I spent this year’s Christmas vacation in traveling to Texas with family. The San Antonio riverwalk is a gorgeous reminder of what renovations in Richmond were modeled after, and hopefully what it still can achieve. We hit the usual tourist attractions- The Alamo, and Mission San Jose, and the not so common attraction of the Barney Smith’s Toilet Seat Art Museum (easily the highlight of the trip). On the way to Dallas we stopped at Hamilton Pool Preserve, LBJ’s Presidential Library, and the site of the siege on the Branch Davidians in Waco. In Dallas, specifically Dealey Plaza, I was surprised by how commercialized and prevalent attractions were relating to the assassination of JFK. We made a day of exploring the area and touring the museum on the sixth floor of the book depository. It was a great holiday break, and quite nice to be able to wear shorts in December.