Super Target in Alamo Ranch...

It isn't like we haven't been into a Super Target before - after all, they have one just up the street at Bandera Pointe and another over off of Highway 151 and Loop 410, but now that we have our very own in Alamo Ranch, I might actually go there from time to time.

If you have been down to 1604 and Culebra, you can already feel the influx of traffic in just the past month or so. No, it isn't 1604 and Bandera bad or heaven forbid, 1604 and 281 horrendous, but still, you get the feeling that as more of these stores open, people fed up with the nightmare of trying to get through the choke point that is Braun and 1604, people will take advantage of the slightly better traffic situation on Culebra and Alamo Ranch.

So, enough about traffic. If you are like us and have put off going to the Super Target, there are a few reasons to give it a try. But I must caution you: the people who designed the parking lot layout at Alamo Ranch are probably descendants of the idiots who designed most of San Antonio's ill conceived, not even thought-out, traffic patterns (see the aforementioned 1604 and 281 comment). So as you drive through, be aware that at some intersections, there are stop signs, and some there aren't, but neither is intuitive. I predict numerous near-misses, crushed fenders and splatted pedestrians before someone figures out that allowing the parking lot planners to drink beer during their lunch hour is a bad idea.Once you have safely parked, you are free to move about the lot, cautiously! Welcome to Super Target.Okay, nothing special but I do need to point out two important things: The baskets and the carts. I think someone told me these shopping carts are like a fine Mercedes, and I have to report that I concur! Talk about a smooth ride. And no sharp edges for kids to get all scraped up on.Inside the store, the place was clean and well lit (of course). One of the downfalls (in my mind anyway) is that when I go into and Target, I feel like I am somehow being hypnotized. Am I the only one? Between the florescent lights, the red patterns and flying youngsters overhead, I just feel my head start to spin.Or maybe I just feel a little overwhelmed by not getting all the hip fashions and stuff. I do confess to liking Target's TV ads - I think they do a great job of making me feel like I need to get some of whatever it is they sell. But here is where I have to draw the line. Seriously. San Antonio is perpetually on the fattest city in America list. Who do the fine people at Super Target think is going to fit on this couch? I saw a lady at a taco place today who wouldn't have been able to get one of her thighs on this seat without some car jacks on either side to hold up the flesh. And for $199.99? Seriously?But in spite of Super Target being a little more upper scale than the Wal Mart I normally attend, I'm glad to see they still cater to common folk who are free to come in and shop comfortably, without bothering to shave their backs and shoulders. That's hospitality.Finally, if I hadn't given you plenty of reasons to visit, it is official, the Starbucks in Super Target is the closest one to my house, and my wife is pretty happy about that.