Smoke-Free Paris

Omigosh - yes, the cafes and restaurants are now clean and clear, no more wafts of smoke floating through the wine or cigarettes waved under my nose, or smoke-saturated clothes to be aired at home. While regretting the loss of this oh-so-Parisian motif, it will be lovely to just choose a cafe, any cafe, instead of monitoring for breathability before sitting down.

But guess what? The smokers are claiming the terraces! Guess it should have been expected. Instead of the smoke evaders sitting out in the fresh air for morning coffee, we are now better off inside, while the smokers are claiming the sidewalk.

So this morning Tribeca's terrace was almost full by 10:30. Although perhaps that is because of the New Year rentree. Everyone has returned from the holidays and shopping to refill the fridge. So rue Cler was lively again, with crisp sunshine, the music buskers and shouting vendors, strollers and shoppers, dogs and babies, brand new scooters, a few shiny fur coats. What will 2008 bring? At least it won't bring a Starbuck's to rue Cler!