When you head deep in the heart of Texas, the last thing you expect to see are reminders of home. NY1's Valarie D'Elia filed the following report.

Depending on where you look, San Antonio can have a pretty impressive skyline. It is not of course, anything a New Yorker would write home about. But the deeper I got into the heart of San Antonio, I started wondering if this was some kind of Big Apple wannabee.

Not surprising, it has a Houston Street, but when I came across a Mexican Manhattan and a Soho Wine & Martini bar, I thought maybe I was on to something.

I did a double take when I passed a sign for Bracewell & Giulliani, LLP. It indeed turned out that former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani established a branch of his law firm here.

So what is it about San Antonio that might attract a diehard New Yorker? For starters, board a riverboat cruise along the famed River Walk. You can float around for 45 minutes with a guide pointing out all the "ooh and ahh" landmarks.

Christmas time is a special time to be here, with lights dangling from the bridges and cypress trees.

When you are in San Antonio, you have to of course, remember the Alamo. It is the most famous of the missions, but several others are very historic, as well.

An abundance of Tex-Mex food and Margaritas might be all you need to make this a memorable visit, and there are plenty of affordable restaurants to check out. One of the city's best known is Mi Tierra, which carries a rich family heritage, documented on a colorful wall mural.

One of the quirkiest places to eat is the Buckhorn Saloon café. Where else can you get a fried twinkie and run into Bullwinkle at the same time?

San Antonio is a one-hour flight from Houston, and nonstop from Newark on Continental.

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For this and other travel news, go to TravelWithVal.com.