20 things in San Antonio that are gone that we really miss

The White Rabbit
Look, most San Antonio music fans have no complaints with the Paper Tiger, a club that consistently brings tons of great touring acts to town. Even so, some who cut their teeth on the St. Mary's Strip still have fond memories of the White Rabbit, the venue that previously occupied the building. It's understandable that folks of a certain age, whether they played the older club or just caught shows there, would have some nostalgia tied up in the Rabbit.
Photo via Google Maps

The Sky Ride at Brackenridge Park
For 35 years, the Sky Ride offered San Antonians and tourists amazing views of the city skyline and a magical view of Brackenridge Park below. However, over time, the colorful four-foot wide gondolas deteriorated, and in 1999, city council opted not to spend the millions of dollars required on upgrades. For those old enough to remember, a visit to Brackenridge or the nearby San Antonio Zoo was never quite the same after the ride's closure.
Photo via UTSA Libraries Digital Collections

Santikos Bijou Cinema Bistro
The Bijou Cinema Bistro, a concept ahead of its time in offering dining options to moviegoers, shut its doors in April 2022. Santikos operated the theater since 2003, devoting some of its screens to foreign and art films while bolstering sales with food and alcohol. In 2023, the Woodlawn Theatre plans to move into the venue at Wonderland of the Americas, and will take a new name to accompany the change in location.
Photo via Google Maps

Hispanic Elvis
John Esquivel, known for his flamboyant Elvis impersonations in downtown's Market Square, died in March 2022 after being hospitalized earlier in the year due to COVID-19 and an esophagus infection. Known for colorful garb that pays tribute to the King's Las Vegas years, Hispanic Elvis was a Market Square fixture, posing for pics with locals and tourists alike. He was also known for riding his bike around the West Side, cape flapping behind him — an image depicted in a mural unveiled in the fall of 2021 by artist Colton Valentine.
Photo via Instagram / colton_valentine_

Spurs Championships
No matter how many times TV news trots out those "Race for seis" graphics as the Spurs head into the playoff season, it seems unlikely our NBA team will be able to go all the way until we land another draft pick of Tim Duncan's caliber.
Photo by Josh Huskin

Mr. and Mrs. G’s Home Cooking
William Garner and his wife Addie opened this spot in 1991, focusing on family recipes and old-fashioned hospitality. It quickly became a staple of the city’s East Side and remained open for more than three decades before closing in July of 2022.
Photo via Google Maps

La Semana Alegre
This long-running Fiesta event hosted by the San Antonio Jaycees on the Freeman Coliseum grounds was an annual pilgrimage for music fans. For 26 years, the outdoor concert series stacked up deep bills that included music legends ranging from Steve Ray Vaughn to Motörhead. Of course, there were perennial fixtures like Legs Diamond, and plentiful surprises. Remember Spinal Tap performing in front of a crowd where at least a quarter of the attendees didn't quite get that they were a parody band? Or how about the time Welsh proto-metal trailblazers Budgie reformed specifically to play La Semana?
Photo via Wikimedia Commons / Brownings at English Wikipedia

The ability to get anywhere in San Antonio in under a half hour
Believe it or not, that used to be the case. However, as San Antonio keeps growing and as ever more folks seek shelter in the suburbs, it can now take commuters 30 minutes just to get out of the Medical Center or pass through a traffic snarl at Loop 1604 and U.S. Highway 281.
Photo via Google Maps

Jacala Mexican Restaurant
West side institution Jacala burned down in March 2022, marking the end of a chapter for one of the oldest restaurants in the city. The five-alarm fire burned almost everything in the restaurant and was declared a total loss by fire officials as they arrived at the scene.
Photo via Google Maps

Taco Land
When it comes to underground rock clubs, they didn't come more underground than Taco Land. The rough-edged neighborhood bar and its profane proprietor Ram Ayala had a way of scaring off squares. All the while, it played host to a litany of amazing touring and local acts, some of whom were so impressed they even commemorated the place in song. The slaying of Ayala and doorman Doug "Gypsy Doug" Morgan during a 2005 robbery permanently closed the spot, although the Velvet Taco restaurant now on the site includes tributes to both men and the one-of-a-kind venue that once stood there.
Courtesy Photo / Erik Sanden

