Rolling With The Homies...(We Hope)

[Photo via Velvet Cigar Lounge] We may have been a city mouse for almost two years, but we still stumble across things that make us drop our faux-sophistication and squeal. There is a cigar lounge on 7th between 1st and 2nd that is far cooler than its neon sign initially lead us to think. Velvet Cigar Lounge is a burnished leather capsule of yesteryear perfection. It's tiny, so once you've bared the skeptical stares of the true aficionados, it's easy to hobnob, especially if you admit your novice status and solicit advice. They don't serve hard alcohol, but it's not the sort of place you'd want to desecrate with your five sheets to the wind self. They do have good beer, wine, port, and cappuccinos, and great (or so we were led to believe) cigars, including their own line which is hand rolled on site. After much dithering, we settled into one of the comfy studded armchairs with a mild Toro (full disclosure: we liked the name), dreaming of London Fog and houndstooth. Such dreams can be yours, too, so long as you don't bring a crowd --more than ten and you may struggle to get your cheap Mondays through the swinging door.