So to finish up talking about the Tampa Ren Faire I will talk about what is different about Tampa.
Tampa is the most free-spirited Faire I have been to so far. There's little pretense. People dress up, but in all kinds of clothing, not just renaissance stuff.- fairies, pirates, lotr characters, characters from other movies, etc.
It's a family fair but it is also a very bawdy one - salacious garb, flirting, telling stories, overall openness.
And little things show that they are not as uptight as some other faires can be. For ex, if you have a mug or tankard, at the pub they will fill up whatever you hand them regardless of size for the same price! That is cool.
I am going to faire again next Saturday so I am sure I will have more to say about it then!
Moving on...
Yesterday I went to see Avatar at the IMAX Dome at MOSI. Not 3D which was disappointing! And the image on the screen was muddy sometimes like during some of the action sequences - very disappointing! Also colors washed out - overall I still enjoyed it but not the big wow it was in imax 3d.
Mosi is 1/2 mile to the east of my hotel and 1/2 to the west is an outdoor shopping center w lots of different restaurants. I walked from Mosi to the shopping center and got some food from a Vietnamese restaurant - spring rolls and chicken w mixed veggies - not bad
Well time for me to get moving - my friend Bob is picking me up in a while and we are going to the Dali Museum in St Pete
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Where I have been, part two
Vanessa subjected King Henry to her feminine wiles, and he was no match for her sweet words, her gentle tone of voice, and her gentle touch of hand. He softened his message, saying that perhaps he could make an exception for her. But the rest of us should make every effort to wean ourselves off this terrible habit. And with a shake of his head and a furrowing of his brow, the Tudor monarch left us.
Many and wondrous were the experiences had over the weekend altogether, and I am not up to task of relating them all. I can give some highlights that may serve to illustrate what made it so wondrous. I got to wear my two new outfits, which were both a big hit - on Saturday, my yellow brocade doublet with navy blue tights and a dark burgundy chaperone or cockscomb; on Sunday, my olive velour jack with dark green tights and an olive sock cap. Of the two, I would have to say that the latter was more comfortable and successful overall. The jacket has slit sleeves, so that as the weather warmed up during the day, I was able to remove my arms from them and let them hang freely.
And speaking of the weather, both days it was certainly wonderful. High 60s at the peak, plentiful sunshine, a cool breeze now and then. Usually I am sweltering at Ren Faire, but I was comfortable the whole weekend.
Food was the usual sort of thing - turkey drumsticks (tasty but smaller than others I've had), fish sandwiches and chili dogs were among the things I ate. I had heard there was a dessert cart somewhere but I never found it, which was just as well since I am trying to stay away from desserts! As for drink, I had plenty of softdrinks - iced tea, bottled lemonade, for ex. - and also a few beers, mostly a really nice bourbon cask ale they had on tap at the pub my friends prefer.
For entertainments, I just saw a couple of acts - the DaVinci Brothers, a fellow who puts on "operas" with the help of members of audience - quite charming and a lot of fun - and I saw Emrys Fleet's Rat Show which I've seen many times. Emrys just exudes kindliness, and his jokes are sometimes less funny than the way he delivers everything. He is also always a big hit at Pub Sing, the entertainment that ends the day, where all the acts get to do one piece, and lots of the music is the kind of thing the audience can sing along with. As soon as the emcee announces Emrys's name, the audience starts smiling and chuckling. You can tell that there is a lot of genuine affection for him among the regular patrons of the faire.
And of course, we puckers have a special regard for him, since he is our leader, rules maker and breaker, arbiter of disputes, chief troublemaker and all around good friend. Pucking takes place at regular times during the day, usually 10:30 (first puck) and 3:30, and there are some who like to meet unofficially and puck at 1:30 (stud puck) and 5:30 (drunken puck) as well.
My friend Steve is a master pucker, having last season won the coveted Crimson Rat (given to the winner of the tournament held on the last weekend of the Faire). His girlfriend Vanessa and our friend Sarah are among the people competing for the Crimson this season. There is also an Augusta Green rat given to grand masters - that is what Steve will be shooting for this year. I am not shooting for anything, since I am a rank amateur and won't be here for the tournament anyway. I just do it for fun. At some point, maybe I'll start to get good at it...
More later, I am sure! Time to eat my takeout Veitnamese dinner that I bought from a shopping center down E. Fowler, the street my hotel is on.
