Tuesday, September 25, 2007

whose lung is it anyway?

The building that houses Patrick Sullivan's Steakhouse and Saloon has stood on the corner of Central and Jackson since 1888. According to local legend, it used to be a brothel. I've been doing improv at Patrick Sullivan's almost every Tuesday night for the past five years or so. Every week I come home reeking of second-hand smoke thanks to the audience members who can't resist the addicting power of nicotine. The carpet on the stage is pockmarked with scores of cigarette burns from the butts dropped by the rock and country bands who play there on weekends.

I imagine that smokers made up the majority of the clientèle of all the various businesses to occupy the building since it first opened its doors 119 years ago. All that is supposed to change on Monday when the new anti-smoking law takes effect. I had assumed that Patrick Sullivan's would take advantage of the loophole that allows smoking in bars that deny admittance to people under 21. Tonight I was surprised to hear from Dave the bartender that Sullivan's doesn't want to shun underage customers. If they enforce the smoking ban like they're supposed to, that means tonight was the last night I had to suffer through the vile, fetid, putrid, poisonous, obnoxious fumes emanating from the audience (and from one of my improv brothers).

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1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello Frank, I am not a smoker but have lived most of my life with smokers so over time I like many just become use to it being around. When the smoking band started I wondered how many places would go to 21 and older and many bars have but I must take my hat off to those who did not use the loophole to keep smoking. I am in medical field and have been for a very long time and many people in my field are smokers even other doctors that I have know for many years. They tell their patents to stop smoking and then turn around and are seen smoking hello...Maybe this new law will help many of my friends and family to give up the habit.

10/05/2007  

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