skipper
11-26-2008, 11:27 AM
Last night was the NYC Cigar Afficianado Big Smoke... We had 4 people form this site man the table helping out Sam. Jimmie the Mum, Maduro Pips, Parkster & Myself. This morning I am voiceless this morning... My eyes had to be pried open and now all I can think of is going home to sleep.
I already cancelled a 9:30 meeting... and I'm not wearing a tie!!!!!!!
but it was all worth it.
Let me sum it up. I hear Sam is sick so I make an extra effort to get there early to help set up, I arrive at 2:30 and the place is 100% set up except for cigars on the table. But... NO PARKSTER! The 4th man of our crew and he is from Scotland!
He tried to call me while I was in the subway but I have no signal there & he left no real message other than he would call back-which he didn't. We were all worried. I sent e-mails to everyone I knew to look out for a man in a kilt! Jimmie (The Mum) and I loaded the table with cigars as we discussed options regarding Parkster. Maduro Pips was about trying to score deals.... I had heard form Sam that he was coming in so that was a bit of a relief... After countless phone calls and trips to the lobbies (this hotel is a maize of lobbies) Jimmie announces he found Parkster. I thought "Thank god, after surviving the Congo, it would be a shame if NYC ate him".
It turns out he didn't know what time we were supposed to be there and assumed 4:00.
Roughly 4:00 Maduro Pips reappears and the show starts. I spent almost the entire 2 hours on my knees supplying the guys with cigars (putting them on the tables) as they gave them out (yes, on my knees dangerously close to a man in a kilt... thankfully I DID NOT find out if they wear underwear under that thing!). Around 4:30 Sam shows up and starts signing boxes. I noticed a pattern, the guys got plain boxes, but the women got the signed boxes. hmmm...
Anyway, after around 2 hours the crowd thinned so I ran to the men's room then grabbed a quick bite. I scooped out the area and then told Parkster and Jimmie to grab a bite while the grabbing was good. We had left-overs as the "paying" guests ate all the fresh food... lol, but it was good.
Then I brought first Parkster around and then Jimmie to meet all the people I knew. First was Cynthia Fuente where I bought Parkster a signed Opus hat. Then to Tim Ozgener for a quick photo op and Lito Gomez (pictures to follow).
I returned and grabbed Jimmie for the same. Then with 10 minutes to go I told the other guys that if they thought the first session was wild, wait till they see the second. Jimmies shoulders slumped! LOL!
And they started coming and coming and coming and coming! It was like mail to the post office around Christmas!
We kept up with the crowd pretty good keeping the lines reasonable. I did a few NUB stands which blew peoples minds as I would pick it up, take a puff, then put it back in the stand on a wine glass bottom. So many people never heard of the NUB so we gave them a short idea of the concept, we talked many into lighting theirs up, we would jokingly bash anyone who came in with a CAO shirt on or something... We had to tell people what ticket to use for the cigars... Jimmie shouting "Twenty Two" and in my other ear parkster shouting "Won-eee 'oooooo". And pips shouting: "you guys see that blonde?!"
And again, Pips did his best magic trick... He disappeared!
Somewhere along the line I managed to get Jimmie and Parkster a CA Big Smoke bag. Around 10:00 we began to break down the booth, Sam told us to take cigars, we grabbed 3 or 4 each (I think Mario would have grabbed more but he had two bottles of tequila and that HUGE box of gelato to carry-he wheeled and dealed it from the other vendors).
I looked at my watch and saw that I had 20 minutes to my next train or I would be stuck till midnight. Jimmie and I ran, he wisely advised not to take the subway, so we ran 12 blocks to Penn Station and I was 5 minutes early! I sat for what felt like the first time in 2 days.
In short, we had a ball. Talk about a bombing run! We gave away thousands of cigars!!!!!!!!
Interestingly many many people who never tried a Nub before and had smoked them there really loved the cigar and came back to tell us they have a new favorite cigar!!!!
I'll get some pictures up over the next few days.
I already cancelled a 9:30 meeting... and I'm not wearing a tie!!!!!!!
but it was all worth it.
Let me sum it up. I hear Sam is sick so I make an extra effort to get there early to help set up, I arrive at 2:30 and the place is 100% set up except for cigars on the table. But... NO PARKSTER! The 4th man of our crew and he is from Scotland!
He tried to call me while I was in the subway but I have no signal there & he left no real message other than he would call back-which he didn't. We were all worried. I sent e-mails to everyone I knew to look out for a man in a kilt! Jimmie (The Mum) and I loaded the table with cigars as we discussed options regarding Parkster. Maduro Pips was about trying to score deals.... I had heard form Sam that he was coming in so that was a bit of a relief... After countless phone calls and trips to the lobbies (this hotel is a maize of lobbies) Jimmie announces he found Parkster. I thought "Thank god, after surviving the Congo, it would be a shame if NYC ate him".
It turns out he didn't know what time we were supposed to be there and assumed 4:00.
Roughly 4:00 Maduro Pips reappears and the show starts. I spent almost the entire 2 hours on my knees supplying the guys with cigars (putting them on the tables) as they gave them out (yes, on my knees dangerously close to a man in a kilt... thankfully I DID NOT find out if they wear underwear under that thing!). Around 4:30 Sam shows up and starts signing boxes. I noticed a pattern, the guys got plain boxes, but the women got the signed boxes. hmmm...
Anyway, after around 2 hours the crowd thinned so I ran to the men's room then grabbed a quick bite. I scooped out the area and then told Parkster and Jimmie to grab a bite while the grabbing was good. We had left-overs as the "paying" guests ate all the fresh food... lol, but it was good.
Then I brought first Parkster around and then Jimmie to meet all the people I knew. First was Cynthia Fuente where I bought Parkster a signed Opus hat. Then to Tim Ozgener for a quick photo op and Lito Gomez (pictures to follow).
I returned and grabbed Jimmie for the same. Then with 10 minutes to go I told the other guys that if they thought the first session was wild, wait till they see the second. Jimmies shoulders slumped! LOL!
And they started coming and coming and coming and coming! It was like mail to the post office around Christmas!
We kept up with the crowd pretty good keeping the lines reasonable. I did a few NUB stands which blew peoples minds as I would pick it up, take a puff, then put it back in the stand on a wine glass bottom. So many people never heard of the NUB so we gave them a short idea of the concept, we talked many into lighting theirs up, we would jokingly bash anyone who came in with a CAO shirt on or something... We had to tell people what ticket to use for the cigars... Jimmie shouting "Twenty Two" and in my other ear parkster shouting "Won-eee 'oooooo". And pips shouting: "you guys see that blonde?!"
And again, Pips did his best magic trick... He disappeared!
Somewhere along the line I managed to get Jimmie and Parkster a CA Big Smoke bag. Around 10:00 we began to break down the booth, Sam told us to take cigars, we grabbed 3 or 4 each (I think Mario would have grabbed more but he had two bottles of tequila and that HUGE box of gelato to carry-he wheeled and dealed it from the other vendors).
I looked at my watch and saw that I had 20 minutes to my next train or I would be stuck till midnight. Jimmie and I ran, he wisely advised not to take the subway, so we ran 12 blocks to Penn Station and I was 5 minutes early! I sat for what felt like the first time in 2 days.
In short, we had a ball. Talk about a bombing run! We gave away thousands of cigars!!!!!!!!
Interestingly many many people who never tried a Nub before and had smoked them there really loved the cigar and came back to tell us they have a new favorite cigar!!!!
I'll get some pictures up over the next few days.