New York, here I come...

[CoventryCat86]

Rohan,

I think you were at CigarMaster which I had never heard of before. LJ Peretti has an awesome selection of great cigars but I've never actually visited their shop so I don't know if they have any seating. Another place in Boston that many people go to is Churchill's (Tyler's been there for the NERFs) which is right next to Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market.

As far as the 2nd in Hartford, Jim D closes up his shop at 5:00 PM so we'd be outta there then. If you want to, we could meet at a small cigar shop in Vernon, CT which is literally only two minutes from exit 65 off of Route 84. The place is called Have A Cigar I think they're open until 8:00 on Friday nights.

Oh and DO NOT take Route 95 north out of New York City, take the Hutchinson River Parkway which turns into the Merrit Parkway (Route 15) which then turns into the Wilbur Cross Parkway which meets up with Route 91 in Meriden. ESPECIALLY if you're heading out of the city on a Friday afternoon. As you head towards Connecticut, you'll start seeing signs for the Hutchinson River Parkway, it's pretty easy, you barely even need a map. My guess is you'll be coming out of Brooklyn & Queens via the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge and like I said at that point, you'll start seeing signs for "New England" and you'll see two possible routes, the Hutchinson River Pkwy and Route 95 (I think they call that the "New England Thruway" in New York state).

If that's horribly backed up, you can take Route 287 west to Route 684 which brings you to Route 84. It's longer mileage-wise but it's shorter time-wise if there's lots of traffic. You can get to Route 287 from either Route 95 or the Hutchinson River Pkwy.

[Roham]

The guys at LJ peretti are the biggest bunch of fuckin assholes in the whole city of boston and I'd never recommend them to anyone again. Seriously dude, they told me to "go back to Canada" cause I was chatting with a customer about what I think would be a good choice of cigars...... Background story: I googled cigars to find their name. Then when I got to that part of town I asked someone where it is. They directed me to the area. As I waited a couple blocks away and my girlfriend ran into a store to get us a drink a young couple saw me smoking a cigar. The guy says he is looking for a cigar shop close by he had heard of. I told him its probably the same one I am going to and directed him there. I wished him well and said we'd probably see him there. Well when I finally got there, the store was empty except for some guy behind the counter. I walked in, said Hi. He said Hi back. I said How's it going? Silence..... I looked at my girlfriend with a *this isnt a very friendly place look*. Anyways, we browsed. A regular customer came and went while we browsed. After that I struck up a conversation about me being from canada and just looking for anything rare that might strike my fancy. Then the couple came. We laughed and said hi. Then the guy asks for a rare/nice cigar he could give his stepdad. The guy behind the counter doesnt even move his fat ass off the chair(its a pretty big store). He just reaches over and grabs a 3 pack of cigars from the case beside him(GoF's) and says this is good, it'll cost $90. That's when I asked if they had the number one rated cigar, the Rocky Patel Decade. He said i shouldn't go by ratings but they do have it. I suggested to the guy to maybe get a variety, one of each would be cool. He agreed so the bastard behind the counter had to get up off his ass and walk accross the store to the other humidor... Anyways, then the guy says, I was wanting to try something for myself too but have never tried a cigar. The salesman, already with his fat ass planted on his stool infront of the till reaches INFRONT of the till to a box OUT IN THE OPEN AIR and says this will be good for you(after he asked if the guy wants mild or med, the guy said he didnt' know). Thats when I asked the man if they had a short story thinking that might be a nice small first timer cigar... There was another man behind the counter i hadnt really noticed who decided to pipe up and tell me to wait till they finish their transaction. I said this mans a friend and I'm just helping him out. Thats when he mutters something about "too many chiefs". Then, as he gets up and walks into the back room he says under his breath "Go back to Canada" I told him I would... No problem.... We left. The couple bought their COUNTER DRIED cigar and the two I recommended and left shortly after us. They were shocked and apoligized. I said it wasnt their fault. Actually, as we left the guy behind the counter said something my girlfriend didnt hear, but she did hear the customers response which was "he was nice to me".... Actually when I first walked in there I asked him if the whole place was humidified because of the dozens of boxes on the counter. He told me No, but they put them away at night................................ Seriously, one of the worst cigar buying experiences I have EVER had.... The fuckin assholes are ONLY in business cause they have the "oldest" cigar shop in boston, and a couple rares(MAYBE)... They are surviving on a gimmick, but they DO NOT CARE AT ALL about their customers! Seriously! WTF. Guy asks for a cigar for his first and he gives him a fuckin dog rocket, and tells me to shut up. How do u expect to get new people into our wonderful hobby by recommending complete and utter bullshit just to make a quick buck!! grrrrrrr

Anyways, that felt good. Had to vent.....


Well Bill, I got your number. So I will call you on the 2nd as we are getting ready to head back, and if it's not too late hopefully we can meet up. I'll call you regardless of how late we leave though, just to touch base.

[logan37]

What part of Brooklyn are you staying in? Brooklyn's not a bad drive as long as the traffic isn't bad. I'll see if my wife has anything going on for the 1st and I'll let you know.

[CoventryCat86]

What part of Brooklyn are you staying in? Brooklyn's not a bad drive as long as the traffic isn't bad. I'll see if my wife has anything going on for the 1st and I'll let you know.

I think he told me Ocean Boulevard. It'll give him a chance to brush up on his Ga-Dangme.

[Roham]

Waverly Ave, if u know where that is:)

[logan37]

Waverly Ave, if u know where that is:)

Fort Green. My friend used to live there. It's about a 30 minute drive from me. I searched for some shops in that area and found 5 that were pretty close. I'm not sure if any of them have lounges. I'll make a few phone calls and let you know.
Or if you think you can make it to Long Island, we can go to my local spot.

[logan37]

I called all the cigar shops in close proximity of of Waverly Ave. 3 of them where disconnected numbers(possibly no longer in business), 3 don;t have lounges or allow smoking.

There is one, Velvet Cigar Lounge, that has an outside heated area that you can smoke in, but no space indoors. It's supposed to be around 26f tomorrow and, as you know, it snowed all day today. It's supposed to be windy tomorrow so I don't know if the heaters will really help at all. We can bring our own cigars to smoke there, an they have their own "house" cigars for purchase. Its pretty much a bar/lounge that sells it's own cigar line(don't know if they are any good).

The lounge by me is indoors and you and whoever you want to bring would be welcomed. If not, no big deal. Let me know if your cousins have any info on another place near them. I pmed you my cell phone # if you want to get in touch.