Yesterday, I went to dinner with friends in Alexandria, Virginia. We went to an Italian restaurant - it was rustic, homey, warm, and smoky! Living in Colorado, I am spoiled because every public place (just about) is smoke-free by operation of law. Even the casinos are now smoke-free which is quite neat. You can come home, hang your clothes back up in the closet, and go to sleep without the bed smelling like smoke.
Last night, we were seated by our maitre de and I asked, "is this non-smoking?" Of course, it was! But then I kept smelling smoke. I felt like I was back in Europe. So, as I was looking at the overpriced items on the menu and trying to decide which one to pick, I asked our waiter again, "are you sure this section is non-smoking?" He confirmed my fear that it was and that their ventilation system and division of smoking v. non-smoking section was just VERY poorly planned. Needless to say, not a terrific dining experience and the worst part was that I stunk the entire ride back- as we passed the White House, the monuments, and Capitol Hill. Here I was, in our nation's capital, smelling like I smoked a pack of cigarettes, heading back to the hotel room, which also stinks. Oh, yeah- as I wrote this blog during a boring session of the conference I am attending, I could still smell the nasty stench of someone else's death wish on me.
When states go smoke-free it is very nice on the population of the state that chooses to not voluntarily take their life. I feel very lucky to not have to think about where to go eat because of the worry of smoke that could harm my infant child. It is tough to go back to the smoking state after you've been smoke free.
