Politics aside, I really like SPI. I think this January was my 4th visit there. I'd have to look at past archived photos. It's on a barrier island, like Miami Beach, but the exact opposite ... no hype, no pretense, and, with that, the sort of crowd that might come with that and a hopping Whataburger. People have asked me why it's not uptown. Well, it's not across from a critical port of entry and mecca like Miami. Texas border towns like Brownsville, Harlingen, and McAllen don't have the intellectual base and cachet to stimulate what's across at that barrier island. It's almost too relaxed down there and food is cheap, plentiful, and mostly good.
South Padre Island across the Queen Isabella Causeway with Port Isabel in the foreground