[July 4th]

Yup, that's correct. In France, it's quite common for someone to go eat out on their own, and on several occasions I've seen people eating alone with their dogs sleeping at their feet. I mind that much less than I do some snot-nosed 10-year-old whining to mommy because he doesn't like the menu.

[doberville]

Yes indeed. In fact, instead of smoking vs/ non-smoking, I wish there were NO CHILDREN sections.

Ditto on planes. Oh, boy. The stories I could tell. . .