Seattle Weekly Still Smokin'

Divey holes-in-the-wall continue to close or come up for sale with their owners shaking a yellowed fist at the smoking ban, but so far the public outcry against the 25' rule has been nonexistent. Philip Dawdy lets us know that at least one reporter is not going to let it die without a fight in the current Seattle Weekly.

Marshall, DeWoody, and some other bartenders have also noticed a trend as disturbing to them as lost income. Late nights in Seattle bars, especially during the week, used to be the time when creative types of every stripe would gather, slam down 80-proof concoctions, and smoke. It was unpredictable what people would show up, what ideas would be generated, and who would go home with whom. Such impromptu salons beat the hell out of watching Grey's Anatomy reruns. But that's largely over now.

"It's very strange," says Marshall. "I don't know where everyone has gone. Maybe they are staying at home."