You never know if the person sitting next to you might be the next to sing, but you can bet that they will strike up a conversation and might even offer to translate the meaning of the beautiful fado songs, a traditional Portugese genre of music about love and mourning and the occasional celebration. The person next to you might also tear up...don't hold back if the mood strikes you as well. A lovely way to spend the evening.

All of this for the price of a beer or two...unlike the touristy and overpriced fado joints in Alfama, A Tasco do Chico is free. Arrive around 10:30 or 11 and be prepared to share a table with strangers and wait for a bit for a place to sit.

But they were really off on the two nights I spent there.

First of all, they deleted my booking. I brought along a copy of my reservation, so they then offered to let me choose the room where I wanted to sleep on a mattress on the floor for the night. One room stunk, the other was full of guys on a stag party trip. So they put me in an unseen room, not telling me it was also full of guys on a (different) stag party trip. I'm pretty patient with hostel shenanigans, but being woken up around 4 am to the sound of puking and guys sitting on my sad little mattress on the floor falls outside my OK realm. Breakfast was just so-so.

The next night, I had the room to myself. Two stars because this place could be cool, and they have a rooftop patio that I imagine could be fun in summer.

This place is packed in the late morning with retired men who come to shoot the breeze, at lunchtime with people from the neighborhood, and in the evening with the young and old of Córdoba. The bartenders, all male, are classic examples of the gruff around the edges Andalucían server. There are various versions of this bar around town, including the slightly more upscale "Pata Negra" right next door, but the original on the corner and overlooking Parque Juan Carlos I has the best atmosphere. Grab a table on the street if you can find one empty.

Recommendations: The menú del día is a fabulous value. It's worth the extra euro or two to upgrade to the fancier flamenquín, if pork is your thing. The rabo del toro (oxtail) is excellent, as well as the ensaladilla rusa (kind of like potato salad). The salmorejo is more bread-y and less tomato tasting than some places, but tasty nonetheless. I like the lentejas (lentil stew with chorizo) if you happen to hit it on the right day. These full raciones are HUGE, so think twice about ordering them unless you are with many people.

And while seeing the Mezquita, walk across the street to Bar Santos, where people come for just one reason: the massive tortilla española.

This place defines "hole in the wall" and is best located via the ever-present line out the door. When you finally get to the bar, order the tortilla española...this is the most flavorful, most gigantic tortilla you may ever see. Pick up a beer or a tinto de verano ("vargas" in Córdoba) and take your plastic fork and plate outside to enjoy your snack on the steps of the Mezquita. Yum.

Biga Pizza speaks to what Missoulians want...local ingredients, funky pizza choices, and BYOB. It's a place to see and be seen. Too bad that means there's always a long wait when I try to go there. Expect about an hour before you are actually sitting down, drinking some of the wine or beer you brought along, and sampling some of the pizza.

And the pizza's fabulous, although a touch pricey. But the BYOB option makes pizza shared among friends surprisingly affordable. Other items on the menu, like the caprese salad appetizer and the sandwiches, also go along with the light, fresh fare concept. We really enjoyed the carmelized goat and Hungarian mushroom pizzas (both vegetarian).

la bocata para seguir la marcha."

So say the napkins at El Torpedo, a tiny and unassuming sandwich shop that offers some of the best food between 7/8 pm and 2 or 3 am and the best sandwiches in Córdoba, period.

Choose from the MANY options on the menu (personally I like the chicken offerings, sometimes with egg and occasionally with salsa roquefort), grab a beer or can of Coke while you wait a few minutes, and let your mouth start to water. It's possible you'll have to shift around the many people who find their way to the very small shop, and you are lucky if you snag one of the two tables in the corner, but when your sandwich comes...it will all be worth it. The bars of Ciudad Jardín are just down the block and it seems to take about as long to walk to El Centro as it takes to finish a torpedo.

Huge sandwiches on baguette-like bread (hence torpedo) for between 3 and 4.5 euros. Don't expect anything fancy--this is Spain's version of a greasy spoon--but don't expect to go away hungry, either.

Mmmm....torpedo.....