Many and wondrous were the experiences had over the weekend altogether, and I am not up to task of relating them all. I can give some highlights that may serve to illustrate what made it so wondrous. I got to wear my two new outfits, which were both a big hit - on Saturday, my yellow brocade doublet with navy blue tights and a dark burgundy chaperone or cockscomb; on Sunday, my olive velour jack with dark green tights and an olive sock cap. Of the two, I would have to say that the latter was more comfortable and successful overall. The jacket has slit sleeves, so that as the weather warmed up during the day, I was able to remove my arms from them and let them hang freely.
And speaking of the weather, both days it was certainly wonderful. High 60s at the peak, plentiful sunshine, a cool breeze now and then. Usually I am sweltering at Ren Faire, but I was comfortable the whole weekend.
Food was the usual sort of thing - turkey drumsticks (tasty but smaller than others I've had), fish sandwiches and chili dogs were among the things I ate. I had heard there was a dessert cart somewhere but I never found it, which was just as well since I am trying to stay away from desserts! As for drink, I had plenty of softdrinks - iced tea, bottled lemonade, for ex. - and also a few beers, mostly a really nice bourbon cask ale they had on tap at the pub my friends prefer.
For entertainments, I just saw a couple of acts - the DaVinci Brothers, a fellow who puts on "operas" with the help of members of audience - quite charming and a lot of fun - and I saw Emrys Fleet's Rat Show which I've seen many times. Emrys just exudes kindliness, and his jokes are sometimes less funny than the way he delivers everything. He is also always a big hit at Pub Sing, the entertainment that ends the day, where all the acts get to do one piece, and lots of the music is the kind of thing the audience can sing along with. As soon as the emcee announces Emrys's name, the audience starts smiling and chuckling. You can tell that there is a lot of genuine affection for him among the regular patrons of the faire.
And of course, we puckers have a special regard for him, since he is our leader, rules maker and breaker, arbiter of disputes, chief troublemaker and all around good friend. Pucking takes place at regular times during the day, usually 10:30 (first puck) and 3:30, and there are some who like to meet unofficially and puck at 1:30 (stud puck) and 5:30 (drunken puck) as well.
My friend Steve is a master pucker, having last season won the coveted Crimson Rat (given to the winner of the tournament held on the last weekend of the Faire). His girlfriend Vanessa and our friend Sarah are among the people competing for the Crimson this season. There is also an Augusta Green rat given to grand masters - that is what Steve will be shooting for this year. I am not shooting for anything, since I am a rank amateur and won't be here for the tournament anyway. I just do it for fun. At some point, maybe I'll start to get good at it...
More later, I am sure! Time to eat my takeout Veitnamese dinner that I bought from a shopping center down E. Fowler, the street my hotel is on.
oh where have I been?
Where indeed? Trying to find somewhere to blog! I have discovered I can blog on my phone - yay! So no more waiting for the hotel pc to be free!
Today is my recovery day after two amazing, fun days at the Renaissance Faire. I am entering the movie theater shortly to see Avatar on a huge IMAX screen. My legs and back are tired but I am still buzzing from all the fun.
So I will start telling you what is what now and continue after the movie.
So Saturday afternoon a bunch of us had finished pucking when the King walked by. We bowed respectfully. The King's brow and he barked at us, "have you been pucking???"
We admitted that we had, and the King grumbled what an unseemly pursuit pucking is and began telling us to swear an oath to never do it again!
What would we do? We couldn't disobey the king! But neither could we give up our favorite Faire pastime!
Without a word, Vanessa leapt into action.
Today is my recovery day after two amazing, fun days at the Renaissance Faire. I am entering the movie theater shortly to see Avatar on a huge IMAX screen. My legs and back are tired but I am still buzzing from all the fun.
So I will start telling you what is what now and continue after the movie.
So Saturday afternoon a bunch of us had finished pucking when the King walked by. We bowed respectfully. The King's brow and he barked at us, "have you been pucking???"
We admitted that we had, and the King grumbled what an unseemly pursuit pucking is and began telling us to swear an oath to never do it again!
What would we do? We couldn't disobey the king! But neither could we give up our favorite Faire pastime!
Without a word, Vanessa leapt into action.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Sunday morning in Faire land
Well, yesterday's first day of Faire did not dissapoint. Pucking fun, flinging rats into the air as unsuspecting faire-goers looked on with confusion. Hanging with my friends, drinking cask ale (cask ale at a faire?). Walking all over the mulch and whatever, visiting merchants selling leather and wooden mugs. Getting compliments for my new garb and admiring other people's outfits.
Afterward, a bunch of us about 25 strong went to an area Greek restaurant called Acropolis, where we sat in an enclosed outside area that was thankfully heated - the day was warm, but getting chilly. I feasted on good bread, breaded smelt and lamb chops with orzo and grilled vegetables - not bad.
