New York City's famed grittiness has certainly gotten a lot more gentrified this past decade, to mixed reviews. But the health-forward city (remember when calorie counts at chain restaurants got posted?) has taken a huge leap and decided to ban smoking from all of its famous (and not-so-famous) parks.
The new rules, which passed a council vote by 36 to 12, will be in effect by summertime, when millions of visitors come to Central Park to walk, lie in the grass, feed the overfed ducks and, often, to smoke and watch life pass by.
The ban will cover 1,700 parks and 14 miles of public beaches, and also major pedestrian areas such as Times Square's new plaza.
It's unclear who will enforce the ban, and how rigorously, but in the meantime, if you're the type of visitor who flies to NYC, that flight will be a good test of how long you can go without a puff, ahead of a visit to the park.
