Why I Loved New York - 2

Nah! Not because The Village just happens to be the most interesting place I've ever walked through. Not because Dylan wrote "Blowin' in the Wind" sitting in the Fat Black Pussycat. Not because Jimi Hendrix jammed at Cafe Wha? Not because a serpentine queue appears from nowhere in front of the IFC at 9 pm on a regular Thursday to catch a docu on Kurt Cobain. Not because someone decides to sell a "brand new" bicycle at Washington Square Park at 8 in the evening. Not because the lights are still on at the Whitehorse Tavern, where Dylan (the other one) had dropped in for his last drink.

But because outside Cafe Wha?, The Fat Black Pussycat, Blue Note Jazz, the Whitehorse Tavern and the other innumerable bars and restaurants dotting Manhattan, there's always a large group of people standing and puffing at their cigarettes like there's no tomorrow.**

Cut to Madison, WI. I was the only one hurrying to finish my fag outside Mickey's, while the rest of the population sat inside sipping their drinks.

**In 2003 New York City amended its anti-smoking law to include all restaurants and bars, including those in private clubs, making it one of the toughest in the United States.