And then it was back to my room to give myself time to allow the exhaustion to set in. But exhaustion tinged with euphoria that I get to wake up today and do it all over again! Woohoo!
Afterward, a bunch of us about 25 strong went to an area Greek restaurant called Acropolis, where we sat in an enclosed outside area that was thankfully heated - the day was warm, but getting chilly. I feasted on good bread, breaded smelt and lamb chops with orzo and grilled vegetables - not bad.
And then it was back to my room to give myself time to allow the exhaustion to set in. But exhaustion tinged with euphoria that I get to wake up today and do it all over again! Woohoo!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Leavin' on a jet plane.../RenFaire
OK the day is finally here. Wheels up, as Therese puts it, in like 6-1/2 hours. Which means I'll be leaving my apartment in about 4. But I'm not too stressed (though I am a little), because I'm getting lots of stuff done. Paid some bills, doing laundry, cleaning CPAP machine. Next up: checking train schedule so I can figure out exactly when I'm leaving here - yes, I am one of these frugal sorts who saves a bundle by taking the LIRR from Flatbush to Jamaica and then hopping on the Train-to-the-Plane. One of the times I went to Spain I didn't allow enough time, and when I checked in at JFK, they had already given away my carefully-chosen seats! so ever since I am a little more cautious to get to the airport on time.
Tomorrow and Sunday, the trip is going to get off to a rollicking bang (if that makes any sense) as I attend the Tampa Renaissance Faire with my many Faire friends. I am surprised by how many people don't bat any eyelash when I mention that I like to attend Faire. I guess it's because everyone knows that I'm passionately into Renaissance music, so they figure the two go hand in hand. But let me give you a little background and tell you about what I'm going to be doing the next couple of days - I want to do this partly because I know the weekend is going to be so busy, it's likely that the next time you hear from me is sometime next week.
For a long time, I actually had a purist's scorn for things like RenFaire. In college, a couple of the performers in our Early music group were into re-enactments and jousting and stuff, and I thought it was corny, and just an excuse to get drunk and have lots of illicit sex. So for a long long time I never even considered going to RenFaires myself.
Then I met my friends Steve and Vanessa, and during a conversation about me visiting them in Tampa, they convinced me that the ideal time to come down would be during the RenFaire. I couldn't give them some speech about how I was above it or something - they were my friends, and they were totally into it! So I just decided to give it a shot.
Well, that first weekend, back in March of 2008, I did feel out of place. And many of Steve and Vanessa's Faire friends ignored me because I wasn't a hot young thing. But I had enough fun to want to go further with this whole RenFaire experience. I actually bought a simple outfit while I was there that first weekend - a puffy shirt, burgundy vest and billowy black pants, with a simple belt. But I knew I wanted to get something much more stylish so I could really look the part if I was going to come back again.
Sure enough, the three of us decided to attend another RenFaire closer to my neck of the woods, in upstate NY, at Sterling, the following summer. Again, that was fun, but all three of us felt out-of-place, since we didn't know anyone, other than our actor-friend, Jim Greene, who plays the rat-catcher Emrys Fleet. But it whet our appetites to do more.
And since then, I have done more. I bought a few more things before attending Tampa again last March, and even more clothing in time for last summer at Sterling. This time at Sterling we stayed for two weekends, and did some fun activities in the week in between, like a trip to Niagara Falls. I had found a couple of great websites for buying Medieval and Renaissance clothes, www.revivalclothing.com and www.historicenterprises.com, and had bought tunics and hats and colorful tights, and I was really looking the part of a Medieval farmer.
After Sterling, I went to my local RenFaire, Tuxedo aka the New York Renaissance Festival. It's a one-hour bus ride from mid-town Manhattan, and they have package deals where you can buy a roundtrip bus ticket and admission to the Faire. I ended up going to Tuxedo I think 6 times before their run was over. And I discovered that a musician friend of mine, Krista Patton, plays bagpipes there and has been doing it for like 20 years. She couldn't believe she saw me there, and I had the same reaction when I saw her! But I didn't think it was as big a deal as she thought. At this point, I don't care who finds out what I do on my summer vacation, lol.
In fact, I even went to a cigar lounge once to meet friends dressed in my Renaissance garb. On Labor Day Monday, Tuxedo had a special extra day of Faire, so I went. At the same time, my friends Ade and Mo wanted to meet for a smoke, and we found out that the best place to go to that day would be Carnegie Club on 56th Street. So I got back to NYC from the Faire, hopped on the subway, and went straight to Carnegie Club to meet them. The people at the lounge didn't bat an eyelash to see me, but Ade and Mo were very amused.
