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Posted on Mon, May 10, 2010 : 5:30 p.m.

Smoking ban in the neighborhood

By Alice Ralph

The Michigan ban on smoking in the work place is effective since the first of this month. We were out-of-state that weekend, so we not only missed the day of reckoning, but also the Obamania at the Big House. Instead, we were enjoying smoke-free meals in the D.C. area, waiting for the President to return and invite us to lunch at his big house. (Our garden greens are up, so we thought maybe a salad from the South Lawn would be nice.) Alas, the Obamas were otherwise occupied, so we came home to our newly smoke-free Ann Arbor neighborhood Friday routine. A new State law doesn't always make a difference in our own neighborhood. But our weekly routine for about thirty years has included a Friday walk to Fraser's Pub for a burger and a beer. We've missed a few Fridays, of course. When Allen and Rumsey's was open, we occasionally walked the other direction for a steak. Other than out-of-town Fridays, there were also times when being with friends required choosing a less smoky venue. Or, at least a different smoky one, like Cubs AC. We've even joked that Fraser's made a policy exception for us as non-smoking customers. After a heavy dose of second-hand smoke, the breezy walk home was at least as refreshing as the cold beer. So, as we enjoyed "the usual" that last Friday in April, we wondered if anyone actually realized that the indoor haze was about to be lifted. Our first Friday back in our routine, there was no doubt. Walking in, all three entrance doors had large-print signs saying "No Smoking Allowed". Then, there were no ashtrays commingling with the condiments. The big smoke-eating machines suspended from the ceiling were gone. We settled in with a friend (a former smoker) and felt an unfamiliar ease from breathing air minus smoke. Some other "regulars" were there, but suddenly we realized that at the very next table were neighbors that we had never seen at Fraser's. That made a total of five people we knew, who chose to try a neighborhood business that night, mainly because of the ban on smoking. It's as if Fraser's is making new friends and keeping the old. We are looking forward to more of that in our neighborhood and all around town. Alice Ralph is a Burns Park neighbor on Facebook and Twitter, with a new website at www.aliceralphforwashtenaw.com