Boyz weekend in Paris

This is way off the cuff, nothing I've ever done personally, and I'm not even sure it is possible (how is this for an intro?!), but since you mentioned cigars... maybe look into seeing if you could tour the Elie Bleu factory, the company that makes the most beautiful (and expensive) hand-inlaid humidors? http://www.eliebleu.fr/ Looks like the factory is located just outside Paris in the town of Gennevilliers. If that doesn't pan out, maybe a visit to the Elie Bleu store in Paris would be fun, and that IS something that I've done. On another note, I was trying to remember if I had gone to a Davidoff store in Paris and did a little search. In the process, I came across this blog post from April 2010 that you might enjoy or find useful. Hope you boyz have a great trip!

Thanks, Angela! I love the cigar blog link. In fact it made me think that the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz might be a good option. Right up our alley, as we are also into Papa H and the whole "Midnight in Paris" thing. A friend where I work also recommended this jazz club which he said was retro. Thanks again! http://www.caveaudelahuchette.fr/1514/25702.html

If you haven't already picked the weekend, or can change it to the last weekend in November, I highly recommend the Independent Wineries Expo: http://www.vigneron-independant.com/auxsalons/infos.php It's usually 7€ for a ticket, which gets you your tasting glass. Then you walk around among the hundreds of wine booths and sample anything and everything you wish. They have champagnes, cognacs, and dessert wines in addition to every other wine type in France. All overwhelming at first, but after a few tastes... A lot of the places have someone who can at least speak a little English. But you can usually just point and nod and fake your way through it. We took friends who were visiting from the US to the last one and they stuck right next to us at first, but then got comfortable enough to wander off on their own. Two happily-married middle-aged fogeys would easily fit in. (don't ask how I know ;-)

Thanks, Dina. That actually sounds perfect. You have us pegged! Unfortunately we are booked for 16, 17, and 18 November. Anything going on that weekend? :-) P.S. - It looks like the Hemingway Bar is closed for renovation. :(

Rent a copy of Broke Back Mountain.

-Prescription RX bar for cool retro hipster vibe, great cocktails. It's a "speakeasy" after 9pm where you're supposed to know a password or something, but if you go before then they don't boot you out at 9. While the atmosphere is cool, it's not a super-young vibe, a lot of people there were in their 30s and 40s and 50s. -Les Cabanes De Huitres - "The Oyster Shack" - great food in a not-so-great atmosphere (but you can dine with a view of the Montparnasse tower! Ugh!) Fresh oysters driven in daily from the family's oyster farm, homemade foie gras or smoked duck for a 1st course, good wine from the area around the farm, and great service. Best yet, the prices are a steal for Paris. Dinner for two with a bottle of wine was 50 euro. If you are specifically interested in eating Asian food I have some good recs, but most people go to Paris for French food, go figure! Richard, are you missing that brain-to-fingers filter that prevent many people from making themselves sound stupid on the Internet?

If you have a smartphone the RS app has a section on winter on Paris. Might find some suggestions there. Just to avoid mistaken identity the Brokeback suggestor(is that a word?)is a different Richard.

Sarah,
Are you missing the ability to see humor?

For anyone wanting to do further research, the "oyster shack" mentioned above is singular, so in French it's La cabane a huitres. Picky, picky, except that the exact spelling is needed for an Internet search.
The site, once found, indicates it is a couple of blocks away from a museum dedicated to Bourdelle, a sculptor. Anyone been there and have an opinion to share? http://www.paris.fr/english/museums/municipal-museums/musee-bourdelle/rub_8229_stand_34285_port_19028

Richard (of LA), I've got a great sense of humor. Why, do you plan on saying something that's actually funny, or are you just going to continue with childish, homophobic taunting? Southam: Thanks for correcting my spelling. I'm not great in English, and totally awful in French.

Brokeback Mountain is a really good movie (which should have won Best Picture that year)about a love story of two cowboys in a time and place when it was very taboo. If you haven't seen it it is very worthwhile. Sarah, have you seen it? I'm a 50 something happily married man and if I was meeting a friend in Paris I'd plan on sitting at a sidewalk cafe drinking wine and people watching. I did that with my wife on our last visit when we stayed in the Marais. I would probably choose another neighborhood unless I wanted to really blend in and that's not a homophobic reaction (but still kind of funny). If you knew me in real life I doubt you'd consider me homophobic, I did choose the Marais because I knew my wife would like the area (but we did find it a bit crowded and a lot of late night partying on the weekends). It's easy to judge sitting thousands of miles away at a computer.

This is a total derailing of Thomas' thread so I'm not going to argue with you here. Or elsewhere, for that matter. What you did was against the rules, so I guess I'll follow forum procedure for dealing with it.