This fall I made a determined plan to acquire more of the really fancy stylish clothing I've been eyeing on the internet since day one. So I now have a nice Tudor outfit from www.moresca.com, along with more hats and a beautiful brocade doublet from www.revivalclothing.com. I'm psyched. I'm going to look great this weekend in Tampa!
And I know just what I want to do. I want to see Johnny Pheonix's danger comedy, the Washer Wenches and Emrys's Rat Show. And I'm going to puck at least once each day (more on that later), and attend the Renaissance Smoker at 4:30 where for $10 you get 2 local cigars, 2 draught beers, snacks and entertainment from a bunch of actors, all while smoking and drinking with your fellow Faire attendees. And of course I will hang out a lot with Steve and Vanessa, as well as Schizoid Chris and her husband Ken, Sarah and Soleste and Handsome Rob and Sped and Bernard and any number of other people.
OK, so let me explain pucking a bit, and then it's off to make my last couple hours of preparation, eat some lunch and scoot. Pucking is a game kind of like golf. Instead of hitting a ball, we fling stuffed rats. Emrys referees the matches, but in gentlemanly fashion, you are responsible for keeping track of your own score, how many strokes it takes you to get from the start to whatever the target is. And since we play on the grounds of the Faire, and our target is often a booth or something, we have to deal with avoiding patrons, etc., all while trying to fling a little bit of cloth stuffed with rice while usually at least a little bit under the influence. It's fun. I can't say I'm any good at it yet, but I enjoy playing.
OK, till next time, this is Charming Karl (my Faire name) saying goodbye!
Tomorrow and Sunday, the trip is going to get off to a rollicking bang (if that makes any sense) as I attend the Tampa Renaissance Faire with my many Faire friends. I am surprised by how many people don't bat any eyelash when I mention that I like to attend Faire. I guess it's because everyone knows that I'm passionately into Renaissance music, so they figure the two go hand in hand. But let me give you a little background and tell you about what I'm going to be doing the next couple of days - I want to do this partly because I know the weekend is going to be so busy, it's likely that the next time you hear from me is sometime next week.
For a long time, I actually had a purist's scorn for things like RenFaire. In college, a couple of the performers in our Early music group were into re-enactments and jousting and stuff, and I thought it was corny, and just an excuse to get drunk and have lots of illicit sex. So for a long long time I never even considered going to RenFaires myself.
Then I met my friends Steve and Vanessa, and during a conversation about me visiting them in Tampa, they convinced me that the ideal time to come down would be during the RenFaire. I couldn't give them some speech about how I was above it or something - they were my friends, and they were totally into it! So I just decided to give it a shot.
Well, that first weekend, back in March of 2008, I did feel out of place. And many of Steve and Vanessa's Faire friends ignored me because I wasn't a hot young thing. But I had enough fun to want to go further with this whole RenFaire experience. I actually bought a simple outfit while I was there that first weekend - a puffy shirt, burgundy vest and billowy black pants, with a simple belt. But I knew I wanted to get something much more stylish so I could really look the part if I was going to come back again.
Sure enough, the three of us decided to attend another RenFaire closer to my neck of the woods, in upstate NY, at Sterling, the following summer. Again, that was fun, but all three of us felt out-of-place, since we didn't know anyone, other than our actor-friend, Jim Greene, who plays the rat-catcher Emrys Fleet. But it whet our appetites to do more.
And since then, I have done more. I bought a few more things before attending Tampa again last March, and even more clothing in time for last summer at Sterling. This time at Sterling we stayed for two weekends, and did some fun activities in the week in between, like a trip to Niagara Falls. I had found a couple of great websites for buying Medieval and Renaissance clothes, www.revivalclothing.com and www.historicenterprises.com, and had bought tunics and hats and colorful tights, and I was really looking the part of a Medieval farmer.
After Sterling, I went to my local RenFaire, Tuxedo aka the New York Renaissance Festival. It's a one-hour bus ride from mid-town Manhattan, and they have package deals where you can buy a roundtrip bus ticket and admission to the Faire. I ended up going to Tuxedo I think 6 times before their run was over. And I discovered that a musician friend of mine, Krista Patton, plays bagpipes there and has been doing it for like 20 years. She couldn't believe she saw me there, and I had the same reaction when I saw her! But I didn't think it was as big a deal as she thought. At this point, I don't care who finds out what I do on my summer vacation, lol.