Katie Pell
Katie Pell's profile as a visual artist kicked into high gear with the 2006 opening of her Artpace residency exhibition “Bitchen," which used tricked-out appliances such as a pink, fire-breathing stove to fuse feminism and lowrider culture. Beyond her bold visual sense, the local arts community valued her as an educator and magnetic personality. She died in 2019 at the age of 54.
Photo by Kimberly Aubuchon

El Mirador
This storied Southtown fixture closed permanently in 2018 after more than 50 years serving a blend of Tex-Mex staples and upscale takes on Mexican cuisine. Blue Star artists, city hall politicians and longtime regulars made up its diverse and loyal clientele. The restaurant's closure certainly seemed to mark the end of an era for its south-of-downtown neighborhood.
Photo by Kody Melton

San Antonio Silver Stars
Remember when San Antonio actually had two pro basketball franchises? For 15 seasons, hoops fans were able to enjoy both the NBA's Spurs and the WNBA's Silver Stars — later just the Stars. That is, until Spurs Sports & Entertainment, the Stars’ parent company, sold the team in 2019 to MGM Resorts, which relocated it to Las Vegas. If there's any consolation, it's that Stars player Becky Hammon ended up joining the Spurs' coaching staff, becoming the first female full-time assistant coach in NBA history.
Photo via Wikimedia Commons / Danny Karwoski

Steve Browne
Longtime KSAT 12 meteorologist Steve Browne retired in 2018 after 30 years entertaining and enlightening San Antonio viewers, so it's understandable that plenty of folks would love to still see him around. Even so, we also get that the guy would want to kick back, retire and enjoy the good life.
Photo via YouTube / KSAT 12

Cadillac Bar
This iconic downtown watering hole was a casualty of the pandemic, closing its doors after decades serving the courthouse-area community ice cold brews and post-proceedings shots. Reportedly, the building was constructed in the 1870s and features what are said to be the first electric streetlights in Texas.
Photo via Google Maps

Chuck Ramirez
More than a decade after his death from a cycling accident, Chuck Ramirez casts a larger-than-life shadow over the San Antonio arts community. Known for his photographs of mundane objects against stark white backgrounds, Ramirez appeared to be on the verge of breaking out internationally at the time of his death. Although his influence lives on in Casa Chuck, a residency program established in the artist's former home, there's no doubt Tía Chuck left us too soon.
File Photo

Stone City Attractions
Concert promoter Jack Orbin's Stone City Attractions brought a litany of bands to San Antonio from the '70s on, helping turn some like Judas Priest and Rush into stars here before they'd gotten a foothold in virtually any other U.S. metro. He also recognized the city's working class makeup and deliberately kept ticket prices low to pack more fans into the seats. Orbin has largely retired from the concert biz but still promotes the annual visits by Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
Courtesy Photo / Jack Orbin and Stone City Attractions

Doyle Beneby
Remember when there was someone at the helm of CPS Energy who had an eye on the future and made bold moves to invest in renewables while creating jobs? That was Doyle Beneby, who led the city-owned utility from 2010-2015. It's hard to know whether Beneby would have have shut down the Spruce coal plant by now or how well he'd have handled February 2021's winter storm Uri, but his innovative spirit and forward thinking are sorely missed.
Courtesy Photo / CPS Energy

The Local Bar
As its name suggests, the Local Bar, located at 600 N. Presa St., was opened to serve local residents, including downtown service-industry workers. The establishment closed in August 2022 after the landlord opted not to renew the lease.
Photo via Google Maps

Le Reve
Chef Andrew Weissman burst into San Antonio's food scene in a big way with the opening of Le Reve, an upscale French restaurant where he touched every plate that went out of the kitchen. The intimate spot drew rave reviews from the New York Times and Gourmet, earning accolades not just for being one of the best restaurants in Texas but one of the best in the U.S. It closed in 2009 so Weissman could focus on larger and more lucrative restaurant properties. For many San Antonio foodies, his original venture was hard to top.
Photo by Lea Thompson