CityView Magazine

CityViewNC.com | 35 On the preceding pages, you will see glimpses of what a cigar bar offers to customers – a clubby atmosphere, a great selection of wines and spirits, where relaxation and leisurely pursuits are accommodated. H e r e , C o u r t n e y M a r t i n demonstrates the use of a hookah at The Fig. And on the opposite page, scenes from The Speakeasy, a cigar bar that keeps late hours and an enviable array of Scotch. Bruce Wiggins was enjoying the hookah on a recent afternoon, and says his interest was first piqued when he saw the hookah used in "Alice in Wonderland." His friend, Katrina Matthews, likes to combine different flavors with the tobacco – one of her favorites is strawberry and mint. "It's relaxing" she says, "and it's fun." The exotic hookah, so widely known in the Middle East, has evidently caught on with some of the soldiers who have spent so much time recently in that part of the world. E ven these days, when smoking is looked down upon as a detriment to health and wellbeing, and banned in most restaurants and bars in North Carolina, there are those who still enjoy escaping "the vulgarities of the world," with a good cigar or a hookah pipe. The smoking ban that goes into effect on January 2, 2010 in restaurants and bars did provide for exemptions: Outdoor areas, cigar bars and - maybe - hookah bars. Fayetteville has several cigar bars and a hookah bar, too. The Fig, located in Westwood Shopping Center, offers hookah pipes and a wide variety of flavored tobaccos – chocolate, mint, mojito, pineapple, strawberry, and more. The hookah, well known in the Middle East, has caught the attention of so many of Fayetteville's soldiers who have spent time in that part of the world. The hookah is about 2 ½ feet tall, and the glass base is filled with water. Above the base are connections, as few as two or as many as four, for the tubes. At the top, a small amount of tobacco, with or without flavoring, is placed in a small container, covered with foil with holes punched in it, and then a hot coal is placed on the foil. "It doesn't really burn the tobacco so much as just heat it," says Fig employee Tara Tanner. Other cigar bars in Fayetteville include The Cigar Parlor at It'z on Sycamore Dairy Road, The Big Apple on Yadkin Road as well as Sharkey's Cabaret and Kagney's on Bragg Boulevard.

• Cover