So i am back from the Big Smoke and i must say that the advice about showing up 10 minutes after it opens was good. The line was hugh,
but i waited at a nearby bar and walked right in.
I had a great time, the food was great and the cars were hot, i got in sit in the New GTO and the Jag.

there were lots of cigars being handed out, i think i counted about 50 total (my wife also went)

i had a great time and got hammered.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: BadFish,

I attended, as well, and there were only about 25 cigars given out, not 50.

The food was great and the drinks flowed pretty freely. After picking up all of our cigars, my buddy and I pretty much camped out at the Anheuser Busch booth and copped free beers. Also had some Mojitos that RumJungle at Mandalay Bay was giving out.

I only attended the Friday night event, but my buddy paid for the entire weekend. On Saturday, the seminar was on Anniversary cigars, and he got one from every major producer with an anniversary edition. RyJ handed out some anniversary cigars that even the folks at Cigar Aficionado did not know were going to be given away.

All in all, it was a fun weekend.

Note the part that my wife went.
So i did get about 50

I was so busy talking to people that at the last 10 minutes me and my boyfriend made a mad dash for our last booths, didnt get leon jimez, but got the rest. CAO was smart, smoke it now, get another. It was fun.

Vanessa

yea that was a good idea.

For those that weren't there,
CAO gave you a Cigar and a coupon for another
if you brought back the cigar band.

My wife had a good laugh at all the guys running from booth to booth. she thought that it looked like a norstrom sale for men.

Sounds like the LVBS I attened.

We ran around like madmen too since I didn't know any better. We (my wife and I) did one smart thing though... Torn our coupon books in two right away so each of us collected two cigars from each booth we hit. Half the chaos, same number of cigars.

Did you guys get you pic taken with Carlito and have him sign your bag? Was Carlos Sr. there?

Ruger

My wife and I attended on Friday night and had a blast! We ran from booth to booth and got all the smokes then bought a couple of the Opus X hats and got them signed by both Carlo and Carlito. All in all it was a great time and we plan to attend next year.

I too attended the LVBS, my 3rd time. This was the best one I've been too.

I think the quality of smokes that were given was poor imo. CAO did a great job, ditka signing caps a maduro & cirllio give away. I love AF's but it is all about merchandise selling, even though they say it is for the D.R.. Torano's & Padron's got to be the coolest families there

....my 5th trip to the BigSmoke and again had a great time. I was glad to see that the hotel actually put out tables for a person to sit, drink and smoke at your leisure. This was the best year in all the times I have attended.

...lebowski: I believe that was Dick Butkus at the CAO booth.

...Ruger old buddy....I think you would have enjoyed this years weekend events more than a couple of years ago. I saw Verno there but wasn't able to grab hold to say hi, he was always on the run going the other way. Met up with TDCook, Naga5, Smokedpigfish, and another friend of theirs that I don't believe is on the forums. Had a great time and too much to drink and smoke.....had one hellatious hangover Sunday but still managed to stumble to the seminars.

DC you are correct, Sir....