The best part of this bar is the collection of old b&w photographs hanging on every spare space on the walls. The featured folks are some famous and some not-so famous Missoulians from a bygone era (the 60s? 70s?), who will smile down on you while you enjoy a cheap pitcher of PBR or a local brew (a lot of people like Moose Drool, but I'm more of a Summer Honey/Beltian White kind of girl...though Beltian White travels about 200 miles from Belt, MT).

If you're into this sort of thing, Esquire magazine voted it one of the best bars in America, saying, "Without question the best place in the country to find a beautiful woman who can gut her own trout."

The kinda-Cajun Dinosaur Café runs out of a window in the back of the bar and offers étoufeés, gumbo, alligator po' boys, jambalaya and the like, but for milder tastes, they also serve excellent soup, pulled pork sandwiches, dirty rice, and even cheap steaks.

Don't expect good service, as I have never gotten it here, but expect large and cheap raciones and good people watching in La Corredera.

I recommend the Moorish-inspired berenjenas con miel (fried eggplant with molasses), the flamenquín (a typical food from Córdoba, it is bits of jamón serrano rolled up in pork, battered and fried), and the salmorejo. Medias are generally plenty, but the full raciones go a long way if you're there with a group.

Alhambra on tap

Closed on Mondays.

I am not usually much of a fan of lace, but the stuff they make here can be quite simple and beautiful and is available for reasonable prices in the gift shop. This is a little tiny complex in what I believe used to be a monastery.

A bit off the main tourist path but worth seeking out. The skills of these women, whipping the MANY identical bobbins across their workspace at lightning speed, is a sight to be seen.

Their almond croissants and pain au chocolat are to die for, as well as their espresso drinks and seeded campagne bread/rolls. OK, so I like most things here.

You'll pay a touch more here than you might somewhere else in town, but it will be worth it. Also, they have excellent daily specials and many of their offerings, like fresh baguettes and multigrain Birdman bread, are available at local grocery stores.

**The word on the street is that Le Petit is leaving its warehouse setting, with no seating except the benches and tables outside, for bigger digs.

Great music and small but interesting and eclectic menu--sandwiches and baguettes are in the 5 euro range and come with small side salads--funky entree salads and larger plates are also available. Extensive tea, wine and beer menu. Good for lunch, a sunset drink, or to get things started before moving on to Bica or Bairro Alto.

Directions:
Standing at the Miradouro facing the river, look for the Noobai sign on the far right and take the steep stairs down to the patio.

Opens at noon everyday. Recommendations: mozzarella sandwich and Swiss lemonade (made with limes and condensed milk...sounds weird but really refreshing).

Housed in a renovated mansion just a few minutes' walk from Bairro Alto's shopping and nightlife, the Oasis is also just down the hill from Miradoura de Santa Catarina. The Miradoura is on one of Lisbon's seven hills and a chill hang out all day, but especially before sunset when all the hippies and the hipsters come to drink overlooking the river.

Fabulous patio and bar, friendly and in-the-know employees, beautiful facility, free internet, scrambled eggs in the morning and amazing 5 euro meals every night--sometimes Portuguese and served by the world's most friendly woman, sometimes Brazilian or other world cuisine. Always scrumptious and HUGE portions, with dessert.

More stylish than my house, more homey than my neighborhood cafe. Should you happen to find yourself in the hostel bar in the evenings, I have to recommend the strawberry mojitos.

"

The OPP is a Missoula institution and a nice place to spend a summer evening on the patio, a winter night cozy in the wood-lined bar, or a Sunday morning recovering from a killer Saturday night. The Old Post regularly hosts music on Friday nights and it's sometimes fun, but there's really not enough space for dancing and the acoustics make it hard to talk over the din.

I like the smoked salmon salad, the teriyaki chicken wrap, and the $2 pint margaritas on Southwest Saturday aren't shabby, either. Keep an eye on the specials board because they sometimes have great values on kind of fancy and really scrumptious foods. Drinks made with the infused vodkas are a touch pricey but tasty. Brunch is served on the weekends and is worth checking out.

Oh, and the tater tot baskets are crowd pleasers. Especially popular on White Trash Wednesday, when you can also get cheap PBR tallboys and slices of pizza.

Every day, there are two main specials to choose from, one of them often vegetarian, plus a couple of ever-changing soup options. The bread is to die for, the glass case is full of tasty and healthy sandwich and salad options, plus some less healthy but equally tempting desserts, and she stocks a wide variety of interesting drinks.

