It's after midnight and I'm still out and about in San Francisco. There must be something pretty special about this city to have me not only awake but also out of the confines of my hotel room. But as they say, you only live once.

I check out Spin, a ping-pong club, of sorts. There's thumping music, dim lighting and, well, ping-pong balls everywhere. Admittedly, I had no idea that this sort of activity was nightlife popular. Turns out there are several other cities that have Spin.

After a quick tour, I'm shown to the private room where I'm given expert instruction from a ping-pong pro. True, I haven't played the game since gym class in junior high, but how hard could it be? Turns out when you're with an expert (who starts out taking it easy on you) there really is skill involved.

We casually hit the ball back and forth. The rules are outlined about bounces and hitting across the table. A couple of cocktails in and I started to get the hang of it. After several rallies, it was clear that the floor in our private room would have a collection of ping-pong balls before too long.

We enjoy a couple drinks and my chicken shawarma arrives. It's a great late-night meal when you're in the heat of competition. I watch through the windows and check out the ping-pong competition playing out across the way. I'm offered the opportunity to participate but the booze hasn't given me enough courage to show my skills (or lack thereof) to the masses. Even though it looks fun and none too serious, I merely watch from a distance as people compete for prizes as they take on ping-pong pros.

As the clock strikes 1 a.m., I'm tuckered out after a full day of exploring San Francisco. While I'm heading out, groups of people are just getting in. Looks like this is a place to visit for some late-night fun. I can't leave without a photo opp in the bathtub full of ping-pong balls.