The San Antonio river walk proved to be interesting to both myself and my son during a recent visit. Although I was worried that he would be bored walking along the river, I do not believe anyone would be bored with a couple hours of walking and dining in downtown San Antonio.

We began strolling casually along, enjoying the many things to see on the river walk. Because the river turns, we alternated from sunlight to light shade, to dark shade under the bridges. It was a photographic challenge at times, but kept us from getting very hot as we walked along.

The walkway is directly next to the water. There is definitely a hazard of falling in, and we found ourselves gasping a couple of times as young kids ran around and challenged the forces of inertia and gravity. The advantage of being that close is that you can hear the informational tidbits tossed out by the tour-boat captains. Listen to them as they go by and you'll learn even more about San Antonio.

If you go hungry onto the river walk, you'll be fine. There are plenty of good restaurants with tables in the shade on the banks of the river. We had already eaten, so we didn't sample the food, but the smells were great. Some of the restaurants will have what we labeled "cutie magnets" – young, attractive ladies out front saying hello to the folks walking by, offering them good seats in their restaurants. I heard one gentleman ask the hostess what discount she could offer if they ate there, and she quickly told him of a coupon-less 2-for-1 entrée offer they could have. So ask - their jobs are to get you to sit down. Let them up the ante a bit.

Take your time and notice the sculptures, statuaries, and fountains along the walk. And most importantly, notice the people. You'll see all kinds along the river walk.