Where/how do I smoke and remain social?

January 15, 2008 11:10 PM

Illinois' statewide smoking ban went into effect January 1st. Now, instead of being warm and cozy inside the bar, I'm cold and grumpy outside. Does anyone have any tips and tricks, preferably someone who's "lived" through a smoking ban of their own? (e.g. New York)

I spend a lot of time in bars. (Or rather, I did before the first of the year.) But it's much less appealing to me now that I can't smoke while I'm drinking. I've smelled smoke in bathrooms, which seems to indicate people secretly smoking there, but that's gross and also might get me kicked out.

I'm wondering if anyone might have any advice, in general. Here's a few things I've been thinking about, but feel free to share any other stories you might have.

1. I'm already pretty anti-social, but going out to bars was one of my biggest social activities and this is starting to make me want to stay home all the time. How do I make myself still want to go out?

2. When I go with only one other person, who's a non-smoker, I feel rude leaving them alone inside, and I feel rude asking them to go with me outside into the freezing Chicago winter. What do I do?

3. Then there's the problem of timing. Basically, I've just been going outside after I finish a drink. But sometimes I want to have a smoke before I'm done, and leaving a half-finished drink at the bar seems kind of unsafe. Is there a protocol for this?

4. I like the idea of an outdoor seating area where I can drink and smoke at the same time. But it's rather cold out right now and that seems like more of a spring/summer thing. I've heard of some places having heated patios. Anyone know where I might be able to find one of these?

And please, refrain from comments about how smoking is bad for you or how everything is so much better now that there's no smoke in bars, etc.

posted by kpmcguire to food & drink (24 comments total)

I personally have no experience with these products, but I remember coming across "smokeless cigarettes".

Link
Article on the above

I would be under the impression that a bar owner wouldn't have any problem with you puffing on one of those while drinking, as they don't emit any smoke or odor.

Also, I'm not a smoker, but would you get the same fix if you tried dip/smokeless tobacco?
posted by skwillz at 11:25 PM on January 15, 2008

1. You now have a guaranteed icebreaker when at a bar, and doubly so when going out to smoke. We've been doing this for a while here in CA. This is, if you have the aptitude for seeing it, a blessing in disguise. Wild, unsubstantiated rumor has it that in Ireland the smoking section has become the hot pickup spot.

2. This really depends on the non-smoker. Everyone's different, and some will mind while others don't.

3. Drinks are served with a napkin, usually. Place the napkin over the top of your drink and the bartenders/servers should leave it alone. If you're worried about additives, find a better bar.

4. Sorry, I'm in the wrong area. But word of mouth will spread among the smokers, and the first bar that makes itself a haven to them will make a fucking killing. A lot of bars will continue to allow smokers to do their thing indoors. Some bard here in the Bay Area still do that and the smoking ban has been in effect for, what, over a decade now?
posted by lekvar at 11:25 PM on January 15, 2008

I have no specific advice, but I will share my experiences that in Ontario, almost every bar has a smoking area outside, and this is one of the best places to meet people. You have a sense of camaraderie with your fellow outcasts; you have an easy intro line ("got a light?" "can I bum a smoke"); and it's not so loud that you have to shout to be heard. A good friend of mine basically started smoking only because of the smoking section social scene. So don't despair too much.
posted by PercussivePaul at 11:27 PM on January 15, 2008

we got a smoking ban July 1 last year, and I dealt with it by cutting down my smoking (this isn't a "you should quit", just pointing out it's an option)...
posted by russm at 11:37 PM on January 15, 2008

My sister is a bartender in Chicago and reports that chew tobacco has become an overnight sensation. So that's an option, I guess. There are also apparently "smoke-easies," bars where the ban is unenforced or actively flouted.

Up here in the northern 'burbs, the serious smokers are going to border bars in Wisconsin (classy joints, all of them). The less serious smokers are starting to adapt in their own ways. Some of my friends simply don't smoke at the bars, some don't go out as much, but most of them have just worked taking smoke breaks into their routine. Yeah, it'll change the social dynamic a little bit. We will develop new etiquette for popping out for a smoke while leaving the non-smokers behind, and for making sure the bartender doesn't toss our drinks*. It'll happen naturally, in time. It's weird now, but in a few months it'll be business-as-usual.

