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Random Mon Dec 31 2007
Bars of Chicago: Welcome Me Back
A lot of smokers are lamenting the statewide ban on smoking in public places that takes effect January 1. On the other side of the coin, I've been away for a long time from the bars in this fine city. Why? Because I don't smoke and have a low tolerance for cigarettes. Despite my attempts to live and let live, I just can't stand the smell of cigarette smoke and its ability to stick to everything it breezes by. A night of gallavanting at the bar meant that I would emerge smelling like a walking advertisement for a Marlboro. Otherwise, I like bars, but would have to wear clothes that I didn't mind stuffing into a garbage bag to wait out the next visit to the laundromat. Why live like this, I ask?
Apparently, a lot of people are worried that the ban will hurt businesses, but I think the opposite is about to happen. I've been dying for a good drink in a smoke-free environment that isn't my apartment. Let's make that dream a reality January first. And if you think that the smoking ban will be as laughable as the foie gras ban, I'm ready to fight for a smoke-free cause. Word is bond!
heg / January 2, 2008 10:33 AM
Word to this. I was in New York and Boston for four years before I came out here, and I loved how I could go out without worrying that a entire outfit (and sometimes a coat) would be ruined by the stench of stale cigarettes.
If New York, LA, and Boston's nightlife scenes can thrive with smoking bans, then Chicago shouldn't have a problem.