I remember NYC as a place where anything goes. However, with so many rules now in place like walking through the subway cars, restricted bus lanes, and such. NYC is not the place to do whatever you feel like doing unless you don't mind getting a fine. Mayor Bloomberg of NYC outlawed smoking in bars and restaurants in 2002. Now he made it official on Tuesday(02/22/11)outlawing smoking in city parks, on beaches, boardwalks and pedestrian plazas, like Times Square. Practically seems like there's a ban for everything. Under the new law, smoking will be banned in the city’s 1,700 parks and 14 miles of public beaches. City pools and recreation centers will also be smoke free. One of the council members who voted against the bill was Rosie Mendez: "Smoking, while it's ill-advised, smokers have rights and I think we've taken a step
too far today in curtailing people's civil liberties,". Its a sad story not being able to smoke at a beach because its not so much an health issue but about control and politics as usual.
