So much has happened. -Part II

Friday night was awesome! (Told you I'd get to it.)

I did not think of bringing the old lady's new camera which I came to regret about halfway through the night.

Flash called me around eight and invited us out to the Cigar and Hookah Cafe in Parkville, Maryland on Joppa Rd. (I haven't found a link to them yet, but I'll keep looking... Found it!) where we would spend a few hours smoking and WATCHING A BELLY DANCER!

What? Are you serious? A belly dancer? I am so there. Now let me go ask my old lady...

So here is who came with us: My old lady (Yay! You know whats sad? Pretty sure she doesn't read this blog.), Kal-El, Flash, Charlie, James Howlett, Zaphod (henceforth known as ZBTN), and me. Apparently the Gimp and Co. couldn't make it and BJD was away for the weekend (We missed you guys. BJD not as much since you beard divorced me... ok. ok. That was a lie. We still missed the hell out of you divorce notwithstanding.)

I never knew this place existed. It's right down the street from where Perring Parkway meets Joppa Road.

The first thing I noticed when I walked in (besides noticing that Flash knew the owner. Not surprised seeing as she is a hookah enthusiast.) was the atmosphere. It is a nice, quiet place to relax and smoke.

I brought along two cigars for the occasion: an El Artista Bambina, and a Victor Sinclair (frantic search for the wrapper) Legacy Box Press.

We had a table reserved and we went in and ordered some hookah's and some drinks (the non-alcoholic kind). Then we chilled out for a while. At this point it was around 9:45pm.

10:00pm.

Charlie and James Howlett order the ...err... pretty sure they ordered a blend of banana/mango/mint tobacco (I could be wrong here, I wasn't paying the strictest attention). Charlie also asks them to add milk $2.00. This turns out to be surprisingly good.

Flash orders a grape hookah which was very tasty and instead of getting the one hose hookah she ordered they brought out a two hose. Waste not want not. Kal-El officially had a hose hooked to delicious grape flavored tobacco.

I light up my Victor Sinclair. It's one of the free cigars I got in my fuerte 6 pack. It is delicious. The more I smoke it, the better it tastes. I get through half of it before I take a puff off of the hookah my old lady and ZBTN were sharing. The blend they chose was the Alex Mix for particular reasons that if you were there you would know. I give the Alex Mix a go.

It's pretty darn good.

I immediately feel high.

I don't know how the rest of you are, and I'm genuinely curious: There are some cigars that just get me feeling high (or what I suppose high feels like. I've never actually done any drugs), that is, sort of dizzy and light headed -but in a good way. Have you ever come across this in your smoking? Let me know in the comment section below.

Anyway, that sort of high feeling colors my mood for the rest of the evening.

I mention it to Kal-El who takes a puff of my cigar after smoking hookah for a while.

She immediately feels high.

We're on to something here.

11:00 (-ish. In fact, all of these times should have the letters ish at the end of them. Just imagine them there so I don't have to type them.)

The girl we think is the belly dancer comes in and sits at the table right next to us. Flash confirms that this is her. We are, as a table, excited.

12:00

The suspense has built to a chris-hendo (see what I did there?) and she comes out of the back room (when did she go back there?) and begins to dance to the awesome music that has begun playing.

She is beautiful and dances well and is not the stick of a body type that so many Bulimic's seem to want to achieve thanks to the media stereotypes. Understand, this is not me saying she was heavy in any way. She was amazingly beautiful and filled out the way athletic people who dance for a living might be.

In short, she did not need a cheeseburger.

Beautiful body. Her outfit was very provocative yet concealed the bits that are usually concealed. We couldn't, as a table, stop staring.

We find out that it is considered nice to go stick money in her clothes but are explicitly warned by Flash, "Not the breasts!"

Fine.

My old lady puts a dollar by her waist tucked into her dress-thing and I wait for it to fall out the entire rest of the dance.

She's great and we immediately make plans to steal her but aren't sure if the trunk is going to be big enough.

1:00

Somewhere before now I've finished my Victor Sinclair, chilled for a few minutes, and started in on the El Artista Bambina. The Bambina is not as delicious as the Victor Sinclair but I am not surprised at this. Anyway, we've had a great time; Charlie ordered hummas which I had a bite of, delicious!

After I finish the Bambina I decide to go check out their humidor. Yes! They have a pretty extensive cigar selection including a wall of Ashton, factory reject bundles (not from Ashton sadly) for a dollar a cigar (these cigars are rejected by the factory for slight discolorations in the wrapper which don't change the taste. this is a great deal), Nub (Which I almost got), the new 1968 by Macanudo (which I did get), Culebras -3 cigars braided together (which I really wanted to get. These things are impossible to find nowadays. I think only one company still makes them? Maybe two)

The humidor was great and everything was pretty decently priced. (I haven't smoked the 1968 yet, but assume you'll hear about it soon)

Before we left, the belly dancer came out yet again! We give her more money and James Howlett finds out that if you don't dance with her before you give her money she runs away from you. Ha!

It is time to go. I must have accidently touched my eye with a bit of tobacco or something because I feel like I'm crying.

This place was great. 23 Dollars for almost 5 hours of good times for 3 people is amazing thats about $1.50 per person per hour. Pretty sweet! (Also, if you don't purchase a cigar or hookah there is a 5 dollar cover charge, but I'm comfortable with that).

Here is where we get to what I didn't like:

What I didn't see until we left were the big signs that said something like, "Outside cigars can not be brought into the store."

Whoops.

This is the only problem I have with this place and maybe they'll decide to change the rule.

Look. I understand the worry about not making money if people bring their own cigars in but that just isn't so. More than likely they will buy drinks/food from you while they are there.

Maybe it's just me, but the idea that I can go there and smoke a cigar I've had seasoning in my humidor is a huge draw. I spent money there, hell, I did buy a cigar, but if I had been stopped at the door by someone, "I'm sorry sir, but you cannot bring outside cigars into the cafe." I would have had a horrible night and probably would be writing an entirely different post right now.

So guys, think about changing that policy, or at least allow the Cigar Freak a little leeway.

I'm just saying.

Ok guys, that is going to be my new hangout for the foreseeable future and I think you should all come with me. I'll be going back during the day (some day) sometime (some time) to speak to the owner (some owner... ok ok sorry.) and I'll probably do a really nice piece for the Examiner that will also get posted here.

Thanks to everyone who came but especially Flash for the invite and the awesome idea. I envy your connections girl.

Everyone go hang out there. Right now... Wait! -After you click on my Examiner page. Yes, click the page first, then go hang out there. Or take your computer and click it while you are there. I'm not sure but I think they might have WiFi.


Keep em Lit! (Even if you bring them into the cafe accidentally against cafe policy.)