*If having your drink spiked is a concern, don't ever leave it with somebody you don't trust, same as going to the bathroom
posted by indyz at 11:42 PM on January 15, 2008

As a non-smoker in a smoking-ban area, I can't imagine joining you for a smoke break if there were only two of us. When I'm with a group and most people smoke, we all go outside, but if there were just the two of us I'd treat it like a bathroom break.
posted by jacalata at 12:32 AM on January 16, 2008

There are also apparently "smoke-easies," bars where the ban is unenforced or actively flouted.

Sweet fucking jesus, where are they? I can't handle all this solitary drinking. None of the bars I might have thought were obscure enough to turn a blind eye have done so.
posted by enn at 12:41 AM on January 16, 2008

I'm a non-smoker in London, where a ban just went into effect July 1. The two friends I go out with most often both smoke.

2. My friends usually say something like "I'm going outside to smoke, want to come?" If I'm otherwise occupied, I won't go, but otherwise I usually do. If you phrase it that way, it's their choice.

3. Finish your drink. Deal with it.

4. These will start popping up. The ban just started, so give bars some time to adapt.
posted by awesomebrad at 12:59 AM on January 16, 2008

jacalata - the problem with just treating it like a bathroom break is unless your friends have remarkably small bladders, and particularly if you're a heavy smoker, most folks don't go for a leak (or 2, or 3) every beer... it is actually a different sort of thing...
posted by russm at 1:32 AM on January 16, 2008

russm: fair enough, but if you smoke that much they're going to have to go outside with you or not see you all night anyway. I don't think I know anyone who does smoke that heavily.
posted by jacalata at 2:23 AM on January 16, 2008

1- Just go out. Smoke butts outdoors, until they make that illegal. Lobby your favorite bar for an outdoor smoking area with those propane patio heaters. Get other smokers onboard. Be warm.

2- I quite smoking about a year ago. I still go out with the smokers to hang when they're out getting their fixes. Smokers have better conversations for some reason. Just use a line like this: "I'm going out for a smoke, wanna come with?". If they say no, you're not being rude by smoking. If they come, you've got yourself someone to talk to.

3- Depending on your local laws, and more importantly your local laws' enforcement, just bring your drink with you. Of course, this may not always work. Flag down a bartender and explain you're going out for a smoke so don't bus your drink. You're not alone in enjoying both booze and tobacco. If they have a problem with it, drink elsewhere.

4- Can't help you on that one.

Like I said, I quit butts a year ago, but not before indoor smoking was made illegal in NJ. You just get used to it after the initial complaining and annoyances. Having to go outside to smoke gives you the perfect opportunity to order a few drinks on a tab, drink them, then skip out on the bill. Not that I ever did this, but I definitely spread the rumor that the smoking ban was causing a huge loss of income for bars because of people doing this. It didn't work to get the ban overturned. Damn hippies.
posted by knowles at 2:27 AM on January 16, 2008

As a smoker, I had to endure a smoking ban recently enacted here in Minneapolis. (I've since quit, but I still find myself going out with smoker friends.)

Basically, what lekvar said. Either bars will have a patio area where you can bring your drink out, or the usual etiquette is to place a napkin or coaster on your drink while you step out (there is even a market for special coasters that explicitly say this).

You'll probably find heating provisions more common as bar owners realize they can attract more people that way. This winter will be pretty rough, but you'll probably find that many places have renovated by next winter.
posted by neckro23 at 2:44 AM on January 16, 2008

As a fellow Chicagoan and smoker, I feel your pain. I've been hanging out at the Happy Village on Thomas and Wolcott quite a bit, they have a heated outdoor area which is nice. Marshall McGearty's in Wicker Park is also a smoker's haven. Other than that.... I say that it's not a bad thing to curb the habit sometimes. I know this ban sucks, but we all need to deal with it. Sometimes you just have to suck it p.
posted by ISeemToBeAVerb at 3:00 AM on January 16, 2008

jacalata - indeed... which is one of the reasons I smoke far less these days than I used to...
posted by russm at 3:41 AM on January 16, 2008

i cut down on my smoking, actually. i used to live in new york and it was great. i only smoked a few cigarettes a night when i went out. now i live in a town where indoor smoking is permitted, and i've gone through an entire pack. it's easier to smoke mindlessly here.

