I Heart NY

I always thought this NY slogan was a bit obnoxious, but the longer I live in NY, the more I'm starting to buy it. After spending a week in Michigan, Eddie and I have started compiling a list of things that we really love about living in New York. Here are the top items:

1. No smoking in business establishments (including restaurants, bars, etc.)
2. No trans fats in restaurants (coming soon)
3. Hands-free driving law (okay, not everyone does this, but most people do)
4. No potholes (seriously, not a one over 250 miles of toll road and, yes, the tolls are totally worth it)

Number one is a big one for me since I hate the smell of cigarette smoke. We had a couple of problems getting no-smoking tables in restaurants in Michigan, but the worst experience was at the florist. We were ordering flowers for my mom's funeral on a Sunday afternoon at our favorite florist in Hamtramck. The owners are friends of my sister and we've used them for all of the major flower occasions (weddings, funerals, etc.) and they're very good at what they do. Unfortunately, they're both smokers. We walked into the store and there was a cloud of white mist hanging in the air. I literally almost started gagging. By the time we left, we all reeked of cigarette smoke. Even though I really like those guys, I'm not sure I'd go back there after that experience.