Ghosts spotted: 0. Bottles of champagne: 2

We spent NYE in happening downtown SA, where they close off a few of the streets for a block party that culminates at midnight with fireworks. Of course, we spent the night from about 8PM firmly ensconced in barstools at our favorite bar, Drink. It was charging people after 10PM, but grandfathered people who were already there in for free. We were able to step outside and watch the firework show through the trees, or, for the really lazy (and as the 13-minute show progressed, that became pretty much all of us), you could sit in the bar and watch it on one of the TVs.

(A word to the wise, and I cannot recommend this strenuously enough: avoid Johnny Rockets' chili cheese fries before consuming massive amounts of carbonated alcohol. While undeniably delicious, I was burping the damn things up all night.)

A little before 2, the hours of drinking took their toll and I pushed for a return to our hotel. We stayed at the Menger, which is right across from the Alamo and where Teddy Roosevelt formed the Rough Riders. Apparently he and some buddies were drinking in its bar and, as so often is the case, thought it would be a good idea to go invade Cuba. Or something like that. Anyways, it's a really old hotel and is supposed to be haunted by 30 different ghosts.

I went out after we stumbled back to our room in order to get some ice. I figured it was late at night, the halls were empty, and I was drunk - in other words, it was the perfect atmosphere for me to see a ghost. Nada. I am a bit bummed about that, but you can't win them all. Outside of a phantasm-free evening, it was a great NYE.