Hello all, this is my first post; great forum! My name is Harry and I love cigars. I live in Boca Raton FL. My wife and I will be vacationing in CA in July. We will be Splitting time between LA and San Fran. Can you guys recommend some good places/cigar bars where I can enjoy a cigar over there? While in LA, we will actually be staying at a resort in Pasadena. I know there are some harsh smoking regulations in CA, so I am thinking it may not be too easy for me to find some good spots on my own. Any suggestions?
Here are some websites to cigar shops in Pasadena. The first one is actually in South Pasadena which is about five minutes south of Old Town Pasadena on Fair Oaks Ave. I have actually only been to the Ceniza Lounge which is a high end type of cigar lounge, a little to expensive for my wallet, so I walked right out, but it seemed like a very nice place, and it is at the Pasadena Paseo which is a very nice outdoor type of mall. If you visit Cigar Sultan on Fair Oaks make sure you go next door to Gus's BBQ, great food with that old school type of atmosphere.
Brother, your post was right on! You are obviously an LA resident. I live just north of Dodger Stadium, and do some entertaining in Pasadena. Your cigar store suggestions are right on the money, and you can't beat the Eastside Deli, I work downtown and eat there often. HMGeorge, welcome to California, have a fun trip, and rest assured JMurillo's post is a very good one. I'm assuming you're staying at the Langham in Pasadena, formerly the Ritz-Carlton?
Posts: 9 | Location: Los Angeles, CA | Registered: December 21, 2007
Thanks guys, especially JMurillo74. Those shops look great and I appreciate your other recommendations. Nice to know there are some good spots close to where we are staying. LA WB, yes, we are staying at the Langham in Pasadena; Have you been there? I booked it on Expedia and it looked like a nice place. It appears they do not let you smoke anywhere, except maybe in the courtyard.
The hotel is a nice place! It is a huge, old structure on a hill in the southern, very nice area of Pasadena, recently refurbished. It's in a residential area, which is unusual for a hotel, thus for some it's kind of hard to find. However, this puts it in a very serene setting. Did you ever see the movie "Bugsy" with Warren Beatty? Several house scenes were filmed just down the street. No doubt Langham has retained the same tone. I was there for a wedding a few years ago and it's very elaborate. It's about ten miles from downtown Los Angeles.
It was 85 degrees here today, was going to welcome you to the warm weather if you were from a cold climate, however I see you're from Boca Raton, so you are used to the warm weather! When you're here, check out Cigars by Chivas in Old Town, great place. Your hotel staff will direct you to Old Town, a great area. And I'm unaware of the hotel's smoking policies...although I'm sure open courtyards are okay. It is on a large spread of land, so there are many outdoor entertaining areas. Bon voyage and have a safe flight out west!
Posts: 9 | Location: Los Angeles, CA | Registered: December 21, 2007
If you are going to have a chance to hit Beverly Hills, grab a steak at Mastro's--on the 2nd level they have an outdoor patio where they will (or at least used to the last time I was there) permit you to smoke. You can even here the nice piano player from the balcony....plenty of eye candy as well. If it sounds familiar, this is where Vinny Chase and Ari Gold have had a couple of celebratory dinners in a couple of episodes of "Entourage".
Posts: 624 | Location: Miramar, La Habana, Cuba | Registered: May 07, 2002
More great recommendations, thanks! We will be in the LA area for 5 nights so we will have some time to explore all it has to offer. Mabe even rent a Harley to cruise the PCH. I was there once about 12 years ago, but only for a couple of days. I probably should look up an old college buddy, who is an actor/producer, Matt Battaglia, is him name, if by chance anybody knows him. We will also be heading over to Vegas for a day, I think it is about a 2 hour drive.
Traffic has increased in the time since you last visited our sunny state, but it's manageable if you pick the right times. And anytime is the right time for a Harley ride down PCH! There are a couple of great Harley dealerships near Pasadena that will rent you the bike of your choice (Laidlaw's in Baldwin Park, about 10 miles southeast of you, and Glendale Harley Davidson about the same distance to the northwest).
