.

Drink

On a water bottle hunt? Amazon’s No. 1 bestselling insulated bottle is the Owala FreeSip — it’s thoughtfully designed, leak proof, and keeps drinks cold.

Travel

Wanna save 40-90% on flights? Sign up for Going — a free travel membership — and you can browse deals immediately (like a $300+ round trip to Barcelona).

Outdoors

The perfect outdoor string lights do exist, and they’ve got a secret weapon: solar power. Light up your yard with a 50-ft strand.

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Nicholas

From the editor

I have to be honest with y’all, that was the first interview I have ever conducted. I can’t thank the SATXtoday and ATXtoday teams enough for mentoring me throughout the process.

I also want to thank Gensler San Antonio for giving me this opportunity of speaking with Michael and Johnny.

Cheers to more interviews in the future.

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