Viva San Antonio! San Antonio is a mecca for shoppers, history buffs and aficionados of Tex-Mex cuisine and Tejano culture. From its origins as a 17th-century settlement for Native Americans and Spanish missionaries, it has retained its New World charm and blossomed as a showcase for indigenous arts and crafts while offering state-of-the-art convention and hotel accommodations for business and tourist functions. The eighth-largest city in the United States, San Antonio is home to a wide array of attractions for all ages, including: • River Walk (Paseo del Rio), a picturesque network of cobblestone and flagstone paths bordering both sides of the San Antonio River flanked by cafes, high-rise hotels, river taxi services, gift shops and historic shrines, parks and municipal architecture; • La Villita in Old San Antonio, a historic “little village” of specialty restaurants, art and craft boutiques and other cultural attractions showcasing local artisans; • The picturesque missions built by Spanish settlers, now unique shrines of Southwestern American culture, clustered in the San Antonio Missions National Park; • El Mercado, the largest Mexican marketplace outside of Mexico, a paradise for shoppers and browsers and devotees of Tex-Mex cuisine; • Art collections in museums ranging from the renowned McNay Art Museum, home to priceless works by Van Gogh, Chagall, Picasso and other Masters; the San Antonio Museum of art, noted for its collection of antiquities; the San Antonio Children’s Museum, with its miniature replica of the city; and the Guadalupe and Carver Cultural Arts Centers which capture and preserve the arts and music of South Texas through a series of concerts, exhibits and festivals. The newly renovated Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, site of the general and education sessions of the Summit, is large enough to accommodate all general educational sessions as well as the EDP seminars and EXPO. It is a short walk from all three Summit hotels – leaving extra time and energy for a quick shopping excursion or side trip to a local attraction.