Penny was the chef at the Paris Gibson Square for some years, and her artsiness is shown both through her food and through her extensive collection of modern quilts hung throughout the bright space.

Open for lunch only. Catering also offered.

In addition to interesting linens and fancy Japanese rice cookers and tiny colanders and Emile Henry kitchenware, there's also a nice little wine selection in the back and an espresso bar in the front near the door. The people who work here are always very knowledgeable and helpful and the shop smells amazing. It's much larger than it appears from the street.

The perfect spot to look for wedding presents or just to browse fun and random kitchenware and dream of knowing how to use it all.

But Pizza on the Fly is the go-to place between 11pm and 2am in downtown Missoula. Forget breakfast...what I really want while I'm contemplating the walk home or waiting for the drunk bus is a piece of pizza...and if it costs me $2.50, all the better.

If you want to get fancy, PotF gets its crust from local French bakery Le Petit Outre and is recognized by the Sustainable Business Council. But eating a massive piece of cheese pizza while warding off the cold Missoula winters, that will be the last thing on your mind.

It gets 4 stars instead of 5 because it's open really sporadically and has been disappointingly closed on a number of important evenings. It's also open for lunch on weekdays (most of the time).

" It brings a funky, eclectic and urban touch to downtown Great Falls.

I used to sit at the counter in middle school, excited to concoct endless lotions and potions with the changing tray of essential oils. My shower was an absurd jungle gym of gels there for a while.

Although the build-your-own body product option still exists, now I head down to Planet Earth for irreverent cards, lovely jewelery, fun wallets (including many from vegan line Matt & Nat) and that weird little thing that makes a gift complete.

The massive space has an equally massive inventory. Vinyl and posters moved to Rudy's II off Brooks, and Body Basics, a blend-your-own and natural body product shop, moved to Higgins, but Rockin' Rudy's is no less bursting.

I can't possibly touch on everything here, but these are some of the highlights: CDs (especially local stuff), incense, jewelery, cards and paper products, unique t-shirts, smart ass magnets, politically left-leaning gifts and bumper stickers, gag gifts.

Located within the mediocre and slightly rundown O'Haire Motor Inn in downtown Great Falls, the Sip N Dip Lounge will exceed your expectations...assuming you go in with an open mind and a sense of humor.

To start off the adventure, park in the upper lot, but go over the steep ramp slowly if you don't want to catch air at the end. The Sip N Dip pushes tiki décor to its kitchy limit, the drinks are cheap and the crowd is varied, but the real claim to fame are the mermaids (and the occasional merman.) Behind the bar is a large window looking into the hotel pool. On Friday and Saturday nights, mermaids dressed in bikini tops and mermaid mono-limb suits flit and bob and make eyes at patrons through the window, working their non verbal flirting magic with the hopes of dollar bill tips taped to the window. Six nights a week, the famous Piano Pat tinkles the ivories, as she has for over 40 years. She takes requests but expect to hear "Sweet Caroline" throughout the night...by round two you will be slapping the table and singing along to the "bah bah baaaaaahhhhhhh"s with the people sitting all around you.

In case you still aren't convinced, the Sip N Dip was rated the number one bar on Earth by GQ Magazine.

It's sort of like a Scandinavian theme park? Zoo? Design haven?

Enter under the gates and you can spend the afternoon wandering the old town shops--little buildings have been moved here from throughout Sweden, so the bakery will have traditional pastries for purchase, the woodcarver will be making reproduction chairs, the glass blowing shop turns out all sorts of lovely goods (I especially like the tiny chips of multi-colored glass on the ground outside the shop). The craftsmen are all friendly and willing to tell you something about their skills or the history behind their project. It's all terribly charming.

Should you find that the pastries don't quite hit the spot, there's also at least one restaurant on the premises, with a lovely view of Stockholm harbor that you'd think was reserved for someplace decidedly higher brow.

And not to be forgotten, there's also sort of a zoo of Swedish animals, including wolves and badgers and who knows what.

Do not miss a stop into the Skansen store on the way out. It's the perfect place to pick up awesome Swedish design at practically IKEA prices--especially on sale. I wanted about every third thing, but got a table runner and a Christmas angel chime (which was later mistaken for a throwing star in my carry-on, but that's another story....)

