The wife and I will be taking the train down to help my kid brother celebrate his 40th birthday. The vast majority of our time is already booked, but I thought I'd put it to the Asylum: Are there any must-see cigar shops or lounges in the area? I'll travel with plenty of my own smokes, of course. But I like to check out a nice shop when I can, if I can make the time. TIA
[Reply]

Leesburg Cigar&Pipe is a pretty nice shop.
[Reply]

Can't think of any 'must-see' shops anywhere. But, if you're downtown near the White House, Drapers is worth a look. Nice selection, good staff and one of the higher profile shops in the region. If your brother and wife don't mind the atmosphere, Shelleys (around the corner from Drapers) has decent food and you can smoke your own there. Plenty of other decent shops around. Depends mostly on where you are and whether you want to travel to one of them. Navigating around here is often bad enough to dissuade you from traveling just a few miles for something.
[Reply]

^^ what he said. If I'm smoking in the city I usually bring my own and walk around the national mall and the monuments down there, cool views and lots to look at, and I've never had anybody b**** about it :-)
[Reply]

Thanks for the tips, Dave. I suppose you're right. There are no actual 'must-see' places. But there are some worth checking out, right? If someone asked me the same about NYC, I'd recommend Carnegie Club in Manhattan. They've got an eleven-piece orchestra backing up a guy named Steven Maglio who does Frank Sinatra covers. You can't get that anywhere else, so I'd call that one a must-see. I'd found Shelly's Back Room online. Looks nice. Do they charge a fee if you bring in your own smokes? Carnegie Club charges $10. No biggie. Just wondering.
[Reply]

Shelly's does not charge you if you bring in your own cigars. They do have some rules about tables and will not let two people sit at a table for four. When it gets crowded, you can wait quite awhile for a seat. Civil Cigar Lounge is another option.
[Reply]

CC, Sorry if that came across as smart-assy. I only meant that there's nothing here to regret having missed. Good add, Tom. Civil is awfully nice, too. No cutting fee at either. Shelley's has a few Altadis at ridiculous prices. They'll get theirs from you in food and drink bill. Food not too high - cocktails can get pricey....like anywhere else downtown.
Civil has a shop in the front (stocked by Drapers, I believe) that isn't bad. Let us know where you're staying or going to be and we can all provide some more localized suggestions.
[Reply]

Thanks for the recommendations, fellas. This should probably cover it. :-)
[Reply]

Shellys is pretty cool to visit. Good atmoshere.
[Reply]