As for driving to Vegas, it's a straight shot now that they've extended the 210 through Pasadena, all the way to Interstate 15, which goes directly to Las Vegas. Give it about three hours, and account for rush hour traffic if you are going to leave on a weekday. I'd suggest leaving any time prior to about 2:00 pm to head up there. Any later and you'll hit a bunch of traffic on all eastbound freeways leaving Los Angeles. Also, if you try to leave on a Friday afternoon/evening, it'll be shockingly heavy all the way to Las Vegas (bumper-to-bumper in Barstow!). But it's a fun drive, the desert is beautiful, and it's a great destination. Good look finding your friend, also!
JMurillo74, anything I'm missing?
Posts: 9 | Location: Los Angeles, CA | Registered: December 21, 2007
Traffic has increased in the time since you last visited our sunny state, but it's manageable if you pick the right times. And anytime is the right time for a Harley ride down PCH! There are a couple of great Harley dealerships near Pasadena that will rent you the bike of your choice (Laidlaw's in Baldwin Park, about 10 miles southeast of you, and Glendale Harley Davidson about the same distance to the northwest).
As for driving to Vegas, it's a straight shot now that they've extended the 210 through Pasadena, all the way to Interstate 15, which goes directly to Las Vegas. Give it about three hours, and account for rush hour traffic if you are going to leave on a weekday. I'd suggest leaving any time prior to about 2:00 pm to head up there. Any later and you'll hit a bunch of traffic on all eastbound freeways leaving Los Angeles. Also, if you try to leave on a Friday afternoon/evening, it'll be shockingly heavy all the way to Las Vegas (bumper-to-bumper in Barstow!). But it's a fun drive, the desert is beautiful, and it's a great destination. Good look finding your friend, also!
JMurillo74, anything I'm missing?
Sounds like you have got it covered LA WB. Harry, that drive to Las Vegas can be killer, I would say it takes about 3 1/2 to 4 hours from Pasadena. Take LA WB's advice and get on that 210 east before 2:00 pm and maybe even before noon if you are leaving Friday.
One more restuarant suggestion. If you like a good down home breakfast check out Leroy's in Monrovia. From the Langham, take Huntington Dr. east for a good 10-15 minutes to Monrovia. The address is 523 W Huntington Dr. They close early because the only serve breakfast and lunch, and Sunday mornings are very crowded.
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Posts: 281 | Location: Covina, California | Registered: May 18, 2007
Our plan is to leave very early in the AM, right after breakfast, and head towards Las Vegas to get there well before noon. Not sure what day, and come back that night. It sounds like if we go during a week day, we will be going against the traffice both ways, so that should work out well for us.
JMurillo74's post, the first one after your initial one, talked about the cigar store on Fair Oaks Ave. in South Pasadena, which is a separate city adjacent to Pasadena itself. Anyway, it's now under new management, and is Fair Oaks Cigar. I went in there last night, and as usual JMurillo74 is right on the mark. It's a friendly place, and is adjacent to Gus's BBQ. Fair Oaks Cigar is located at 806 S. Fair Oaks Ave., South Pasadena.
I went in and bought a couple of Ashtons from their very well-stocked humidor. Very friendly owner and clientele, big chairs to sit and smoke if you'd like to hang out, great variety of cigars, smoking stuff, shaving stuff, men's stuff, and so on. I'd highly recommend it. And an added plus: you can park right next to the store.
Posts: 9 | Location: Los Angeles, CA | Registered: December 21, 2007
Hey LA WB, did you check out Gus's? I heard it was under new ownership and it has been remodeled. Even though I have not been there in a couple of years I can't wait to get back, the food is amazing.
Never Forget: 9/11/01 6/6/44
Work harder, millions on welfare depend on you!
Posts: 281 | Location: Covina, California | Registered: May 18, 2007
