My friend and I didn't need gas, but we did get thirsty on our trip yesterday and found ourselves on Interstate 35 south of downtown San Antonio.
This tiny Shell Express Mart fit the bill exactly. Normally I'm a bit reluctant to stop in South San Antonio, but this store was clean, well-kept, well-staffed and well-stocked. It was an easy-off, easy-on from the interstate, and served as a refreshing oasis on a long trip to South Texas.
The bonus of the trip was that we got to learn about chamoy. My friend was checking out an end cap of Mexican candies and what not, and came across what appeared to be a bag of blood. Upon further inspection, it turned out it was a dill pickle in chamoy. We weren't about to buy one, but it set off a whole new round of Wikipedia once we got back into the car to learn what chamoy was.
How often can you claim you stopped at a convenience store and became better educated? That's worth at least one extra star. read more