Two 14 Year Old Pipe Smokers.

[foggymountain]

Talking to Pipestud today reminded me of my teen years as a novice pipe smoker in the 1950s. A pipesmoking friend and I used to travel every weekend from Yonkers, just above NYC, to midtown Manhattan. We would play a game of mental chess on the subway trip from Woodlawn to 42nd st. Then we'd stop in at Lane Ltd to shoot the breeze with Val, the Cuban manager who taught us about blending and Charatan. A stop at the 42nd st library was the norm, then a visit uptown to the Wilke pipe shop. We knew the Wilke sisters so well they were like our grandmothers. Possibly a visit to Dunhill's then a trip to the Metropolitan Museum. We got kicked out of the Met because I ran my hand over a Van Gogh. Vinny's painting was not worth millions then. We always stopped at a Marboro discount book shop and often at the Strand, which was on 3rd Ave. I bought a new copy of the Bhagavad Gita for 35 cents. It strongly influenced my life. Of course we smoked Balkan Sobranie, white label. Does anyone know what happened to that company?

 

[mso489]

Sounds like my teenage ramblings to downtown Chicago, the Art Institute as a museum rat, and not far from Iwan Ries and discount camera shops.

 

[brass]

Sounds cool. Why do I think NYC would be less interesting today? I really should plan a trip to the city, even if for just a few days

 

[davet]

A great story, thanks for sharing that. Can't imagine that happening today though.

 

[ray47]

WOW, what a story. In the 50's I had to come home when the street lights came on.

 

[foggymountain]

Brass: No more good pipe shops. Plenty of great museums though.

 

[aeropuffer]

In the coal fields of small mining towns there weren't any B&M's. But as a kid you could go up to any adult that had a cloth bag with a tag attached and ask for a charge for your cob. Bull Durham anyone?

 

[mcitinner1]

In the coal fields of small mining towns there weren't any B&M's.

Where were those small mining towns located?

 

[fordm60]

Great story!! I love museums, I had 24 hours in DC once and walked through Arlington, the Marines Iwo Jima Memorial, Lincoln, The Vietnam Wall, WWII, Holocaust Museum, and three of the Smithsonian museums before I had to pop smoke. That was one of my greatest days, so much to see. I sadly did not have enough time to see it all.

 

[slownumbers39]

Why do I think NYC would be less interesting today? I really should plan a trip to the city, even if for just a few days

I never had any desire to go to NYC until I went there last year with the wife who was already in the area for work. We spent 4 days there and I found it fascinating. The only thing that I missed out on was going to KATZ Diner for a nice sandwich, which I will do on my next visit. It is an amazing city for a small town guy to visit.

 

[deathmetal]

There can always be a return to sanity.

A good motto.

 

[fishingandpipes]

NYC is still nice enough, just pricey. De La Concha was a good pipe shop, but it's been replaced by a Davidoff which I've not visited.
If I had visited it in the 50s, I'd probably have a different opinion, but I'm of a rather younger generation and enjoy the West Village.
Hudson Bar and Books is a good place for a drink and a smoke. At least they haven't fully outlawed places like that, as Boston has.

 

[brian64]

There can always be a return to sanity.

A good motto.

Make America sane again?
EDIT: BTW, great story Foggy. What a time and place for a young kid to be in.

 

[jkrug]

That's a great trip down memory lane. Thanks. ::

 

[papipeguy]

I used to buy my tobacco at the Lane store on 42nd St across from Grand Central wen I worked in the city in the late 1970's. I went to the other shops in the area during my lunch hour. All long gone now and that's a shame.

 

[reniaeats]

Maybe I'm the only one, but the buying the Bhagavad Gita was my favorite part. Something special about a young guy doing that, perhaps especially in the 1950s. Most impressive.

 

[foggymountain]

Scarface: No the Van Gogh was not wet, we are not that old. It was Madame whatever, an innkeeper with a yellow textured background, almost like stucco. A few years back they interviewed a 122 year old French lady who worked in a store, as a teenager, where Vinny got his paints, She said he was a nasty SOB. When she was asked why she had lived so long she said it was because she quit smoking at age 90.