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Sunday July 13, 2008
We arrived today in sunny sin city and our hotel of choice is Harrah’s next to the Venetian & the Sands Expo Center. Our 1st
stop was to registration where we hooked up with Jimmy (Reno), ( San Antonio’s Mr. Illusione).
To our amazement we discovered Nevada’s new Smoking Ban will not allow smoking in any area that serves food or children are allowed. So the only smoking allowed in the casinos and with a temporary permit in the convention center, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm only. I can tell this will be fun  .
The meet and great reception was in a ballroom, no smoking, so it didn’t last long. We did hook up with our buddies from “Outlaw Cigars” (congrats Leecil another little one on the way), the Corpus gang from “Tobacco World” as well as a couple of the Perdomo reps and our buddy Dana with CAO (hometown S.A. guy). And I found "Stogie" & Johnrider from CigarLive. A short visit with Jorge at Tobacco University, and Nester Placencia Jr. were both very productive conversations. As the “smoke free” event progressed we decided its lack luster style warranted exiting stage left very early. So about a 1,000 cigar smokers fired up their favorite stogie in the hallway. Our entertainment for the evening turned out to be the Japanese tourist who where being guided/paraded thru the hallway back & forth over & over again, pretty weird. I think it was a ritual as they came thru the endless sea of stogie smokers waving their hands, coughing, holding throats & noses and even running to avoid the gauntlet of smoke. But as any good thing must end (under government control), we where run off to the casinos by the smoking police.
Casino/bar scene:
Many manufacturers and blenders secured sections around the Venetian casino bar & held court with their captive thirsty companions (retail buyers-us). We met up with Dion (Illusione), Jesus Fuego (J. Fuego), Brian & Dana (CAO), David Blanco (Los Blanco Cigars), Ernesto Padilla (Padilla Cigar), wild man Eddie Ortega (United Tobacco-601 fame) and his whole gang. New cigars and war stories starting filling the air quickly and the beverages kept all going to early in the morning. Very few felt much pain but I can not speak for all the next morning.
Day 1 wrap!
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Last Updated ( Monday, 21 July 2008 )
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