Buying Things

One thing that I never really think much about is the price of things I buy, and where the things I buy come from. One thing I never really thought much about is the price of the companies selling these goods take from their employees and completion. One documentary everyone should watch is Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price. I won't get into too much detail about it, but it opened my eyes to what I had already heard about Wal-Mart as a corporation. However, Wal-Mart is not the only bad guy in the market.

Being in San Antonio alone has given me the opportunity to search for things to do, things to buy, and things to eat. I use the website VisitSanAntonio.com a lot in looking for things, or I just google things to do/places to shop. For instance, I was looking for a Wal-Mart to go to (prior to watching the documentary. I haven't been in one since, but it hasn't been that long). In googling "walmart near San Antonio" you get about 18 Wal-Marts inside of 1604 (outside loop). It's not just Wal-Mart that is every where, but you see Target, HEB (43 within a 20 mile radius), Bill Miller's BBQ and Taco Cabana at every corner. I've joking said to friends that if I need to give directions to anywhere in San Antonio they will include, "turn at the HEB." Unfortunately, I struggle to find a farmer's market or a co-op. I think I will have success, it's just harder to come by. I've heard a bit about the shorter growing season making it hard for small farms to compete, and Texas is very industrial farming.

I've found some great restaurants: P.F. Changs, Bravo!, Rosario's, Perico's, Thai Corner, etc. But you can find that nearly anywhere. I need to find the hole in the wall places, authentic Mexican, and fresh roasted coffee. I've been getting closer, but most big websites don't list small businesses. Some do. We have some great malls here, four 150+ store indoor and outdoor malls(I'm not huge into shopping, but if I have specific need or am really bored it can be entertaining). Today I did go to one coffee roaster but was a bit let down by the selection. I miss Dead-River and Babycakes in Marquette. I miss Aoy at the Rice Paddy, I miss the Rubayiat and the Rover. I love Marquette because there is enough to keep me happy, but also because I can literally go everywhere. In one week in Marquette, you can see all of the shopping and eat at all of my favorite restaurants. In one week in San Antonio, you haven't scatched the surface but may have made it to a few good restaurants, the Riverwalk, one mall, a few furniture stores, Kohls, HEB, and 4 walmarts (because none have the item you are looking for in stock, yet their computers say they do, and they tell you that the one on 1604 does....and they don't).

San Antonio is all stores and companies, I've asked several people what the major industry here is and they don't know. Maybe agriculture, but that isn't really in the city. Maybe location as a strategic trade route. Military bases make a large portion of San Antonio, that is probably a big part of it. But it seems that San Antonio is of a size that it can sustain itself on service type jobs. Sure there must be some corporate offices somewhere, but it seems that with some tourism, and just everyday shopping of the 1.2 million residents is enough to sustain the economy. It is strange for me, coming from an area that exists because of iron mining and forestry, that an area exists without one main industry. Chicago, New York, Los Angelos, San Fransisco, Miami, Detroit, all are industrial cities located on large bodies of water for trade access. I am puzzled by the lack of a bustling downtown area, sure the Riverwalk is nice, but it doesn't have the big city feel.

I miss being able to take a drive around town and see everything, see everyone. I miss being near Lake Superior (although we do have some nice lakes and are close to the gulf), I can't take a three minute walk and see water as far as the eye can see. I miss sidewalks and being able to walk or bike (or ski) everywhere. I miss random people saying hi in yooper accents. I miss yooper accents in general (and our overly exagerated yooper accents). I don't think I'll develop a Texas accent, the majority of the population of San Antonio is Hispanic, 65% of the school district I am in is Hispanic. So Ya'll better not be worrying, I'll still be talking like a yooper when I return home.