| Page 2 of 2 < |
Where to Light Up the Night
In Columbia Heights, the Wonderland Ballroom has put heaters among the picnic tables in the fenced-in patch of grass dubbed "the beer garden," and it's packed with 20-somethings sharing smokes on weekends -- so much so that bartenders joke it might be a hotter pickup scene than the dance floor.
Last year, Temperance Hall built a back patio to give smokers somewhere to go once the ban kicked in, and now a new heater is ready to offer warmth. General manager Dan Searing says that the lack of smoking hasn't been an issue for his tavern. "There's been some grumbling, but people seem to be accepting it. We've been very busy this month. Take that for what you will."
  The District's Kristen Ann Peterson, 23, left, and Mia Hines, 27, of Alexandria at the Black Cat. (Michael Temchine - Freelance) |
Searing says he believes his bar hasn't been affected as much because it's serving Petworth, a neighborhood with few options. "We're so location based. I think a lot of people who are coming to us are out of convenience. The smoking ban won't keep people from coming to us."
The advantage of going to places with rooftop decks or patios is that you can keep sipping your drink while having a cigarette, instead of leaving them inside at the mercy of the bartender or other patrons. At the Black Cat, the staff has cordoned off a section of sidewalk with velvet rope -- which owner Dante Ferrando calls "the smoking pen" -- and added a door to the front of the building to help manage the two flows of people: those waiting in long lines to get into the club to see a show, and those who have been inside and are having a cigarette between bands or needed a break from the bar.
"So far, it's working decently," Ferrando says. "It's a little bit of a pain, especially for the door staff" because they have to look for stamps signifying that smokers have already had their IDs checked and paid admission. There have generally been 30 to 50 people hanging out when I've been by, with people who aren't smoking hanging out and chatting as their friends light up.
"My fear is more for summer when people are hanging out," Ferrando says. "There's a social scene developing out there. With the weather cold, people go out, grab a cigarette and come back in. We'll see what happens when it's warm and there are a lot of people out there hanging out, with all the other bars on the block."
The Rock and Roll Hotel has similar problems, and co-owner Fritz Wood says his venue has switched from hand stamps to wristbands to show who's 21 and who has paid for that night's event. "If not, it would be mayhem for the security guards," he says, adding that the biggest change he has noticed is "more cigarette butts on the streets."
The Black Cat and the Rock and Roll Hotel have applied for permission to build rooftop decks, which would keep patrons off the street and allow them to keep their drinks, though neighbors have raised concerns about potential noise.
The biggest byproduct of the ban, though, are the throngs of people that crowd around the doorways of patio- and rooftop-free nightclubs. On a Saturday night walk from Adams Morgan through U Street, I noticed large groups of people -- smokers and nonsmokers alike -- clustering outside busy places such as Club Heaven and Hell, Tabaq and Republic Gardens. When the narrow sidewalks are jammed, pedestrians trying to get past have to step into the street. Not safe.
Martin Corboy, who runs the Angry Inch Saloon and the new Bobby Lew's Saloon, foresees neighborhood groups using smokers as a wedge against bars on the 18th Street strip. "I think, especially in Adams Morgan, it's really going to be a noise issue. I can see 20 people congregating and joking and laughing, and neighbors complaining. At the Angry Inch, where we have a line outside anyway [with people waiting to get IDs checked at the door], it's going to be an issue."
Still, Corboy, a nonsmoker, doesn't really mind the ban. "I initially was against it, but I haven't seen any adverse affects, personally. I've talked to a number of guys [who own bars], and in terms of the numbers, everyone's doing fine."
It's not just Washington bar owners who have been affected, either. Hoping to capitalize on the ban, Galaxy Hut owner Lary Hoffman sent out an e-mail in early January instructing smokers to "get your butts over to Virginia," since they could still smoke at his Arlington bar.
"I had a couple people see it and come in," Hoffman says. "I don't know if we're getting people to come over the bridge, but we've been really busy, and I think Virginians are deciding to stay in Virginia and have a couple of drinks, rather than just go to D.C."
For all the talk about business, Science Club owner Steve Maguire says, the ban's making his bar healthier. "Personally, it goes against my ethics, having the government tell me what people over 18 can do, but I've cut down my smoking substantially, as have most of my staff members," he says. "It used to be easy [for bartenders]: You'd just light up. Now, it's a multi-step process. You have to make sure all the work is done, prepare to leave the building and go outside. It's an adventure."
