Cigar Inn 2^nd Ave (b/w 53^rd & 54^th Sts) New York, NY

I am a native of Harrisburg, PA but I spent some of my formative years living in Queens, NY.  I love all things NY, right down to my allegiance to its sports teams.  I am a diehard New York Football Giants, Knicks and Mets fan.  I try to get to NY as often as I can to visit friends, family or just take in the local cigar stores.  Every trip to NY eventually leads me to my favorite NYC store, Cigar Inn (http://www.cigarinn.com).  They have two locations in Manhattan, but I’m a huge fan of the location on 2^nd Ave between 53^rd and 54^th streets.  Cigar Inn has a great selection of cigars in their small but well stocked walk-in humidor from Alec Bradley, Montecristo, Padron and most of the brands you’d come to expect.  If you want a very pleasant surprise, try their store blend and marvel at the fact that the cigar didn’t cost you $12… because it easily could have.  It’s that good!  They stock a wide range of men’s furnishings, like ties and cufflinks and even have barber chairs… BARBER CHAIRS!!!  As the anti-smoking movement has prohibited smoking in most bars and restaurants, cigar stores have become the last bastion for cigars smokers.  Many cigar store owners have gone to great lengths to build lounge space ample and comfortable enough to lure our brothers of the leaf out of their garages.  The lounge space is what keeps me coming back.

Sponsored by Cigar Aficionado magazine, the back lounge at Cigar Inn boasts humidified lockers, comfortable couches and chairs, flat screen TV’s and even a fireplace.  In the front of the store, winged back leather chairs provide a more than comfortable spot to enjoy your cigars.  On the weekends, a hostess can provide you with soft drinks or you can stop by the liquor store a few doors down and pick up a bottle of your favorite adult beverage.  On a recent trip there, a bottle of Ridgemont Reserve 1792 bourbon was my flavor of the moment.  As I came out of the humidor, Billy the owner asked if I was drinking whisky and a few minutes later emerged with a glass and some ice.  How’s that for hospitality?  Some members of a local cigar club were there enjoying some happy hour festivities and asked me to join them.  We shared my Ridgemont and their libations, swapped cigars and I was treated like one of the family… as I have been in cigar stores from coast to coast.

So the next time you’re visiting New York and need a place to enjoy your favorite cigar, stop by Cigar Inn.  I guarantee you’ll feel right at home.