In fact, I even went to a cigar lounge once to meet friends dressed in my Renaissance garb. On Labor Day Monday, Tuxedo had a special extra day of Faire, so I went. At the same time, my friends Ade and Mo wanted to meet for a smoke, and we found out that the best place to go to that day would be Carnegie Club on 56th Street. So I got back to NYC from the Faire, hopped on the subway, and went straight to Carnegie Club to meet them. The people at the lounge didn't bat an eyelash to see me, but Ade and Mo were very amused.
This fall I made a determined plan to acquire more of the really fancy stylish clothing I've been eyeing on the internet since day one. So I now have a nice Tudor outfit from www.moresca.com, along with more hats and a beautiful brocade doublet from www.revivalclothing.com. I'm psyched. I'm going to look great this weekend in Tampa!
And I know just what I want to do. I want to see Johnny Pheonix's danger comedy, the Washer Wenches and Emrys's Rat Show. And I'm going to puck at least once each day (more on that later), and attend the Renaissance Smoker at 4:30 where for $10 you get 2 local cigars, 2 draught beers, snacks and entertainment from a bunch of actors, all while smoking and drinking with your fellow Faire attendees. And of course I will hang out a lot with Steve and Vanessa, as well as Schizoid Chris and her husband Ken, Sarah and Soleste and Handsome Rob and Sped and Bernard and any number of other people.
OK, so let me explain pucking a bit, and then it's off to make my last couple hours of preparation, eat some lunch and scoot. Pucking is a game kind of like golf. Instead of hitting a ball, we fling stuffed rats. Emrys referees the matches, but in gentlemanly fashion, you are responsible for keeping track of your own score, how many strokes it takes you to get from the start to whatever the target is. And since we play on the grounds of the Faire, and our target is often a booth or something, we have to deal with avoiding patrons, etc., all while trying to fling a little bit of cloth stuffed with rice while usually at least a little bit under the influence. It's fun. I can't say I'm any good at it yet, but I enjoy playing.
OK, till next time, this is Charming Karl (my Faire name) saying goodbye!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
March 3rd: pre-Florida Trip
When I started this blog, I thought I would keep my cigar-related activities out of the blog. "I'm writing enough about cigars on www.socialcigar.com and on Facebook" I reasoned. But I couldn't keep it out of here forever.
Indeed, a friend indicated interest in hearing about my upcoming trip to Florida, and hoped that I would write while the trip is on-going. In other words, keep an online travelogue. Well, I often travelogue while I'm on a trip, but I don't usually share that with anyone. So this time I will.
So yes, two days from now, Friday March 5th, I am leaving for Tampa, FL, where I will spend a week, followed by another week in Miami. A lot of the planned activities are cigar-related - visiting cigar factories and cigar lounges and cigar stores in both cities and hanging out with lots of people who love cigars much much more than I do. But I'm also doing things like attending the Tampa Renaissance Faire, going to a Yankee spring training game and going to the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. And I may even see "Avatar" (again!) in an IMAX theater in Tampa.
Needless to say, I am excited about traveling. I badly need a break - from my job, from the cold weather in New York City, from my usual routine. And I will be hanging out with some of the people I love the most! - my friends Steve and Vanessa (fellow Ren Faire lovers), my old friend Bob, my nephew Neil, and a new and very good friend Kevin - and making some new friends as I go, I am sure!
As for the cigars, well, Tampa and Miami are two of the most important cities for the manufacture and selling of cigars in the United States, if not the world. Not too much manufacturing of handmade cigars is left there, other than some in-house rollers in some of the shops, but some of the greatest cigarmakers anywhere have their retails businesses and offices there - Don Pepin and Jaime Garcia, Padron, Padilla, Perdomo, Camacho, Oliva, just to name a few. And Kevin and I, and some of our other friends who we will meet along the way, will be visiting many of these companies and sampling their wares fresh out of the roller's hands, as it were.
So keep your eyes peeled for updates on what I've been doing and where I've been going. And thanks in advance for all your interest!
Indeed, a friend indicated interest in hearing about my upcoming trip to Florida, and hoped that I would write while the trip is on-going. In other words, keep an online travelogue. Well, I often travelogue while I'm on a trip, but I don't usually share that with anyone. So this time I will.
So yes, two days from now, Friday March 5th, I am leaving for Tampa, FL, where I will spend a week, followed by another week in Miami. A lot of the planned activities are cigar-related - visiting cigar factories and cigar lounges and cigar stores in both cities and hanging out with lots of people who love cigars much much more than I do. But I'm also doing things like attending the Tampa Renaissance Faire, going to a Yankee spring training game and going to the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. And I may even see "Avatar" (again!) in an IMAX theater in Tampa.
