Bypass Boston’s smoking ban with a drink in your hand

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Dashing up the coast on business? In town to take in a game at Fenway Park? Business or pleasure, make sure you stop by Cigar Masters in the Back Bay. Boston’s largest smoking lounge is supported by a large walk-in humidor and a bar with a full selection of imported beers and carefully chosen wines and ports. Attentive service will keep your glass full, and with ample comfortable seating, you’ll find it difficult to get up from the soft leather couch and leave.

Boston has several cigar destinations, but each has its limitations. L. J. Peretti boasts a great selection and reasonable prices-but it has no lounge. In the summer, you can grab a stick and head for the Boston Public Garden … but this is not as attractive an option in December. Trust me. Gloucester Street Cigar offers some great sticks that can be difficult to find elsewhere, and there is a bit more seating available. Beverages (and bathrooms), though, are lacking.

Cigar Masters is the only shop with the complete experience. You can show up empty handed and find the right drink to pair with your cigar at the lounge. Or, you can pick up a stick elsewhere and light it at Cigar Masters, as long as you pay the $10 cutting fee.

Once you pass through the front curtain, you’ll see why Cigar Masters is worth a visit. You can catch a game on the flat screen in the back or watch the Boylston Street traffic shuffle by while you sit in the large front window. If necessary, you can even have your shoes shined while you puff away. Cigar Masters redefines “full service.”

Whether you’re in Boston for a weekend getaway or have a same-day round trip for a meeting, you will want a place to smoke. Cigar Masters is it. Let the bartender pour you a glass of Boddingtons and cut your Davidoff Millennium. All you have to do is light and smoke.

First flight delivery of 787 adjusted (again)

by Grant Martin on

Now that the whole strike and fastener ruckus has been sorted out at Boeing, manufacturing is back in full swing on the 787 Dreamliner. The Chicago based company is so confident in their progress that they’ve actually announced another first flight and delivery date for their long heralded aircraft. As of last week, the two respective events are slated for second quarter of ’09 and for the first quarter of ’10.

Not that that means anything. Delivery schedules have been set and broken by the airframe manufacturer a half-dozen times, and by this point, nobody really expects them to hit the milestones. We’ll keep our fingers crossed though.

As for when Joe-consumer gets to ride in a Dreamliner, your first chance domestically should be on Delta Airlines, who now have the rights to Northwest‘s early commitment to purchase 18 787-9’s. Word in the underground though is that Delta might be interested in converting the order to 777’s though, so we may have to wait even longer than that.

SkyMall Monday: Flair Hair Visor

by Mike Barish on

Are you embarrassed by your child’s age-appropriate baldness? Has his or her wispy, toddler hair become a point of contention in your house? Do you purposely leave your child home alone rather than risk people publicly mocking him for his inability to have a full, luxurious head of hair before he can even walk? Well, finally, there is a product that will not only give your child that ultra-cool hairstyle that he deserves, but also keep the glare of the sun out of his tender eyes. This week, SkyMall Monday spotlights the Flair Hair Visor.

As a man with no hair, I can appreciate one’s desire to enhance himself follicly. Sure, I look stunning bald, but not everyone can make such handsomely honest claims. Hair growth creams and surgical solutions can cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. Wigs and toupées rarely fool anyone and pose a unique set of challenges in blustery conditions. But with the Flair Hair Visor, your child can finally escape the stigma of being in the stage of development that precedes full hair growth.

As always, I don’t ask you to take just my word for it. Just check out this carefully selected excerpt from the product description (that happens to be the only sentence in the product description that isn’t littered with typos):

Instantly give yourself a head-turning new ‘do and amuse friends– and strangers!

If people are pointing and laughing at you, then yes, I suppose they are amused. And just imagine how amused they will be when they see that there are Flair Hair Visors for adults, too! You and your child can have matching fake visor hair and avoid the damaging effects that the sun can have on your retinas. And if you protect your retinas, you’ll be able to gaze into the mirror and see how magnificent you look with your fake hair that has taken the attention off of your child’s fake hair. See, you solved that problem of being embarrassed by your kid already!

Bring an air of confidence back to your family with the Flair Hair Visor. Surely people will stop mocking you and your child now. I think. Maybe.

Check out all of the previous SkyMall Monday posts HERE.

Daily deal – massive SwissGear clearance – great luggage deals

by Scott Carmichael on

In my daily deal for today, you’ll find not one, but 24 different bags on clearance.

The lineup includes some of the most popular SwissGear backpacks, rolling cases and messenger bags.

The discounts vary from 60% off, to a whopping 73% off. Some of the highlights of the clearance include this rolling computer briefcase, from $299, for $99 or this red computer backpack for $29.99 (was $100).

All items are over $25, so you can pick free super saver shipping, but if you need it on time for Christmas, I highly recommend upgrading to a paid shipping option.

The bags are a great way to get your hands on a quality piece of luggage, without spending too much. I have several SwissGear bags and they have never let me down.

Direct flights between China and Taiwan resume

by Jamie Rhein on

The miles between Taiwan and mainland China are not many. But, in history the distance across the Taiwan Strait has been huge.

When I lived in Taiwan in the late 1990s, travel to cities in mainland China from Taiwan meant heading to another country or through Hong Kong first. There weren’t any direct flights otherwise. This meant a vacation that might have been an inexpensive and easy trip involved more time and money. As a result, we traveled in Taiwan or headed to Thailand instead.

Today the tides have changed. According to this article, the first direct passenger plane between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People’s Republic of China (China) happened early this morning. The last such flight was in 1949 after China’s civil war when Chiang Kai-shek headed to Taiwan to set up another government. Along with this first flight will be 16 others over the course of today and several more throughout the week. Recently, there have been special tourist charter flights, but today air traffic has been normalized for the regular traveler who is not part of a special group.

This is big news indeed. It does indicate a more normalized relationship between Taiwan and the mainland, for one thing, and points to the power of the tourist dollar. Tourism between these two countries will economically benefit both. It’s estimated that by 2010 the number of Chinese tourists to Taiwan could triple, according to the president of Taiwan’s China Airlines.

I’m wondering where they will all fit on a weekend? Seriously, there are some places in Taiwan that are already absolutely packed on a holiday.