Thousands jammed San Diego's Gas Lamp District to celebrate the start of 2009.
The Ivy Hotel was one of many hot spots in the downtown area. This is the luxury hotel's second New Year's Eve celebration since it opened. Once again, the hotel was booked, and about 1,000 people packed the club to ring in 2009. They enjoyed dinner, dancing, and five rooms of entertainment.
In spite of the minimum ticket price of $95, people said they weren't letting the troubled economy spoil their end-of-the-year traditions.
"We were here last year, and this is the same kind of vibe -- 2009 is going to be good," said Alexa Mendoza, an Orange County resident who was in San Diego with a group of friends. "There is no reason to stay home,"
Other people were celebrating their first New Year's in their new home. Dewey Burch just moved to San Diego from Denver.
"I just sold my house," Burch said. "I'm celebrating , trying to spur the economy."
Jessica Kline, the director of communications for the Ivy, said the troubled economy didn't affect this year's sales.
"Last year, we sold out about a week in advance," Kline said. "This year, we sold out yesterday, so we were really excited that we didn't have to compromise."