Needless to say, I am excited about traveling. I badly need a break - from my job, from the cold weather in New York City, from my usual routine. And I will be hanging out with some of the people I love the most! - my friends Steve and Vanessa (fellow Ren Faire lovers), my old friend Bob, my nephew Neil, and a new and very good friend Kevin - and making some new friends as I go, I am sure!
As for the cigars, well, Tampa and Miami are two of the most important cities for the manufacture and selling of cigars in the United States, if not the world. Not too much manufacturing of handmade cigars is left there, other than some in-house rollers in some of the shops, but some of the greatest cigarmakers anywhere have their retails businesses and offices there - Don Pepin and Jaime Garcia, Padron, Padilla, Perdomo, Camacho, Oliva, just to name a few. And Kevin and I, and some of our other friends who we will meet along the way, will be visiting many of these companies and sampling their wares fresh out of the roller's hands, as it were.
So keep your eyes peeled for updates on what I've been doing and where I've been going. And thanks in advance for all your interest!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
February 20-21: First official meeting of the NY Social Cigar/Gilbert & Sullivan Society
A few words of introductory explanation are called for here. While I have continued writing elsewhere around the Internet, I have regrettably been neglecting this blog. So I thought it would be good to share some blogging materials from elsewhere, so that hopefully it might enjoy a wider or just different audience.
This entry documents a weekend of hanging out with my cigar smoking friends here in New York City. Most of these people I know through www.socialcigar.com, but some were new to me. And my friend Therese who I've been dating for more than a month now came along, and had a great time, even though she doesn't smoke. So here it is:
What an incredible revelation it was to us when we, New Yorkers who met through Social Cigar, all discovered that we also shared a love for Gilbert & Sullivan. So we decided to get together at Cigar Inn, to discuss our first production, "Pirates of Penzance," which we thought we could put on in the spring at a Manhattan location tbd.
Well, we even got some talent to come join us from out of town: Clay Hawley, well-known to Maryland residents as Danny in the recent Baltimore Parochial Junior High School production of "Grease" and Fred and his friends Mike, Hollywood and Jimmy, who had no previous theatrical experience but thought that this venture might get them out of the house now and then.
We were just a few minutes into our meeting, when it became clear that, in spite of the fact that W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan were known to be devoted smokers in their day, none of us really had any interest in Gilbert and Sullivan after all, and that we would much rather eat, drink, smoke and be merry, and anybody who didn't like that idea could go to hell. A vote was taken, and there was only one dissenting vote, that of yours truly, who really dissented only because it made me feel good.
So there we were, on a rather cold winter night in New York City warming ourselves in the good fellowship of our well-attended gathering. I have mentioned already our guests from out-of-town. Hailing from our fair city were yours truly, aka Charming Karl, Kevin aka Senor Cigar, Ade, Sandi, my friend Therese (the one non-smoker in the bunch who was a tremendous good sport, always loving to hang with the smokers or "the cool kids"), and various other folks who popped up as the night progressed, like Timothy the tea-lover.
Kevin brought Jack Single Malt, Ade provided Hennessy Black, and Therese contributed Courvoisier, so if anyone's cheeks were rosy, there was good reason. There was also Jamaican Rum, which appeared seemingly out of thin air, which often happens when Sandi is around. To off-set the libations, there was a batch of my cookies and Clay brought hand-made sushi, which was mm-mm good.
Assisting us that night as Cigar Inn's hostess was Tsveta, her usual sweet and helpful self, and we rewarded her with cookies and sushi. The poor thing was very hungry so it was all very much to her liking. It turned out to be her last night working at Cigar Inn, and speaking only for myself, I am sorry to hear that, since she has always added an element of cheer and serenity to every event where I have seen her.
I cannot begin to describe what sort of frivolity took place that evening. In my little corner of paradise, Therese was talking to Tsveta, and later we talked to Jimmy about his dog, who is very cute, and then Timothy came and we talked about tea. But that doesn't begin to capture what a great time we had.
As the evening drew to a close sometime after 1am, I personally was encouraged by the thought that there was more fun to be had, since the very next day we were planning to meet in Brooklyn for sushi and another cigar lounge invasion. In the back of my mind, I secretly hoped that someone might still break into a Gilbert and Sullivan tune, but I knew that that was pretty unlikely. Clay and Sandi both made noise about not making it the next day, but we hypnotized them, dressed them in each other's clothes, made them bark like dogs and bleat like lambs and sent them on their way, nearly certain that they were under our control and would show up in Brooklyn the next day.