so, uh, not a real solution. maybe chew some nicorette when you go out drinking?

or host some gatherings at your house, where everyone can smoke inside to their heart's content (although maybe not to your neighbors' content).
posted by thinkingwoman at 4:24 AM on January 16, 2008

It's not rude to leave your friend at the bar if he or she doesn't want to brave the cold just to watch you smoke. It's part of the fallout of the smoking bans, albeit the part that impacts non-smokers. The situation calls for understanding from all parties, smokers and non-smokers, and the non-smokers need to understand that they're getting something out of the deal, which is a smoke-free atmosphere in which to enjoy their drink. Try to time your smoke breaks for when there's someone else interesting at the bar who's willing to talk to your friend. They could even bond about how much the smoking ban's affecting their social interactions. And leaving your friend inside the nice warm bar is a great way to ensure that no one slips a mickey into your drink while you're gone. If your friend needs a bathroom break, see if the bartender will watch your drink for you -- this doesn't always work in crowded bars, though, since the bartenders might not have time for this.
posted by lassie at 5:19 AM on January 16, 2008

As a non-smoker, I never get offended when my friends head out for a cigarette. As pointed out above, I can watch their drinks, or talk to someone else at the bar. Hell, if I'm mature enough to be drinking in a bar, I'm mature enough to look after myself for a few minutes.
posted by gaspode at 7:44 AM on January 16, 2008

It's not rude to leave your friend at the bar if he or she doesn't want to brave the cold just to watch you smoke.

As a non-smoker, I'd like to second this, for reassurance's sake. I've been out twice since the ban started in Chicago, and I am thrilled when smokers go outside, only because I am relieved that I won't be smelling it (I'm allergic to smoke, so my reactions are stronger than someone who just doesn't like it). I don't find it rude at all to be "left alone."
posted by agregoli at 7:53 AM on January 16, 2008

Yeah, I kind of love the smoking ban for socializing. I end up spending most of my time at bars out in the smoking area talking to people. It's particularly nice when they have a smoking area that you can drink in (which has become very popular in NYC, so I imagine it will in Chicago, where there's even more room).

And, as somebody said above, Marshall McGearty's is pretty much exactly what you're looking for.
posted by atomly at 9:21 AM on January 16, 2008

The bar near my place had coasters made with a cigarette on them... you put them over your beer while you're out for a smoke and your spot is reserved.
posted by furtive at 10:02 AM on January 16, 2008

If anything, the ban in California has increased the amount of smokers I see talking and hanging out with each other- use this as an opportunity to chat up some people you don't know well beyond just offering them a light. you're all experiencing this annoying law (which as a former bartender who would come home at 2 a.m. and need to take a shower before my boyfriend would let me go to bed because my hair reeked so badly I SO support) in common. Great conversation starter.

If the law is the same in Ill as in CA, you can go to a cigar shop and smoke there- they've sort of turned into meeting places for people so inclined. You still get to smoke inside and it feels a bit like a secret brotherhood, opening the cigar shop door and walking to the back where the leather recliners are filled with other smokers.

There are also bars in my area that have heaters and tables out in the outside smoking area- so you can actually have your beer (or beverage of choice) with you.

I see it as possibly a win/win socially- use it to your advantage!
posted by arnicae at 10:41 AM on January 16, 2008

seconding/reinforcing what a couple people have said in response to question #3 (because the others seemed to have been answered adequately at this point): the typical etiquette for leaving your drink is to place a napkin or a coaster over the drink while you're away.
posted by rooftop secrets at 10:43 AM on January 16, 2008

1. You get used to it. I know that's not very helpful, but if you love the drink as much as I do, you'll learn to adapt.

2. I invite them out with me usually. People who hate sitting alone more than being cold will come, the rest stay inside. It's not being rude. The price of going to a smoke-free bar is sitting alone once in awhile.

3. I usually leave my cigarettes on top of my glass. It's not stopping anybody from drugging me, but it keeps the bartender from dumping my drink or thinking that I stiffed him (if I have a tab going).
posted by hootch at 2:59 PM on January 16, 2008

A friend of mine mentioned this today; she says that Monsignor Murphy's has a heated patio for smokers. I do not know if this is true, but it's at least a rumor -- better'n nuttin. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful. I feel ya.
posted by heyho at 4:10 PM on January 16, 2008