I love this city.
Though I grew up near Fort Worth, and lived within the San Marcos city limits for just four years, I feel the same kind of ties to the place as if I was born there.
At the beginning of my sophomore year in college, my father’s company moved him, my mother, and my little brother halfway across the country. After that, the city my family lived in wasn’t “home” in the same way it was for many college students. I didn’t move there during the summers, and I was only able to visit them on major holidays. San Marcos became my home.
For those who haven’t had the chance to visit San Marcos, it’s a textbook college town, through and through. According to Wikipedia, the population was a little more than 50,000 in 2008 (the most recent year figures are available), and Texas State University’s research department reports, there were 29,000 students enrolled in the fall of 2008. For those of you playing along at home, that means one out of every three people was a student—but when I was there, it felt like just the opposite. That’s possibly due to the fact that the heart of downtown is a mere three blocks from the heart of campus. Set up like so many small Texas towns, “the square” is the quaint location of the courthouse, several shops, some restaurants, and a few choice barroom establishments. It’s also where two of my favorite places in town can be found.
I don’t care what any official list says; for me, the best burger in Texas is the Guacamole Queso Burger at the Tap Room. It’s exactly what the name suggests and then some: a ½-pound burger, covered with their spicy homemade queso and guacamole, served on a potato bun, with a pickle spear on the side. Yeah. Add to that plate of wonder a selection of more than forty beers on tap as well as a huge assortment of bottled beer from around the world, and you’ve got yourself one unforgettable meal.
After filling up on greatness, I liked to take a walk over to my favorite store in town, the Paper Bear. Although not technically on the square, the Paper Bear is just steps from it, and I would often find myself stopping in just to wander the aisles. Everyone knows about San Marcos’ outlet malls and the wide variety of stores there, but my opinion, for what it’s worth: the Paper Bear offers the same number of options, albeit on a slightly smaller scale. You can find just about anything there. Seriously. From jewelry, antiques, and pirate flags to Jimi Hendrix posters, incense, and an entire kids section in the back, the Paper Bear is an absolute must-visit.
There are endless reasons to come to San Marcos—I could write all day about them. I’ve given you a select few that merit a visit on their own, the rest you’ll just have to come discover for yourself.
Enjoy,
Matt
|
