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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.