Shot In The Dark: Smoke 'Em While You Got 'Em

March 31, 2006

Smoke 'Em While You Got 'Em

St. Paul, 1927: The streets are thronged with partygoers of all ages and incomes. Chicago Mob money floats an endless party at the Saint Paul Hotel and the Wabasha Caves, among others. The city rarely sleeps.

St. Paul, 1947: Hard-working Saint Paul turns in early most nights - but heads out on Friday and Saturday night for a couple tots and a night out with friends.

St. Paul, 1967: Hard-working Saint Paul turns in early most nights - but heads over to Minneapolis on Friday for a couple tots and a night out with friends.

St. Paul, 1987: Saint Paul rolls up its sidewalks at 8PM, seven nights a week.

Saint Paul, 2007: Saint Paul's sidewalks, completely unused, sold to a junk dealer in Newport:

St. Paul's smoking ban will take effect Friday as scheduled after a Ramsey County judge turned back an effort by 16 St. Paul bar owners to stop its enforcement.

Judge David Higgs ruled Wednesday that St. Paul can regulate smoking in bars and restaurants, even though bar owners could suffer economically from a ban.

"We're obviously disappointed with the court's ruling," said Patrick O'Neill, a lawyer for the challengers. "It's a death sentence for some of the small, neighborhood border bars."

St. Paul, 2017: Saint Paul changes its city motto to "Minneapolis' bedroom!"

Posted by Mitch at March 31, 2006 12:55 PM | TrackBack

Comments

Somewhat surprisingly, most bars here in New York City haven't suffered at all from the ban. People still go out to bars and drink and smoke, they just take their smoking outside. And some people who stopped going to bars years ago because they hated coming home with their clothes stinking of smoke have started going back to the bars again.

I'm not saying the ban is necessarily a good idea. But there are no throngs of out-of-work barbacks protesting the law and the hundreds of bar closings - and business seems to be just fine.

Posted by: Beeeej at March 31, 2006 02:13 PM

Shouldn't that be Eagan's bedroom or Woodbury's bedroom. Minneapolis has a smoking ban and had one before St. Paul.

Posted by: RickDFL at March 31, 2006 03:10 PM

Ahhhh...more business for Washington County....where the smoking is great...the liquor stores are open to 10 p.m. in Oakdale.

St. Paul's soon to be bigger lose is our gain.

Forget about a statewide ban...never get it past the rural legislators....

I am so overjoyed Minneapolis and now St. Paul are committing suicide economically, businesswise and crimewise.....

Posted by: Greg at March 31, 2006 03:16 PM

"Shouldn't that be Eagan's bedroom or Woodbury's bedroom. Minneapolis has a smoking ban and had one before St. Paul."

Point being, there's more going on in Minneapolis on a given evening. This will not help.

Posted by: mitch at March 31, 2006 03:29 PM

"Somewhat surprisingly, most bars here in New York City haven't suffered at all from the ban. "

I heard a former New York cop on the radio l;ast night, who termed that slightly differently. He said "The smoking ban hasn't hurt the bars in Manhattan, where the money is. It HAS hurt the smaller bars out hte outer burroughs badly."

Posted by: Bill C at March 31, 2006 06:30 PM

For us Hot Rodders- The Fun Police took away the loop downtown. This was the beginning of the end of night life downtown. Then they prevented us from cruising around Lake Como. Then it was Phalen. Now they want to take away University Ave. These weekend summer events draw hundreds. Face it they don't want anyone to have fun in St. Paul. Mitch is right, for years the night life in this town has been kicking the bucket. Any you folks remember the old White Castle downtown? Boy the good ole days. Unfortunately, political ambitions piggyback causes that restrict our freedoms. 10, 20 years from now people will be buying their tobacco in a baggy and they will be purchasing it from mariquanna dealers.

Posted by: Bob Johnson at March 31, 2006 06:54 PM

Come to Hennepin County! Smoke 'em if you got 'em.
Until Momma Minnesota says stop.

Posted by: Kermit at March 31, 2006 08:31 PM

Terrific blog you got. MonicaX

Posted by: MonicaX at April 25, 2006 10:55 AM