Alex Reed WCNC Reporter

Nothing is what I expected.

Today we stopped by the historic Alamo. What an amazing piece of history that really epitomizes the attitude of Texan culture: never surrender.

I was warned, but seeing it in person I was still surprised at how small the building really is. But its role in history speaks for itself. There are some bronze copies of letters written by soldiers who fought in the battle against more than a thousand Mexican troops. They say they know the odds are against them but they only see two options: win or die.

They scavenged for food for nearly two weeks; even tearing into some of the walls to find anything edible. In the end of course they were overcome, but you can't help feeling immense respect for their resolve.

Today we also stepped foot inside the Alamodome. Now this is a massive building. I said this in my story, but they've actually closed off half of it because it's TOO BIG for a college basketball championship. You could fit three Charlotte Bobcats Arenas inside this place.

The weather is warming up and drying out. I'm expecting to see a lot of people around the down town area tonight. I can't wait to see what the city looks like with thousands of people flooding the streets at night. The energy is really picking up.

Game day tomorrow. I'll keep the posts coming.

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Alamo vs. Alamodome

Two buildings in San Antonio with "Alamo" in their names, have very little in common. The Alamo and the Alamodome have both seen their fair share of history.

San Antonio's most well known historic landmark, the Alamo, is a huge symbol of Texan and American liberty, but the actual building its self is, well... not so huge.

"It is not as large as I thought it would be," said tourist Linda Larson. Little Ryan Savage explains, "I was expecting it to be like really big."

But the former mission, built in the late 1700's, was critical during the Texas Revolution.
Surveying the pockmarked face of the building, Savage said, "if I hadn't known that there was a war here, I would probably guess that there was."

Against all odds, a few hundred Texans fought off more than a thousand Mexican troops for nearly two weeks before they were overcome - they never surrendered. "It is amazing," exclaimed Larson.

Now when you compare the Alamo to the other building in town that shares its name, the Alamo Dome, it really is like a whole other country.

"It's bigger than I expected," said young Aaron Gaskins. He's sitting next to his dad Mike who thinks the structure is, "unbelievable. Massive place."

The five-level, $186 million Alamodome can seat more than 70,000 people. That's more than three times the size of Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

"Great place for basketball, although it's not really a basketball arena," said Mike Gaskin.
In fact it's too big for the Final Four, so half the building is closed off - but that shouldn't affect the roar of the crowd.

"Trust me it can get real loud in here. You'll feel the roof rocking sometimes," said Favian January, who was born in North Carolina but now lives in San Antonio. In case you are wondering, yes, he's a Tar Heel fan.

The Alamodome's historic events include hosting several Final Fours, and a Paul McCartney concert among others.

After seeing all of this for myself I can honestly say nothing in San Antonio was what I expected it to be.

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Tar Heels in Texas

We've arrived!

There's definitely more to San Antonio than I had pictured. You can see and feel the history of this city when you walk around. There's a beautiful church built in 1868, standing one block from a towering modern hotel.

There's also a river flowing directly through the heard of the city. A walkway allows anyone to walk along right next to the river covered by a canopy of green trees. It's almost possible to forget you're in a city. But then you round the bend to see shops, restaurants, and hundreds of people all enjoying the views and the ducks from patios and tables right on the water.

I think tomorrow we'll have to take a ride on the boat tours that run up and down the river.

We're still working on exploring more but so far it looks like it's going to be a great weekend.

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Heading to San Antonio

Greetings from a cloudy Austin, Texas.

Myself, our news photographer Kevin, and our sports photographer Herman landed early this afternoon. We've loaded up our rented Nissan Xterra and are heading down to San Antonio to cover the Tar Heels' run in the NCAA Final Four.

It's my first time in Texas so I'm looking forward to getting a taste of the culture I've heard so much about. We'll definitely visit the historic Alamo and we'll be looking for Tar Heel fans who made the trip here as well.

So far, the mantra of "everything is bigger in Texas" fits.

We passed the largest Outlet Mall any of us had ever seen. It was nearly a mile long.
Other than that there's a vast relatively flat horizon spotted with trees and cattle -- so far no tumbleweed.

I'll update our progress a couple times every day.

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