The handpainted wooden ceiling in the thrift shop is worth the stop, but the goods on offer here range from big name Scandinavian design to nautical oil paintings by forgotten no-name artists. There's also a broad range of prices--if I had had more than a backpack and lots of travel left to go, I would have picked up a serving platter or a lamp at unbelievable prices. In the end, all I took away was a little antique plate for about 4 dollars.

At the warm, wood floored cafeteria, plan to share a table with a mixture of Swedish businesspeople, young hipsters, and the (very) occasional tourist. The 75-kr daily special served here (which includes salad, a main dish, and coffee) would be a steal at twice the price. Plus, both lunch and shopping benefit Stockholm's poor.

The Stadsmission also happens to be just across the square from the Nobel Museum. If I had a few hours to spend, I would lunch in the Stadsmission cafeteria, wander through the Nobel Museum and marvel at the rotating display of laureate photos, treat myself to Nobel ice cream at the restaurant there, complete with chocolate Nobel Prize replication (don't forget to look under your seat--it's signed by one of the Nobel prize winners), and then stop into Stadmission's Butik second hand shop. A wonderful way to spend the day--and surprisingly cheaply by Stockholm standards.

The Sociedad de Plateros, or Society of Silversmiths, also houses a peña social club and is a go-to spot for some very pijo lunches, but the space itself, a typical Córdoba patio, is second to the food.

They specialize in bacalao (cod) here and I especially like the Portuguese potato bacalao dish, sort of like hashbrowns/potatoes au gratin with fish. Just ask for "el plato de bacalao portugues" and they'll know what you are talking about...I never recall the name. All of the food I've had here is tasty and the service is better than most places. Be aware that Sunday crowds might make finding a seat at lunch sort of challenging.

Featured on PBS's "Spain...On the Road Again" series.

So I am a tad bit biased.

Taco del Sol is home to Mission style burritos, tacos, nachos, Jarritos soda, cheap beer and wine margaritas, rotating art for sale, and smiling hipster counter staff. Although the locations off Broadway or Reserve are nice if you want to get in and out, the original downtown location offers better people watching, a better vibe, better tunes, and a much higher likelihood of running into someone you know, even if you are just passing through Missoula.

Personally, I am a fan of the Mission with chicken and black beans and guacamole, but other friends are fish taco and veggie burrito devotees. The half size is still huge.

Consistently voted by the local alternative weekly as the best place to eat in Missoula for under 7 bucks and the best place to eat alone. I couldn't agree more.

The Missoula Club is one of those old school bars where the lights are bright and the pool table is cheap. It's Missoula's oldest bar, I believe, and it has tons of old photos on the wall and generations of Missoulians' names carved into the bar. But the burgers are what bring people. I can't fathom attacking one of the triple burgers you sometimes see people struggle with, but a single, with jack cheese, tastes oh-so-good with a $6 pitcher of PBR. Yum.

It was once a center of mining, international culture, newfound wealth, and all that comes with it--corruption, prostitution, and Prohibition-era speakeasies.

When you're done wandering rough and tumble Butte, stepping in to the Uptown Cafe notably changes the scene. The Uptown Cafe is charming, lit by candlelight, with art exhibits that change regularly. It feels very urbane. The service is excellent and the food outstanding. When I was there, I split the chicken dijon and the artichoke ravioli with my mom. Both of us enjoyed our wine selection from the extensive list.

The Uptown Cafe is sort of upscale, and the prices reflect that, but the $12.50 evening special, including salad and bread, is a fabulous value (you have to be seated by 6:30). It's a nice place to splash out for an evening, or lunch is also available for something a little lighter.

)

Independent theater (where beer, wine, and mixed drinks are on offer). Concerts. LAMBDA Association theme dances in the Red Light, Green Room in the basement. Big Sky Film Festival. Festival of the Book. Downtown apartments on the upper floors. A lovely event spot available for rent overlooking Caras Park. And let's not forget $5 movies on Wednesday nights.

All of Missoula is keeping its fingers crossed that the new-ish developers will work within the historic and cultural framework already set up--the town needs the Wilma. Just as it is.