The next day, which was really the same day, came all too quickly. And lo and behold, brunch was attended merely by me, Therese, Kevin and his wife Belinda. Clay replied to my text to say he was not coming to brunch or the cigar lounge, and it was then that it became apparent that whatever suggestion we had planted in his mind, Clay's wife definitely had a more powerful joujou at work. I couldn't compete with that, nor did I even try. Clay would return home by dinnertime, or be replaced by an automated husband purchased from Sears Roebuck using box tops from Wheaties and Post Toasties.
So the four of us had a lovely brunch at no. 7, and then proceeded around the corner to David's Brooklyn Cigar Lounge. The day was so warm that David had opened the doors wide, but I preferred to think he was opening wide his arms to greet us, which he was doing also! An unknown smiling fellow stood by his side, who turned out to be John from Long Island! John's joy at seeing us was entirely put asunder when he discovered when he discovered that Clay was not coming, and probably not Sandi either. We felt so disrespected at being less valued than Clay - what were we, chop-liver? - that we briefly considered leaving at that moment and taking the first train to Coney Island to spend the afternoon playing Skeeball. But John's smile of greeting restored our good humor like a chocolate fudge sundae after a meal of asparagus, and we couldn't help but settle in for an afternoon of good company, good cigars, more good drinks, and good, well something else, I don't know what, you tell me.
I brought more cookies, Therese brought the Courvoisier, and John surprised us with a bottle of Glenmorangie Nectar d'Or, my favorite single malt! Dallas was working the bar as always, sweet and lovely, and David was doing everything else (mostly hanging out and being friendly towards everyone). As the afternoon progressed, more and more people came into the lounge, and were offered cookies and joined in the conversations. Belinda and Therese sat near the back and talked amongst themselves, which surely had Kevin and I quivering in our boots wondering what schemes they were cooking up. But a surreptitious glance or two in their directions was all I needed to restore my confidence that they were merely getting acquainted (or were they?).
The afternoon mercilessly rushed on and became early evening, and in time I had to say goodbye to John, Kevin, Belinda and Therese. Sandi teased and tantalized us into thinking she might show up at some point, when really she was getting a transfusion of tequila and baby oil in an undisclosed uptown location. I pulled out my crossword puzzles, which Therese helped get me started on, and when they all left, I persisted, seeing a new bunch of revelers and cigar smokers come to the lounge.
They were all disappointed when they heard who and what they had missed (especially the cookies). I told them that next time they had better arrive earlier. And a next time there will be, of that I can assure you, my friends, and those of you reading this who have the fortitude and bravery and derring-do to find yourselves among the gathering throng here in New York City will count yourselves as lucky, well-tended, enlightened, and just slightly worn around the edges.
I bid you good evening.
P.S. I will be heading to Florida for two weeks, Tampa and Miami to be specific, starting March 5th, to visit friends, hang out in various places, explore more cigar stores and lounges, smoke cigars, and just sit and stare at sand and oceans. I will undoubtedly blog about my adventures there, and don't be surprised if some of those entries don't end up here!
This entry documents a weekend of hanging out with my cigar smoking friends here in New York City. Most of these people I know through www.socialcigar.com, but some were new to me. And my friend Therese who I've been dating for more than a month now came along, and had a great time, even though she doesn't smoke. So here it is:
What an incredible revelation it was to us when we, New Yorkers who met through Social Cigar, all discovered that we also shared a love for Gilbert & Sullivan. So we decided to get together at Cigar Inn, to discuss our first production, "Pirates of Penzance," which we thought we could put on in the spring at a Manhattan location tbd.
Well, we even got some talent to come join us from out of town: Clay Hawley, well-known to Maryland residents as Danny in the recent Baltimore Parochial Junior High School production of "Grease" and Fred and his friends Mike, Hollywood and Jimmy, who had no previous theatrical experience but thought that this venture might get them out of the house now and then.
We were just a few minutes into our meeting, when it became clear that, in spite of the fact that W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan were known to be devoted smokers in their day, none of us really had any interest in Gilbert and Sullivan after all, and that we would much rather eat, drink, smoke and be merry, and anybody who didn't like that idea could go to hell. A vote was taken, and there was only one dissenting vote, that of yours truly, who really dissented only because it made me feel good.
So there we were, on a rather cold winter night in New York City warming ourselves in the good fellowship of our well-attended gathering. I have mentioned already our guests from out-of-town. Hailing from our fair city were yours truly, aka Charming Karl, Kevin aka Senor Cigar, Ade, Sandi, my friend Therese (the one non-smoker in the bunch who was a tremendous good sport, always loving to hang with the smokers or "the cool kids"), and various other folks who popped up as the night progressed, like Timothy the tea-lover.
