WHERE'S TEDDY



Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 28mm, ISO 200, f/3.5, 5 sec.

   My last post was showing a ghostly figure walking through the lobby at The Menger Hotel here in San Antonio.  As also stated in that post, this hotel not only is the oldest working hotel west of the Mississippi River but is also rumored to be very haunted.
  One of the most notable spirits said to be roaming the Menger is former President Teddy Roosevelt.  The President used the Menger Bar as his central location for recruiting his famous Rough Riders. Teddy would sit at the bar stool at the end of the bar that you see in the photo above and meet cowboys as they came in off the Chisholm Trail.  They say that he still hangs out in the bar and sometimes still occupies that particular stool.  The bartender that I talked to said he has seen occurrences where a glass would slide down the bar a short way without being touched.  Spooky, huh?

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 28mm, ISO 200, f/8, 5 sec.

  The bar itself is an amazing place. The last time in was renovated was the day it was built in 1887.  The walls and railings are all made out of Mahogany while the ceiling is covered with Cherry wood.  It is really quite beautifully constructed with a balcony level and the posts that support that level running through the lower level seating.  There are pictures lining the walls with old black and white photos both of the hotel and of the city of San Antonio. 
  It really has a feel like the old west. There are bullet holes in one of the hutches by the bar. There is a gash in the top of the bar where an angry man took an axe to it because they couldn't serve him a drink during prohibition.

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 28mm, ISO 200, f/8 , 10 sec.

  I didn't mean to add another ghostly image but this was my favorite shot from this angle looking back at the hotel entrance with the balcony level stairs in the view.  There was no one in the bar when I started shooting, but people gradually came in and walked through my shots.  In some ways it is appropriate. The hotel is haunted. 

  Me and my colleagues are going to continue to see if we can find Teddy or any ghost here at the Menger. Unfortunately, we only have one night left.