Outdoor seating

We frequent a local restaurant with outdoor and indoor seating adjacent to the main highway going East/West from Joco to Chapala.  We always sit inside.  The chairs are more comfortable, and I was wondering why people choose to sit outside instead.  Between noise and fumes from the traffic, it seems downright unhealthy.  So...why do people choose to sit outside, anyway? Just curious.

Maybe they’re naturally warm so it’s cooler? Back in smoking days, maybe smokers preferred outside but now not many smokers.

It seems downright unhealthy to me to sit indoors potentially exposing yourself to Covid and whatever other contagious diseases people might be spreading.

Good reason, theoretically, re diseases. However, we have found that we're usually the only ones sitting inside.

gringal wrote:Good reason, theoretically, re diseases.  However, we have found that we're usually the only ones sitting inside.

Servers and other staff can also spread Covid, etc, you know.

Well folks, enjoy the noise and fumes.  (Our servers have been wearing masks.) It's not the same as observing the scene on the Plaza, though.

It's not as if it's a binary choice---eat indoors, or breathe fumes.

We almost always eat outdoors.  But seated in nice gardens or patios.

Our faves for outdoor dining currently are:
Lobo del Mar
Tabarka
Emma's
Savta
Cocinart
Nueva Posada
Baja Norte

Some sitting outside might be snowbirds and like sitting in the sun since back home they’d have to be inside.

Carry Bean wrote:Some sitting outside might be snowbirds and like sitting in the sun since back home they’d have to be inside.

True, but the place I frequently dine has a roof over their outdoor seating! I agree with the list a previous poster entered, but none of those places are adjacent to a busy highway.

gringal wrote:  (Our servers have been wearing masks.)

Well, kudos to them for doing so. But what I have seen is that even in places where employees wear masks, before they open the door to customers at opening time, none of them wear masks. Therefore the indoor air is full of whatever pathogens they may be carrying.
Like the taxi drivers who sit in their vehicle with the windows rolled up and the AC on, only slipping the mask on when they get a fare. That's just Covid theatre- if the driver has Covid, the passenger will be breathing infected air.

I enjoy sitting in outdoor cafes and restaurants in very busy downtown sections in cities I travel too. Paris is known for its outdoor cafes and restaurants....

CanuckBob wrote:I enjoy sitting in outdoor cafes and restaurants in very busy downtown sections in cities I travel too. Paris is known for its outdoor cafes and restaurants....

In Paris most cafés are arranged so everyone has a street view. We weathered through them one Valentine's Day visit years ago.

Just back from 2 weeks in Spain...ate primarily at outdoor eateries on plazas since most cities have multiple plazas of all sizes almost all with restaurants. Ate a few times at places on city streets, and while people-watching is fun there can be annoyances from street beggars, street performers.

I also enjoy meals on plazas, complete with sunshine. That's a whole different experience from that of sitting near a busy roadway with the noise and fumes from passing traffic. So...enough, eh?