UNITED959

I wanted to go to a bar to witness this -- the waiters & bartenders taking away ashtrays, making people put out their cigarettes, etc.

ILuvParis

I wonder how seriously it was enforced last night. I did hear on the news yesterday that some places removed ashtrays at noon, just to get people used to the idea.

UNITED959

I also wonder how those real small, dumpy taverns will enforce it in general...the kind with the Old Style sign out front?

fly4funsea

This has been in effect in Seattle for a year or two now. Really (as a smoker myself, I know bad bad bad) it isn't the end of the world. Eating places and bars will not go out of biz and workers will not be laid off. In my neighborhood (the hip part of course ) there are countless eating places and more bars then you can shake a 5th at and none of them closed in fact we got some new ones of both. Now I do have a question does the smoking ban count towards hotels too? One hotel (Essex Inn) I reserved doesn't mention non smoking and the Holiday Inn in Lincoln Park is showing all non smoking rooms on the res portion of the site.

circusboy

Good to hear, my wife is always complaining about the smokey atmosphere.

chiil1974

I have a friend who works in a bar on the Northside and he said that they were told by the city that they didn't have to start enforcing it until after they opened on Jan 1. I guess they considered after midnight New Year's Eve to still be part of NYE. However, many bars still made the decision to pull up the ashtrays right at midnight. Also, a couple of friends told me that where they were at (no idea where) security was also removing people who refused to comply with the ban.

I believe that smoking is still permitted in designated hotel rooms, although from what I have seen lately many hotels are designating 100% of their rooms as non-smoking. I think there is a minimum that need to be designated non-smoking, but not sure what that is.

I did venture out yesterday afternoon/evening (since we didn't go out NYE night) and I must say that the bars were not deserted and it was very nice to walk into a couple of them and actually see everything without the haze.

fly4funsea

I agree Chill about being able to see when walking into the bars with the no smoking ban. I don't go out in Seattle any more (hate the people here, LOVE the people in Chicago though) and it would bother me that people were so lazze (sp) faire with their smoking esp when on the dance floor. I'd always if I could take my smoking outside. I can't count how many times so damn queen almost burnt me or a piece of my clothing Is there a certain amount of feet that one must be from door ways or open windows?

jiggs

It is 20 feet from any door or window that opens. I don't know if it has to be opened, or it just 'can' open. This includes front, rear, and 'beer' (smoking) gardens. And it is any public entrance, so if the doors of the bars are close to entrances of other establishments, it will be a tight fit for smokers.

paytonc

The "window that opens" rule will be quite interesting to see in practice: one downside of California's ban was that al fresco dining was pretty much ruled out for me, since every single restaurant patio became "the smoking section." Same went for the window-side seats nearest the sidewalk tables. Plus, with so many more mixed-use buildings here, 15' will include places like second-floor apartment balconies above shops and side entrances. (Sadly, it won't outlaw my downstairs neighbors from smoking on their balcony, though.)

The law specifies that hotels designate 75% of rooms nonsmoking.

I'm glad that the statewide law fills in many of the Chicago law's egregious gaps, though. Some of the neighborhood hipsters blamed the smoking ban for doing in one popular neighborhood coffeeshops, since customers went down the street to a new "smoking lounge" which conveniently sold below-cost coffee and food. Those same customers probably wouldn't be caught dead in the Starbucks across the street -- but there they were, killing themselves softly by the hand of RJR, a vile company that does as much business in a month as Sbux does all year. Argh. (Of course, we all know that it was ultimately the even-bigger bank that did in the coffeeshop -- with the candlestick, in the billiard room!)

The new smoking ban bans even rudimentary foodservice from tobacco shops, so that particular gig is up.

Ah, and the "Old Style" dumpy corner taverns aren't going to be the hidden dens of iniquity. Those would be the PBR "Zimne Piwo / Cerveza Fría" dives.

The full text of the Illinois legislation (hint: use ctrl+F)

Gargoyle

Similar law just went into effect in Paris. I suspect the smoking ban is harder for the Parisians to take, since they are much heavier smokers than Illinoisans.

DataPlumber

It didnt happen that way. We just went right on puffing!!!!!!


*Rumor* has it there are plenty of bars that still allow clandestine smoking, ala the prohibition or the more recent foie gras folly. But I really dont know anything about that.

ILuvParis

Yeah, I'm sure many weren't too serious NYE.

Isn't this ultimately pretty dumb? I would think after a couple of "clandestine" calls and a couple fines, that might change. 95% of Chicagoans wouldn't recognize that they had been slapped in the face with a slice of seared foie gras. Blow smoke in their faces, they might have a better understanding of what's going on.

Gargoyle

And what happens if someone is smoking faux grass?

ILuvParis

Not having read the ordinance, I'm not quite sure.

pbz

Being a nonsmoker who enjoys live music I have to give ^ to the new law, yes it stomps on the rights of smokers and bar owners but to having to breathe other peoples' smoke. Anyway I just wanted to say I thought one unforeseen consequence is the sudden sterile feeling of the bar environment, especially where live music is concerned. They'll have to hook up extra fog machines for that gritty low down feel, now that all the carcinogenic smoke is gone. Pity. Wonder if fog juice vapor is a carcinogen as well.