New York Mag Article - NYC Smoking

[stdiamante]

Check this out.. That last paragraph is almost impossible but lets hope that it really doesn't happen.

Smoke Out

By sanitizing the air in bars, has Bloomberg created a new quality-of-life problem on the sidewalks? Just wait till July.

By Ethan Brown

On a recent night at Pianos, a popular Lower East Side nightspot, a handful of smokers hid in the darkened back room while others held their cigarettes low to the ground, the easier to extinguish them in case of an arriving bouncer. In an act of defiance worthy of a high-school cafeteria, a few even puffed away in plain sight of security. The scene came to an angry climax when a guard finally thundered, “Take it outside!”—where the exiles had lots of company.

Less than a week after the “grace period” ended for the smoking ban, a new face-off du jour has replaced the war of words between hawks and doves. It’s not simply smokers versus nonsmokers but smokers versus apartment dwellers.

“We’ve had residents from adjoining buildings dump buckets of water on our patrons smoking outside,” moans David Baxley, co-owner of Centro-Fly and East Village bar Drinkland. “Most of the people living above bars in the East Village don’t have central air-conditioning; they hear every word that’s said out there.” The situation has already become so extreme that one local, Ben Dietz, says he’s moving because of “drunken, smoking sidewalk slugs.”

Both sides of the smoking debate seem to agree that by cleaning up the air inside, Bloomberg may have created a new quality-of-life problem outside. “New York City used to have a lot of bars,” wrote Joe Queenan in The Spectator. “Now it is a bar.”

One bar owner frets about the “almost palpable tension on the streets. I’m dreading the summer.” New York Nightlife Association attorney Robert Bookman agrees: “We’re seeing the tip of the iceberg. Just imagine what’s going to happen come July.” (A Bloomberg spokesperson counters that there’s yet to be a spike in smoking-related 311 calls.) Alec DeRuggiero, music director at APT in the meatpacking district, says the club may well expand its smoking terrace: “We’re lucky. We have industrial neighbors.”

Then there’s the widespread rumor among bar owners that all the sidewalk congestion may result in the unthinkable—a rollback of bar-closing times from 4 to 2 a.m. Only the State Legislature, however, could take such a move. “It’s not in the city’s charter to revise the law,” says the mayoral spokesman, “and no official has proposed amending it.”

But bar and nightclub owners are still jittery. “You never say never anymore,” says Bookman. “I would have never predicted that the smoking ban would come to pass.” One Manhattan promoter adds that all the stress has been hazardous to his health. “I started smoking again the day the ban went into effect,” he says angrily. “Thanks a lot, Bloomberg.”

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:mad:

[Felix_Leiter]

[Teknojunkee]

Im a non-smoker and all but this is RIDICULOUS! I mean, bars and clubs should have smoking. I dont like the smell of smoke, I dont like anything about cigarettes period, but to take away someones right to do so is just against the AMERICAN way. This is still AMERICA right? Where people come to get away from the strict laws of their countries, to get better jobs, to make a better living?...well...what other countires have smoking banned in bars and clubs? what other STATES have this ban?

Other places are starting to look mighty fine now arent they. Our Gov't is getting out of hand. Im gonna move back to fucking portugal (btw...certain drugs were just legalize in portugal last year...starting to look better and better!)

[stdiamante]

lets hope it doesnt happen.. 2am is 2 early

cheesy i know

[dgmodel]

Originally posted by stdiamante

But bar and nightclub owners are still jittery. “You never say never anymore,” says Bookman. “I would have never predicted that the smoking ban would come to pass.”

what an idiot... more importantly... in my neighborhood, they started issuing loitering tickets to anybody outside a bar smoking... im sure theyll follow in suit in manhattan...

[dgmodel]

maybe next theyll remove liquor this way non-drinkers dont have to smell it or see ppl vomiting and everything else associated with drinking...

[stdiamante]

dgmodel = What neighborhood does that already.. Time to MOVE out of NYC

[dgmodel]

Forest Hills New York...

[stdiamante]

thats sucks!!! time to move out of queens!!! =)

[dgmodel]

you got that right... im looking to move to grammercy, or sutton place area... however i have no roommates so i have to wait it out a lil bit... I live alone currently, and not sure if i want to move in with others or keep goin on my own... whatever... we're getting off topic here...

[karisma]

wow-- this is getting insane... i guess in stead of standing and smoking we'll have to start doing laps around blocks while we smoke

[dgmodel]

Originally posted by stdiamante

Then there’s the widespread rumor among bar owners that all the sidewalk congestion may result in the unthinkable—a rollback of bar-closing times from 4 to 2 a.m. Only the State Legislature, however, could take such a move. “It’s not in the city’s charter to revise the law,” says the mayoral spokesman, “and no official has proposed amending it.”

i said this back in january...

http://bbs.clubplanet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=136572&perpage=15&pagenumber=1

[breakbeatz2]

Bloomberg's approval rating has fallen below to a record low, 32%. that stupid son-of-a-bitch hes made a lot of people who voted for him feel pretty stupid right about now

obviously the vast majority of people do not support the smoking ban. his approval rating clearly demonstrates this, and popular opinion that i'm hearing (and no i'm not just taking into account young club goers) also backs this up.

so howthe hell did this stupid ban come into effect, and how the hell do we overturn it now???

[dgmodel]

its at 66%, the lowest of all time... mofo is worse than dinkins~!

[dgmodel]

Originally posted by breakbeatz2

so howthe hell did this stupid ban come into effect, and how the hell do we overturn it now???

just like taxes onces there, there thats it... never goin back...

[breakbeatz2]

but you can also compare it to prohibition, and that was overturned

[dgmodel]

very good point... it was made legal again after fourteen years, and why was alcohol made legal??? because "it was simply too far entrenched into American culture" this could be said for nicotine (cigarettes) as well... Nicotine was illegal in a number of states in the first half of the 20th century, and its legal now... so you could very well be right...

[tonyc]

there was a huge discussion similar to these threads back in '94 when CA considered banning smoking.

price waterhouse study on the "economic chaos" which a smoking ban would bring

cnn's article on Californians ignoring the ban back in Jan '98:

http://www.cnn.com/US/9801/23/smoking.ban/

but by June of '98 (6 months after the law went into effect), majority of Californians were in support of the ban:

http://no-smoking.org/may98/05-27-98-1.html

bloomberg might be a dinkleberry, but the ban's here to stay. I'm all about ban. to the smokers i say: call 866-NY-QUITS . they're giving away all 3 steps of the patch for friggin free.

[dgmodel]

good looking out... thanks for those links... (btw im not a smoker, however this just intrests me... i occassionaly smoke when drunk)

[stdiamante]

yeah that ban will never get repealed.. its like how you go to work now and public places and how you used to be able to smoke there.. You used to be able to smoke ANYWHERE back in the day

I dunno i think Dinkins might have been the worst thing that ever happened to NYC.. He made everything so shitty and put public housing everywhere... made a lot of neighborhoods totally different