What do you do with your old cigar boxes?

Edward Sahakian of Davidoff London

If you are a regular cigar smoker you will have the problem of what to do with your empty cigar boxes. Once you have filled your shed and offices with boxes what else can you do?
Imagine if you were a cigar retailer selling huge quantities of cigars every year, then you would have a real challenge.
Edward Sahakian of Davidoff London has teamed up with a woodworking craftsman to produce some amazing electric cigar box guitars. Edwards son Eddie loved the guitars so much he bought one and is currently learning to play. The guitar that Edward is holding is made from a classic old Partagas box. In the window of Edward's London store I have recently seen some fantastic guitars made from Cohiba Behike boxed. The black varnished boxes look amazing. Pop in and see his latest guitars.  Visit Davidoff London on the Cuban Cigar Walk London.

Alfred Dunhill's little devil - The Tweenie Devil

The Cuban Cigar Walk London visits four of the finest retailers of Cigars in London including the new home of Alfred Dunhill at Bourdon House.

Built between 1723 and 1725 Bourdon House is the former home of the Duke of Westminster, the Grade 2 listed Bourdon House is an oasis of Luxury and calm in the hustle and bustle of London’s Mayfair.
If the weather is fine there is a court yard where you can have a coffee and enjoy your cigars purchased from the wonderful humidor in the basement.

On the wall of Alfred Dunhill’s stylish London home, outside the exclusive Alfred’s Club you will see a polished brass plaque bearing a strange looking mystical figure. This is the Tweenie Devil, a sign of Alfred’s devilish sense of humour.

In 1893 the young Alfred Dunhill took over control of his fathers business making all of the accessories that the carriage owning Gentleman of the time required.

But although he was only 21 years old, Alfred quickly realised that the invention of the motor car posed a serious threat to business.


He changed the name of the business to Dunhill Motorities and started to produce a wide range of luggage, waterproof coats, in fact all of the accessories required to make the motor car luxurious and exclusive.

On the boot of Alfred’s own car was the Tweenie Devil, a grinning figure thumbing it’s nose at all those left in it’s wake.


Today it is possible to get a pair of Tweenie Devil cuff links from Alfred Dunhill stores. I have a pair and they never fail to start a conversation.

To hear a sample of the Cuban Cigar Walk London go to The Cities in Sound Web Site.

The Ultimate Humidor? (Part 1)

If you like good Cuban Cigars then you need somewhere to keep them and while working on a group version of my Audio Guide the Cuban Cigar Walk London I recently met Simon Chase of Hunters and Frankau who told me about the new Humidors which Hunters had commissioned from Linley the famous bespoke furniture company which is run by the Queen’s nephew.

The Cuban Cigar Walk London passes very close to the Linley store in Mayfair and you can be sure that we will be making a detour on group walks to ensure that we get to see these wonderful pieces of design.

Of the three designs, the reproduction of the El Laguito factory in Havana, the home of the world famous Cohiba cigars is the most stunning.
Only one of these humidors will be made and it will be available filled with a fabulous selection of Cigars all carefully selected by Hunters and Frankau.

Slightly more accessible to mere mortals are the two other designs in this exclusive range. The Skyline Humidor is the second in the collection and five of these will be produced. This humidor contains 50 cigars and features the panoramic skyline of London in marquetry detailing around the box.


Finally The third humidor in the collection marks the bicentenary of the Cuban Revolution. Only fifty of the Cuban Flag humidors will be available and each one is numbered.

The box features marquetry inlay depicting the Cuban national flag in ripple sycamore, satin walnut and Santos rosewood encased within walnut lippings.

The box is distinguished by an undulating ‘ripple’ effect on the surface which evokes a flag fluttering in the wind.

For full details and to place your orders go to the Hunters and Frankau web site:
Hunters and Frankau Humidors

Step by step tube map

Have you ever though it might be quicker to walk than to take the tube. Health Company PruHealth has engaged some energetic walkers with pedometers to measure the number of steps between each station.

As you can imagine we here at Cities in Sound are ardent fans of anything which involves more walking to help you improve your health.

To find the map follow the following link

The Beatles in Saville Row

We try to make our walks as cosmopolitan as possible and in a new audio guide due to be released in the next few days we will pass the site of the Beatles last performance at the old Apple Corporation building at number 3 Saville Row.

On 30th January 2009 it will be the 40th aniversary of that famous last live outing for the 'Fab Four.

It had been planned to re enact the concert and broadcast it to the world but somehow Westminter Council have managed to bog the idea down in red tape and it had to be cancelled.

So to get a true flavour we suggest you head to You Tube for a replay. There are three sections of film available and it's a real time capsule, I love the guy on the other side of Saville Row in the Bowler hat, with the pipe. They don't make them like that any more. Oh and aren't the police polite!

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

So watch out for the release of our new walk. To be sure of getting details of new walks be sure to register for updates.

New Year Diet?

No trip to Paris would be complete without a visit to a traditional baker or boulangerie.

The Gastronomic Pleasures page of the Le Marais web site will allow you to review some of the wonderful spots on the Le Marais audio walk so that you can carefully plan your snacking as you go. A croissant here a pain-au-chocolat there.

Just remember that you are on an audio walk so you will probably be walking off those calories, now where can I get a wonderful rhum baba?

Paris home from home

As I mentioned in my last post the reason we selected Le Marais for one of our Paris Audio Guides is that it’s a wonderfully eccentric and eclectic area of Paris.

If you are thinking of heading to Paris for a little light shopping we recommend you look at the site of our good friends at http://www.parismarais.com/.

It’s a great site with lots of information including a wide range of apartments for rent for days or weeks. What better way to visit this great area than to live like a local behind your own front door, so much better than a hotel.

If you are not planning to head out for a while it’s well worth signing up for their monthly newsletter here to keep you up to date.

Sound Advice – added treasures to enhance your walking pleasure courtesy of: http://www.citiesinsound.com/

Evensong at Westminster Abbey - Arrive early and get the best seats

15.45 and Westminster Abbey’s main West entrance was closed. Guided on through Dean’s yard by my audio walk I found the entry to the cloister, I discovered that the main entrance would reopen at 16.30 offering free entry for sung evensong.

Helpful Vergers pointed the way as a queue forms by large blue gates to the left of the nave. Early, and close to the front of the queue, at exactly 16.30 I was shown to my seat, actually in the choir stalls, an honour extended to the first 100 visitors.

With 30 minutes before evensong, there was time for contemplation and the chance to study the magnificent carving and gilding on the stalls. Evensong began at 17.00 prompt, the choir surrounded us, lifting my spirit in song and allowing the imagination to wander to Coronation day, viewed from the best seat in town.

Look out for the marked seats in the back row for Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada, for a real special experience.

Check out the Westminster Web Site and click on the “What’s on” feature on the Abbey Web site for Evensong times: http://www.westminster-abbey.org/events/

Sound Advice – added treasures to enhance your walking pleasure courtesy of: www.citiesinsound.com