Letter from Boston
Dining Outdoors
By MASAKO YAMADA
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外で食事を楽しむ
ボストンでは、天気がよいこの時期、外で食事のできるレストランが増えます。おいしい空気ときれいな景色の中で食事が楽しめるのかと思いきや、トラックやバスの排気ガスがひどかったり、見える景色は工事現場だったりして、必ずしも思わしい環境とは言えません。それでも外に席を設けた店が人気を集めています。
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The weather has been particularly pleasant lately and
I've seen an increase in the number of people enjoying
their meals outdoors. Many restaurants in Boston drag
out tables during the summer months so that patrons
can eat alfresco.
Imagine eating a luscious meal with fresh air, cool
breezes, a view of trees and the hubbub of happy
passersby lending a lively atmosphere. It sounds just
like Paris, doesn't it? Now add unstable plastic and
metal tables teetering on cracked sidewalks, buses and
trucks rumbling by and spewing fumes, and homeless
people occasionally coming toward patrons with their
paper cups outstretched.
I would say this is much closer to the actual
experience of eating outside near the Boston University
campus. Still, people can't seem to resist the
temptation of eating outside. To many people, the worst
outdoor conditions are preferable to being cooped up
inside. At least three restaurants near BU have outdoor
seating in spite of the less-than-ideal area.
Today, I went to a popular local seafood restaurant
that is located right on the Boston Harbor and I realized
again how much the out
doors beckons when the weather is good. The main
"dining room" is a huge tent with a view of a parking
lot, a broken footbridge, a lobster warehouse, lots
of construction work and the glittering Boston
skyline.
When the people in front of us got assigned the
smaller "indoor dining room" instead of the tent, they
looked extremely disappointed. It did not matter that
it was cooler and quieter inside, and that the view was
almost as good, albeit through windows.
My friend and I were satisfied with sitting in the
indoor dining room, especially considering that the wait
was much shorter, but I could see why people were willing
to wait an hour to get a seat in the tent. Ironically,
the tent is heated when it gets colder, so
outdoors-lovers can enjoy the view without freezing.
The "Champs Elysees of Boston," Newbury Street, is
dotted with outdoor tables when the weather is nice.
These restaurants have an ambiance that is much more
refined than those closer to BU. Newbury Street does
not suffer from the same kind of traffic as Commonwealth
Ave. (the street BU is on), and the passersby tend to be
much more polished.
Indeed, it is well-known that people eat outdoors on
Newbury Street not only to enjoy the breeze and the view,
but to see-and-be-seen. I agree that it is fun to
people-watch while eating, and it's fun to pretend to be
a part of a dramatic movie scene.
Charles Street, another one of Boston's fancy
streets, has a lot of restaurants. However, the
atmosphere is much more sedate and outdoor tables do
not clog the sidewalks.
The residents of the community insist that the
street maintain a certain amount of class, so they
have prevented restaurants from getting the necessary
permits to set tables outside. They claim that outdoor
diners will create noise and other mischief that will
disturb the quality of life of the residents. (They
have prevented newspaper and magazine vending machines
from being placed on the streets, and have banned neon
signs as well.)
Even though it is known that patrons like eating
outdoors, and that restaurants want to humor patrons,
not all restaurants are free to set tables outside. Since
public space is involved, the public is entitled to
control how much this phenomenon spreads.
Boston is actually considered to be a city where
alfresco dining is not very common. Perhaps this is part
of the reason people covet those outdoor tables so
much.
Another development that may affect the number of
restaurants serving food outside is the recent smoking
ban inside restaurants. Restaurants that wish to attract
smokers are required to adhere to extremely strict
rules with regards to separating smokers and non-smokers.
It's simply much easier to set up a few tables outside to
cater to the smokers.
Even though this seems like an ideal solution, the
question is how many restaurants will be able to get the
requisite permits. Eating outdoors is not as simple as
it seems.
Shukan ST: July 14, 2000
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