Kevin brought Jack Single Malt, Ade provided Hennessy Black, and Therese contributed Courvoisier, so if anyone's cheeks were rosy, there was good reason. There was also Jamaican Rum, which appeared seemingly out of thin air, which often happens when Sandi is around. To off-set the libations, there was a batch of my cookies and Clay brought hand-made sushi, which was mm-mm good.
Assisting us that night as Cigar Inn's hostess was Tsveta, her usual sweet and helpful self, and we rewarded her with cookies and sushi. The poor thing was very hungry so it was all very much to her liking. It turned out to be her last night working at Cigar Inn, and speaking only for myself, I am sorry to hear that, since she has always added an element of cheer and serenity to every event where I have seen her.
I cannot begin to describe what sort of frivolity took place that evening. In my little corner of paradise, Therese was talking to Tsveta, and later we talked to Jimmy about his dog, who is very cute, and then Timothy came and we talked about tea. But that doesn't begin to capture what a great time we had.
As the evening drew to a close sometime after 1am, I personally was encouraged by the thought that there was more fun to be had, since the very next day we were planning to meet in Brooklyn for sushi and another cigar lounge invasion. In the back of my mind, I secretly hoped that someone might still break into a Gilbert and Sullivan tune, but I knew that that was pretty unlikely. Clay and Sandi both made noise about not making it the next day, but we hypnotized them, dressed them in each other's clothes, made them bark like dogs and bleat like lambs and sent them on their way, nearly certain that they were under our control and would show up in Brooklyn the next day.
The next day, which was really the same day, came all too quickly. And lo and behold, brunch was attended merely by me, Therese, Kevin and his wife Belinda. Clay replied to my text to say he was not coming to brunch or the cigar lounge, and it was then that it became apparent that whatever suggestion we had planted in his mind, Clay's wife definitely had a more powerful joujou at work. I couldn't compete with that, nor did I even try. Clay would return home by dinnertime, or be replaced by an automated husband purchased from Sears Roebuck using box tops from Wheaties and Post Toasties.
So the four of us had a lovely brunch at no. 7, and then proceeded around the corner to David's Brooklyn Cigar Lounge. The day was so warm that David had opened the doors wide, but I preferred to think he was opening wide his arms to greet us, which he was doing also! An unknown smiling fellow stood by his side, who turned out to be John from Long Island! John's joy at seeing us was entirely put asunder when he discovered when he discovered that Clay was not coming, and probably not Sandi either. We felt so disrespected at being less valued than Clay - what were we, chop-liver? - that we briefly considered leaving at that moment and taking the first train to Coney Island to spend the afternoon playing Skeeball. But John's smile of greeting restored our good humor like a chocolate fudge sundae after a meal of asparagus, and we couldn't help but settle in for an afternoon of good company, good cigars, more good drinks, and good, well something else, I don't know what, you tell me.
I brought more cookies, Therese brought the Courvoisier, and John surprised us with a bottle of Glenmorangie Nectar d'Or, my favorite single malt! Dallas was working the bar as always, sweet and lovely, and David was doing everything else (mostly hanging out and being friendly towards everyone). As the afternoon progressed, more and more people came into the lounge, and were offered cookies and joined in the conversations. Belinda and Therese sat near the back and talked amongst themselves, which surely had Kevin and I quivering in our boots wondering what schemes they were cooking up. But a surreptitious glance or two in their directions was all I needed to restore my confidence that they were merely getting acquainted (or were they?).
The afternoon mercilessly rushed on and became early evening, and in time I had to say goodbye to John, Kevin, Belinda and Therese. Sandi teased and tantalized us into thinking she might show up at some point, when really she was getting a transfusion of tequila and baby oil in an undisclosed uptown location. I pulled out my crossword puzzles, which Therese helped get me started on, and when they all left, I persisted, seeing a new bunch of revelers and cigar smokers come to the lounge.
They were all disappointed when they heard who and what they had missed (especially the cookies). I told them that next time they had better arrive earlier. And a next time there will be, of that I can assure you, my friends, and those of you reading this who have the fortitude and bravery and derring-do to find yourselves among the gathering throng here in New York City will count yourselves as lucky, well-tended, enlightened, and just slightly worn around the edges.
I bid you good evening.
P.S. I will be heading to Florida for two weeks, Tampa and Miami to be specific, starting March 5th, to visit friends, hang out in various places, explore more cigar stores and lounges, smoke cigars, and just sit and stare at sand and oceans. I will undoubtedly blog about my adventures there, and don't be surprised if some of those entries don't end up here!
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