The end of smoking at Patrick Henry Pub

Yay!!

Way to sell out PHP. Major bummer.

Ive been smoke free for almost 4 years now. Smoked from 15 thru 32 or so. It took me 3 months to believe I could actually quit. It just got a shit ton easier at 3 mo for some reason. So I probably can look at this from both points of view.
To be honest, as a nonsmoker it doesnt bother me too much to sit downstairs for a few beers with friends who are smoking. But something about that smoke and smell really does pull on the emotions and stir up some fine old memories from overy the years. I can remember a few times where I actually wanted to go there just for the smoke. Again, I’m a nonsmoker saying this.

This might come as a shock to those under 35 but I remember smoking one of my first cigarettes at the shopping mall. They had ashtrays out everywhere and you could walk around the mall smoking all you wanted without any dirty looks or people judging you with disgust. Thru my 20’s almost every fond memory included a smoke in my mouth and that smell associated with each and every one of them. So all of these reasons, I’m a little sad about the smoking ban.

The other shoe…less headaches for me the next morning. Somehow, hanging around a smokey bar for 5 hours drinking cheap beer thru the night really makes your hangover worse. Recovery time is halfed if you nix the smoke. At least for me it is. So that’s a plus.

There’s also a whole slew of people that associate bad memories with smoke just as I associate the good ones with it. Those folks will probably come out for a night cap more often after the ban is in place and might delight the rest of us with pleasant conversation and good vibes. Then there is the whole health aspect but really, we’re in a bar drinking poison so I don’t give that benefit much merit here.

It’s good and bad. Nice and sad. I’ll still drink in that stinky basement bar but I might not be able to share good old smokey memories with those that weren’t around for the good ol’ days. Wonder what they’ll fill the other senses with in their stories about that time at the bar?