Hello from Los Angeles!

[turboprof]

Hello everyone! I recently came back to the pipe after a long hiatus. I first picked up the pipe in 2004, and smoked off-and-on until about 2010. I was living in Boston at the time, and in 2010 I moved to Lawrence, KS. For some reason I dropped the hobby while living in Kansas, and I seem to have missed out on years of KC pipe shows and the great clubs in the area.

I kept all of my pipes and tobacco, however, and brought them out with me to LA when I moved here in 2019. In January of this year I started smoking again, partially to relax during some stressful times at work. I’ve gotten back into the hobby in a major way, purchasing new pipes and exploring tobaccos that weren’t on the market during my first stint in the hobby (and of course, some that were available that I never got around to trying!). It has also been great during the pandemic, as it has given me a hobby to focus on during all the craziness.

I’ve been reading this forum a lot as I’ve gotten back into the hobby, and I’d like to thank everyone here for all of the information they’ve posted over the years. It’s been invaluable to me as I’ve researched pipe makers/brands and tobaccos these past 6 months.

I thought I should join the conversation, and I hope I can contribute something to this fantastic forum!

 

[americaman]

Greetings from Torrance! Depending on what area of LA you are in, we started a pipe club in the South Bay Area earlier this year called the Point Vicente Pipe Club if you ever want to stop by.

 

[cshubhra]

Welcome!!!

 

[turboprof]

Thanks! americaman, I live in west LA, and pretty far north to boot. But I’d love to stop by some time—it’s not that far, and driving IS the whole point of living in LA.

Are you doing in-person meetings? I have joined the last two virtual LA pipe club meetings and really enjoyed those, although it’s not ideal to meet new people in an online call. I follow the Point Vicente club on Instagram; is that where meetings are posted? In any case, I’d love to get more plugged into the local community of pipe smokers in LA, so thanks for the invite!!

 

[trubka2]

Welcome from Wisconsin!

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Welcome from Finland

 

[guylesss]

Welcome from Brooklyn. The "craziness" similarly inspired my own comparatively recent return to the fold. As for West LA--during one part of my childhood, several parsecs ago, my parents had a house at the corner of Pelham and Olympic.

 

[mikethompson]

I thought I should join the conversation

It is always better to come out of the shadows and post. Welcome to this great forum!

 

[tomatamot]

A warm welcome from a now raining Rotterdam.

 

[lelik]

Welcome !

 

[Spavilla]

A warm welcome to the True West Coast from the "Other" West Coast (Florida's Gulf Coast). Love those sunsets!

 

[happy_lunter]

Greetings from Vaughan, ON and welcome to the forums!

 

[Tommy Boy]

Welcome to the forum from southwest Michigan.

 

[mso489]

Welcome from central North Carolina from a native of Chicagoland. My family on both sides generates from Massachusetts. My wife and I met years ago, and years before we were married, in Missouri neighboring Kansas. And I spent a year home-ported in Long Beach, Ca., on a minesweeper after returning from Vietnam, with a business trip to L.A. in later years.

 

[anotherbob]

never been to L.A. so I'am just going to assume that everyone there is famous and works in the movies. Just a heads up if I ever ask for clarification about what type of martini you're talking about . By the way we have a guy on here who "is not" Sam Elliot.

 

[turboprof]

Ha! I actually live in a part of LA that has a lot of movie stars around, and definitely tons of people in The Industry. Sadly, not me.

The level of wealth around here has taken some getting used to. Everywhere else I’ve lived, I might see maybe one or two Ferraris a year, maybe a Lamborghini very occasionally. Here you see those kind of cars all the time, nothing special. It’s crazy seeing people driving all over the place in cars that cost a lot more than my old house in Kansas!!

That being said, I love a good martini. Though I am more of bourbon drinker, truth be told...

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome!

 

[americaman]

Thanks! americaman, I live in west LA, and pretty far north to boot. But I’d love to stop by some time—it’s not that far, and driving IS the whole point of living in LA.

Are you doing in-person meetings? I have joined the last two virtual LA pipe club meetings and really enjoyed those, although it’s not ideal to meet new people in an online call. I follow the Point Vicente club on Instagram; is that where meetings are posted? In any case, I’d love to get more plugged into the local community of pipe smokers in LA, so thanks for the invite!!

We are not doing in-person meetings, but me and another guy meet up sometimes to have a smoke, talk, and exchange tobaccos. We plan on posting meetings on the Instagram page once things cool off, but for now it’s just pictures of pipes and tobacco. The LA Pipe Club is closer to you, but it would always be cool to meet another pipe smoker in the area. We have various pipe smokers from the area following us on Instagram.

 

[turboprof]

Very cool! I’ll definitely stop by when in-person meetings start up again.

 

[Papamique]

Welcome from the Northland!

 

[indoeuro]

Welcome back!