Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

After I posted the report from the Las Vegas trip, I was reminded about something else about Vegas that I meant to tackle in that post. After finishing up my blogging duties, I opened my suitcase to empty it out and was immediately hit with the odor of stale cigarette smoke, a lasting reminder of the foul air that occupies every nook and cranny of that town. You just can't get away from it.

We Californians are very fortunate that the state and local authorities have taken a very strong anti-smoking approach, and for the most part, we are blessed with cigarette smoke-free air in public places. Although I'm pretty strong on individual freedoms, your freedom stops at my nose, and that's why I don't have any problem with restrictive smoking laws.

I can remember working in an office in the early 80's before smoking regulations came into effect, and every night I would go home reeking of cigarettes that my co-workers had smoked all day. It was disgusting, and certainly not healthy for any of us. The day Orange County banned smoking in workplaces was a magical day for me, because not only could I breathe freely in the office, but I got to watch all the smokers huddling in the cold, rainy weather outside the building as they got their fix. It was quite entertaining.

I can also remember flying in the days before smoking was banned. I always like to sit by the window, and on one flight, the only window seat was in the smoking section, so I took it. The lady next to me proceeded to chain smoke the entire 3 hour trip. Needless to say, I never sat back with the smokers again (though in airplanes it didn't really matter since the smoke quickly spread throughout the cabin).

If you've forgotten what it used to be like and don't have time to run to Vegas, just drop in at any Indian casino/hotel in California. Due to their "sovereign" status, they have the only public buildings in the state in which smoking is allowed. You're immediately hit with this wall of foul air the minute the door opens.

In Vegas your level of discomfort is pretty much determined by the design of the building. Some of the newer properties have high ceilings and ventilation systems which can completely change out the air in the building every 3 or 4 minutes. Those are not nearly as bad as the older properties which have low ceilings and poorer ventilation, and which seem to have a permanent blue cloud. You find that a lot in downtown Las Vegas.

And it's not just cigarettes. Everywhere we went this weekend we saw guys smoking what smelled like garbage wrapped in tobacco. I believe they call those cigars. I really don't understand the attraction of those things.

I was kind of surprised to see that the casino area in the new Wynn's resort has a fairly low ceiling, which apparently makes gamblers feel more comfortable, but doesn't help non-smokers. Clearly the comfort of the gamblers will always come first.

It's good to be back in relatively smoke-free California. The smog I can put up with.