Living Outside The Lines: Let’s Go To The Square!

Many Texas municipalities boast small town squares; Granbury, Waxahachie, McKinney, Georgetown, Marfa, Hallettsville, Mason and our very own San Marcos.  According to Texas Monthly, http://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/squares/, “many of today’s town squares took on their current appearance around the turn of the century when courthouses were festooned with decorative facades.” Well-preserved squares still attract crowds with shops and restaurants, also true in San Marcos.

San Marcos’ square may not have made the Texas Monthly Top 10, but thanks to Texas State University, our square with Cat’s Billiards, Classic Tattoo, Barefoot Campus Outfitters, Nephew’s Bar, The Mark Theater, Rhea’s Ice Cream, Root Cellar Café, Vodka Street, Sean Patrick’s Irish Pub, Gil’s Broiler, Mystic Marks, San Marvelous, Chimy’s, and Tap Room, just to name a few is not only alive and well, but most definitely unique!

The regal courthouse, serving as a silent sentry, provides a picturesque backdrop for photo shoots.  Our oldest son’s high school senior portraits were all taken downtown, in front of the courthouse, and all along The Square.  One can find some pretty unusual architecture buried in the downtown alleyways.

The hustle and bustle of The Square, coupled with the median age of people hanging out there, also means that the potential for strange encounters is a definite possibility.  Call me old, but I don’t venture out alone on The Square after dark.  I’m well aware it is famous for its nightlife, but I prefer to leave the partying to a much younger crowd.  My adventures during the daylight hours are sufficient to convince me that wisdom comes with age.

My first encounter on The Square was rather benign; I was waiting to cross the street at the corner of San Antonio and LBJ when a driver slowed his car to a crawl, leaned out the window and yelled, “You’re beautiful.”  Thank you? I’m minding my own business here, trying not to attract any attention, probably old enough to be your mother, but I appreciate the compliment??  Can I just get to my destination, please?

This last encounter was more amusing than alarming, but still completely unexpected.  San Marcos is a college town; not only am I well beyond my college years, but I’m also well beyond the age where I expect any male species to take a second look.  I’m a married woman with three grown kids, those days are history and yet…

I’d met a friend at Sean Patrick’s for our monthly dinner.  I despise searching for parking and don’t mind walking so I tend to choose the first spot available, within a reasonable distance. This particular evening, I parked just beyond Cat’s Billiards.  We left the restaurant around 7p.m. so it was still bright enough outside for me to walk to my car without being completely on guard.

Car keys in hand, I quickly moved towards my vehicle.  Two guys, probably early twenties were standing outside Cats smoking. I made a wide berth, walking to the right of the sidewalk, away from them.  As I drew closer, they switched sides, I followed suit.  As I began to pass them, I could sense one of them staring.  He was bold and said, “You are “insert expletive here” beautiful and I’d really like to take you inside for a drink, but you seem to be in a hurry.”  I responded, “Yeah, I am, and I’m also married.”   To which he responded, “Doesn’t he want you to be happy?”

My thoughts as I continued to the car went something like this:  Really, do those pickup lines normally work for you?  And then, Oh child, what makes you think A) I’m not happy or B) You could make me happy?  You don’t know anything about me and while you may think I’m easy on the eyes, trust me, I give an entirely new meaning to the term, “high maintenance”.  Plus, you might be surprised at the birth year reflected on my driver’s license.

Maybe these kinds of chance meetings happen on all Texas squares, but somehow I doubt it.  The vigorous stimulus of Texas State University infuses the San Marcos Square with a rare vibe, one I really enjoy, even if it means dealing with strange encounters of the Bobcat kind, and since I graduated from said university, I can totally say that and get away with it.

So, if you haven’t checked out our beautiful town square, I encourage you to do so but be prepared for the unexpected.

Until Next Time,

Becky J Miller

“Warrior Princess”