Paris: Opinion on a few things
 

I'm getting down to the end on this one, but have a few anciallary questions.

1. Cuban cigars - Any suggestion on decent bars where I can buy a Cuban cigar? I've had one in the Bahamas, but having one in Paris would be great.

2. Cuban cigars - can I take them home with me legally?

3. What is the apparel in churches for men and women when visiting?

4. Theater - is there any theater in English worth seeing in Paris?

Hi md,

1. Why not a cigar store?

2. No.

3. Shoulders and knees covered.

#2 where do you live?

Anywhere in the known universe yes you can well except for the USA. Can't take 'em there.

If your home is the USA I'll give you a tip. Buy cheap cigars and put those bands on your Cubans. Mail the real bands home to yourself in a regular envelope. Of course I deny ever having said this. :-D

~Getting mischievous before your trip, David?

David who? :-" :-)

Now, I was told by a customs official that it is not illegal to bring cubans into the country in small quantities for yourself. It is illegal to sell them in the US but not to own them.

Is this not true? I brought them back in my carry on on a BA flight from LHR to JFK with no issue.

I checked with customs and they said that I am allowed to bring into the country duty free 50 cigars.

You didn't tell them they are Cuban cigars though, Doug. If you had, they would have told you importing them is against current law.

Re Cuban cigars, I know there is a decently stocked tobacco shop on rue de Rivoli (not far from Place de la Concorde). You should also try at the newly re-opened Publicis Drugstore up on the Champs-Elysées (next to Arc de Triomphe). They should have what you are looking for.

Cuban cigars are very easy to find in Paris. Any of the Davidoff or DuPont stores, for example, will carry a good selection. No, you can't take them back into the U.S. as Cuban cigars. Like Indy, I'll deny ever saying this, but the most common tactic is to take off the bands, put the cigars in a box from a legal country (i.e., Dominican Republic) and take them back that way. If you want to keep the bands, put them in an envelope and mail them back to yourself or a friend in the States.
If you buy a fair number of cigars, most stores will supply you with a box from a U.S. legal country (they all know the problem Americans have bringing Cubans back to the U.S.)

If you just want to smoke one in a cool place in Paris, go straight to the Plaza Athenee Hotel--their bar is one of *the* see and be seen places in Paris and they sell Cubans there. They also sell them in the lobby tea salon, but you run the risk of annoying the ladies having tea there.

As for theatre, it depends on when you'll be going. There won't be a lot of English language productions, but you might find one or two plays, usually (but not always) put on by an expat theatre group or a U.S. affilitated university program abroad.

On the Cuban cigar thing, I had heard (don't recall where) that it is illegal to purchase them with US dollars, no illegal to possess them. That sounded odd which is why I asked the question. There does seem to be some debate here though as to what is and is not allowed.

On occasion , I have been known to bring home a few Cuban cigars for my husband.
But here's the official word from US Customs:

http://www.customs.gov/xp/cgov/trave...ban_cigars.xml :
"Only persons returning from Cuba after a licensed visit there are permitted to bring Cuban cigars into the United States, provided the value of such cigars does not exceed $100 US dollars and the cigars are for that individual's personal use and not for resale. All other importations of Cuban cigars are illegal. All offers to buy or sell such cigars in the United States involve cigars that were imported illegally. Contrary to what many people may believe, it is illegal for travelers to bring into the United States Cuban cigars acquired in third countries (such as Canada, England, or Mexico)."

FYI, if you want a specific store recommendation, I don't think you can do much better than Boutique 22 on 22 Avenue Victor Hugo in the 16th, a short walk from the Arc de Triomphe.
http://www.boutique22.fr/index.php?lang=en

Try these:
La Cubana Cafe (cigar bar) - 47 rue Vavin M: Vavin (near blvd Montparnasse)
La Casa del Habano - 169 Blvd. St. Germain M: St Grm de Pres (near rue du Dragon)

For English language theatre in Paris this spring, check http://wordforword.zspace.org/word/touring.jsp

This site gives information about San Fransisco's Word for Word theatre company, which is doing a tour of France with two short plays this spring/summer.