Tonight I went to the semi-secret, super awesome Hideout, where the drinks are strong and my dog is always welcome. I checked to see if the Hemingway (a shot of tequila, a Mexican beer, and a Nat Sherman) was off the menu—it is still there, but right below it is a new addition: the Quitter, a bottle of Kaliber (nonalcoholic beer) and a piece of Nicorette gum ($10). Ten dollars can also get you the kitchen’s current special: a cigarette sandwich (“‘cause eating cigarettes indoors is still legal”) on Wonder bread with mustard and a dill pickle slice. (Okay, I imagined those final details.) Also, the doorman really did mark yellow chalk lines (clearly labeled “smoke”) on the sidewalk 25 feet from the door, just as he told me he would.

South Park is ragging on hippies right now. Life is worth living… Life is good.