ABOVE: Senior Gema Hernandez traveled to Washington, D.C. and New Orleans, LA this summer, and photographed some of the landmarks and interesting sights. This photo is of the Washington Monument in D.C.
Summer 2015 has passed and it’s back to school, but that doesn’t mean we can’t look back at this summer’s experiences. Here, students talk about one of the biggest back to school questions: “What did you do this summer?”
Students shared the experience of their trips and vacations this summer, offering stories and photos from their travels.
If you enjoy Six Flags Fiesta Texas here in San Antonio you might want to visit Dallas, Texas; and Arlington which is just outside of Dallas. Adriene Marie Garza, senior, went there this summer with her family. Garza and her family stayed in Dallas for a week, where they drove to Arlington to go to Six Flags. There they enjoyed the water park and rollercoasters, but Garza’s prefered the water park because she is not a fan of rollercoasters. When asked which of the theme park she recommends, Garza based her answers on her fear-of-height criteria.
“I would say Dallas because the rides are higher and scarier,” Garza said.
In addition to the parks, Garza believes there are other differences between San Antonio and Dallas.
“Dallas (and Arlington) is a really peaceful city,” Garza said.
If traveling to one city isn’t enough, how about visiting two major cities consecutively during the summer? Senior Gema Hernandez visited New Orleans, Louisiana and Washington DC. Hernandez went with Trio, a mentoring group designed to improve student standards. Because of this, Hernandez and other members had most expenses such as travel paid for.
Hernandez first stop was New Orleans for six days. There, Hernandez and the Trio group took tours and visited museums and ate at various places like the House of Blues and the Hard Rock Cafe which was special because New Orleans is well-known for their food.
Once done with their time in New Orleans, Hernandez and the group got on another plane headed to our nation’s capitol, Washington DC. There, they visited such famous landmarks like the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. Soon after, they returned to San Antonio, aware of the differences between the three cities.
“Louisiana was really humid, but the food was really great,” Hernandez said.
“The weather in Washington was really nice, a lot better than the weather in San Antonio. It’s warm during the day but during the morning and evening it’s windy and cool. There are a lot places to visit other than in San Antonio,” Hernandez said.
For some, a closer place to home is always nice, like Corpus Christi, Texas. One of Texas’ best vacation spots, my family and I stayed at a rented summer home that had a big lake in the back with a small dock. The locals were all around us with their boats docked in the back of their houses. My family and I toured the beautiful aquarium they had and tried many different restaurants, which mostly served fantastic seafood. But we spent most of our time doing what I enjoy doing most; fishing.
Once the sun went down, we went into the back of the summer home where we fished at the lake for hours. We caught many fish, but just threw them all back to let someone else enjoy the sport.
Dallas/Arlington, Louisiana, Washington DC, and Corpus Christi. You’ve read about the experiences of other students, start your planning for your travels this summer, and be sure to let us know about them.
LEFT: Street performer in the French Quarter in New Orleans, LA. photo by Gema Hernandez
LEFT: The steamboat Natchez on the Mississippi River in New Orleans. photo by Gema Hernandez
LEFT: Looking down the street in the French Quarter in New Orleans towards the famous church building in Jackson Square. photo by Gema Hernandez
LEFT: The entrance of The House of Blues, a famous live music venue in New Orleans. photo by Gema Hernandez
LEFT: The statue of President Abraham Lincoln inside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. photo by Gema Hernandez
LEFT: The United States Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. photo by Gema Hernandez