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| Everything is glamorous in New Orleans |
People from elsewhere are often surprised that smoking is still common in New Orleans, and it's not just the coronas rolled at the New Orleans Cigar Factory. Smoking is still allowed in bars.
It takes some getting used to. After their first night out, many of our guests express their surprise. "We outlawed that years ago!" they say. New Orleans is a haven for people trying to escape restrictions. Live and let live is written into the municipal code.
Before they went out on their first night, the couple from Brooklyn who stayed with us recently asked about smoking in New Orleans. They wrinkled their noses when we told them they were probably going to be exposed to secondhand smoke.
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| No smoking in this dining room |
The next morning, over breakfast, they were more enthusiastic. "I haven't come home smelling like a stale ashtray in years," Ivan said. "I smelled my hair when I woke up and I felt like I was in college again!" Nadia piped up, cheerfully.
New Orleans makes people feel young.
Some people say New Orleans is behind the times. Others say it is a world of its own. The city and its people play the game of life by different rules, that's all. Laissez les bon temps rouler is not just a phrase to print on a tee shirt. It is a motto for setting priorities.
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| A New Orleans bed and breakfast inn |
Smoking is neither encouraged nor discouraged at La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast. It is, however, limited to outdoors. The furniture on the private balconies is equipped with ashtrays, but if you are going to smoke on the balcony, close all windows and doors. We don't want to charge you for deodorizing the suite, which is more work than you think if you have an asthmatic staying next week.
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| A La France Suite view of the gardens |
You are always welcome to enjoy smoking tobacco in the gardens in back. It's beautiful there. With the tinkling fountain and the breeze rustling the leaves of the palm, pecan and fig trees, it's not just a smoker's paradise. A recent guest from Des Moines spent a morning on her needlepoint in the garden. I asked why she wasn't out exploring the city. "It's nice to sit in the sun, here," she told me.
If you have a hankering for tobacciana while you're indoors, you can always study the exhibits in our cigar box museum during breakfast. Your host will be happy to discuss the collection.
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| A view of the cigar box museum |
A votre sante.
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