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The law:
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SPARK IT UP: SPOTS ACCOMODATING SMOKERS
The Orbit Room
Orbit Room owner Adriana Nebbeling doesn’t light up herself, but that doesn’t mean she’s happy about the new smoking ban. "I’d rather have smoke in my hair than the government down my throat," she says. "Maybe I’m just old school, [but] smoking and drinking just go hand in hand." To accommodate smokers after the indoor ban, Nebbeling installed a tent on her 2,000-square-foot deck. Once the weather cooperates, she’ll set a couple of non-smoking tables in the 15-foot space between the tent and the door.
Pontiac
This Wicker Park spot’s sprawling patio is ground zero for seasonal people watching, Honky Tonk Bingo and $3 burger specials—and if you’re inclined to enjoy it all with a cigarette in hand, you’re in luck. Manager Peter Waltz says Pontiac will simply measure the distance and move all tables 15 feet from the building.
The courtyard beer garden and a beer list more than 100 strong make this Lakeview locale a perennial stop on just about every quest for the perfect summer brew. To keep it legal, owner Ric Hess permits puffing only at tables along the far south wall of the garden and plans to paint those tabletops a different color from their fume-free counterparts.
The wall of French doors opening to the narrow sidewalk patio at this Southport Avenue fave leaves no room for Bic-flicking. "To move the tables 15 feet away, they’d have to be in the middle of the street," says owner Charlie Carlucci. Our bet: Take Five and the rest of the Southport strip will still draw a crowd, especially since the nearby Southport Brown Line "L" stop just reopened.
Sidetrack
This Boystown haunt packs ’em in on an airy courtyard patio and multi-level roof deck big enough for you and 349 of your closest friends—as long as they’re not chain-smokers. Manager Chuck Hyde says the club went 100 percent smoke-free—even outdoors—on Jan. 1 (previously, there was one enclosed fume room). Smokers now must light up out on the sidewalk.
Moonshine
The alfresco tables at this Wicker Park hang are all close enough to the building that they’re banishing smoking altogether, says co-owner Dan Kinnucan. But Moonshine hasn’t forgotten its nicotine-craving customers: They’re tenting part of the parking lot so smokers can steal a puff. There’s no food or beverage service under the tent, but there’s plenty of seating.
[ Julia Borcherts is a Metromix special contributor. ]
metromix@tribune.com
