Latest news with #Síclovía
Axios
19-03-2025
- Axios
What I learned on a long walk up Broadway
Ahead of Síclovía's return to Broadway for the first time in six years, I decided to get a true pedestrian view by taking a four-mile walk along the street. Why it matters: The Broadway corridor north of downtown is in flux. It's home to longtime family-style restaurants and posh new eateries, showcasing San Antonio's past, present and future. There's no better way to take that all in than on foot. Catch up quick: Síclovía closes streets to cars and opens them to walkers and bikers. On Sunday, it will stretch from Parland Place to McCullough Avenue downtown. How it works: I started my journey by The Newstand coffee shop at Josephine Street, walked two miles up to Hildebrand Avenue and then turned around. Zoom in: City leaders have long hoped to make Broadway into San Antonio's great urban corridor. Whether or not it already is depends on who you ask. The big picture: The corridor has long been a cultural hub. Brackenridge Park, the Witte Museum, the DoSeum and the San Antonio Botanical Garden are on or nearby Broadway. It's also lined with businesses of all types — local delis, an antique shop, a laundromat, a dollar store, bars, a barbershop. What they're saying:"It's an amazing north-south thoroughfare that was important in the early history of the city," local historian Maria Watson Pfeiffer tells Axios. Early San Antonians traveled along Broadway because of the Alamo acequia, the Spanish water system near Brackenridge Park. "Since it more or less parallels the river, it's always been a spine in that way." Context: San Antonio voters in 2017 approved bond funding for Broadway improvements aimed at making the street more pedestrian friendly. Officials planned to reduce it by one lane in each direction, add bike lanes and widen sidewalks. But the Texas Transportation Commission halted those plans when it reclaimed ownership of Broadway in January 2022 to prevent the city from reducing the number of lanes. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has since repaved the road and made updates without removing lanes, adding bike lanes or widening sidewalks. What I found: Sidewalks are better in some places than others, but they're largely intact. The main difficulty is crossing the street to access a business on the other side, since crosswalks are spaced out and the street is so wide. I witnessed a couple people making a run for it. I passed a few bikers who rode on sidewalks rather than the narrow car lanes. State of play: Broadway businesses are in a constant state of change. Jim's Restaurant, a local favorite, shut down last year after 53 years. A Houston restaurant group is taking over the space. Half Price Books and the Antiquarian Book Mart next door closed in May after a developer purchased the site. Half Price Books had been there 45 years. The Ranch Motel, a boutique lodging and leisure club, opened in late 2023. Chains P. Terry's and Postino both opened last year, as did La Panadería, a local chain.
Axios
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
San Antonio's Síclovía returns to Broadway six years later
Síclovía, San Antonio's open streets, car-free event, is making its long-awaited return to Broadway on Sunday, marking the first time the route has been used since 2019. Why it matters: Síclovía temporarily shuts down streets to cars, giving San Antonians a unique opportunity to play outside and connect with the community. Driving the news: Previously a biannual event organized by the YMCA of Greater San Antonio, Síclovía is now held annually in the spring. The route changes based on construction and permit availability, which is why Broadway hasn't been used since 2019. Last year's event took place on North St. Mary's Street. Construction on lower Broadway, which is part of the route, finished in October. Flashback: Síclovía debuted on Broadway in 2011 as San Antonio's version of Ciclovía, a tradition that started in Bogotá, Colombia, more than 30 years ago. What they're saying: Along with being the birthplace of Síclovía, the Broadway route has long been a crowd favorite due to its flat terrain and access to parks, Shannon Gowen, vice president of marketing and communications for the YMCA, tells Axios. "We do a survey after every event, and everybody always asks us to go back to Broadway. That's their favorite route every single time," she says. How it works: The 2.2-mile stretch of Broadway from Parland Place to McCullough Avenue will be car-free from 9am-3pm for the event, which will be from 10am-2pm. It's a non-competitive event, with no start or finish lines and no registration required. Attendees choose how they want to enjoy the path, whether it's walking, biking, skateboarding or more. Five "Reclovías," or activation zones, will feature activities like Zumba, vendors, and group exercises along the route. By the numbers: 1.1 million people have participated in Síclovía since 2011. Nearly 60% of attendees cite physical activity as their main reason for attending. 47% say they would otherwise be inactive indoors. 39% report being more active since attending, according to Síclovía's post-event survey. What we're watching: Where Síclovía will roll next. While Broadway has been a staple, it's not yet confirmed to be a route in 2026, Gowen says.
