The Character of San Antonio

There have been some great posts on setting, like this one at What Women Write, and this one from Laurel over at Laurel's Leaves.  I like the idea of thinking of the setting of a story as a character, because places are as unique as people.

I'm working on a new serial for a UK magazine. This story will be set here in San Antonio and I'm feeling the pressure to capture the city faithfully. I would think the majority of the magazine's readers (40+, female, British) have never visited and will never visit Texas, so my story will, in a sense, represent San Antonio to them.

Texas is a place like no other. And in some ways, it is difficult to explain why in words. Let me show you a brief selection of sights I pass on my daily drive to work:

Like this:

 And this:

And this (which, by the way, holds the record for the largest cowboy boots in the world):

Unfortunately, the picture of the Jerky Outlet was out of focus.

Throw in the excitement of our annual Rodeo and Stock Show, the Hispanic influence on the culture, amazing food, and of course, the unique Riverwalk.


See what I mean? We're talking one quirky character here. I hope I do her proud.

What about you? Any favorite posts on setting? Do you have a setting that you are particularly proud of/anxious about representing faithfully?