It’s easy to spout off the reasons to visit places like London, Rome, Tokyo or Seattle, but ask someone to name the tourist attractions in Lisbon, Portugal, and you’ll probably receive only a blank stare in return. While the Portuguese capital many not be high on many travelers’ must-see lists, it ranks among my favorite places in all the world.

Why Lisbon? That’s easy…

Neighborhoods – The Baixa is Lisbon’s old downtown, the winding streets of the sailors’ quarter are called the Alfama and you can look down on the town from the Bairro Alto.

Bairro Alto

Belem – The Monastery of Jeronimos’ breathtaking cloisters, the soaring and inspiring Monument to the Discoveries and the island fortress of Belem Tower.

Monastery of Jeronimos

Food – Hidden in a crappy-looking building along Rua das Portas de Santo Antao, Casa do Alentejo offers hearty meals and a charming atmosphere. Above the main square in the Bairro Alto, Cervejaris Trindade serves homemade brew and meals in Lisbon’s oldest beer hall which is housed in a former monastery. How’s that for history? If the weather allows, sit outside in the cloisters.

Casa do Alentejo

Sidewalks – Where else can you find pattern-tile sidewalks that themselves are works of art?

tiled sidewalks

Sintra – Hop on the train and spend the day in this former summer city of Portugal’s kings and queens. The Royal Palace with its unique twin chimneys is interesting, but it’s whimsical, Ludwig-esque Pena Palace that’s Sintra’s star. You can also see the ruins of a Moorish castle and views of the Atlantic Ocean.

Pena Palace

Public Transit – The hilly city uses trolleys, funiculars and elevators like the Elevador de Santa Justa, designed by a student of Gustav Eiffel, to move locals and tourists around. Much cooler than buses and subways.

Elevador de Santa Justa

To borrow, and butcher, a line from the Fresh Prince, “Lisbon lovin’, lovin’ Lisbon it’s all good, I’m lovin’ Lisbon it’s all good.”

 This week’s article highlights the Little River Zoo.

“You can pet a porcupine, feed a kangaroo and get friendly with a 17-foot albino Burmese python at Norman’s Little River Zoo.”

Located near the intersection of Hildebrand and McCullough Avenues, Taco Taco impresses not with its decor, but with tasty breakfast tacos so good Bon Appetit declared the place as home of the best tacos in America.

Local friends tell me lines of hungry fans often snake around the restaurant on weekends just waiting to fill up on their favorites from among almost 20 different types of breakfast tacos. With homemade tortillas wrapping up your favorite ingredients, it’s easy to wait in line to dine on these heavenly tacos.

This week’s article highlights the National Weather Center.

“When the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain, the meteorologists at Norman’s National Weather Center, 120 David L. Boren Blvd. on the University of Oklahoma campus, are on high alert to anticipate Mother Nature’s sometimes-nasty moods.”

What I found was pretty standard: flight schedules, a place to view my reservations, a terminal map for a few of AA’s hub airports and online check in. You can even monitor your place on the standby list. What I didn’t expect were mobile boarding passes.

Maybe this is no big deal, but I’m not all that tech savvy (shocking I know) so I thought this was pretty cool stuff. The ability to check in online and print boarding passes from home has been around for awhile, but the AA app allowed me to create a mobile boarding pass on my handy-dandy iPhone which I just showed to the TSA folks and the gate agent. The app actually creates a scannable boarding pass right on my screen. Nothing to print, nothing to keep up with (other than my phone) no paper, no fuss.

Maybe every flier at the airport is already doing this and I’m just late to the party, but I’m glad I finally arrived.

This week’s article highlights the Oklahoma Museum of Telephone History.

“Alexander Graham Bell might be surprised by how much his invention has changed since that first telephone call to Mr. Watson. Lucky for him, he could track his machine’s evolution at the Oklahoma Museum of Telephone History.”

This week’s article highlights the art and architecture at the Oklahoma State Capitol.

“The Capitol’s art collection serves as a visual textbook of Oklahoma history. Paintings and sculptures scattered about its floors celebrate the people and events that shaped the state. No artistic commemoration is more important than the painting marking the moment President Theodore Roosevelt signed Oklahoma’s statehood proclamation. Visitors can view the original state constitution near the Supreme Court chamber.”

This week’s article highlights The Ninety-Nines Museum of Women Pilots.

“They pushed the boundaries of human flight and sometimes pushed the boys out of their way to get there. The female pioneers of aviation still soar at the Ninety-Nines Museum of Women Pilots.”

This week’s article highlights Martin Park Nature Center.

“Visitors and wildlife share four trails that wind through the tall trees and patches of prairie comprising the 141-acre city park. Guiding attendees to the best vistas, 3.5 miles of trails include several wooden bridges crossing creeks and gullies, leading to an observation tower, sunshine gazebo and meadow trail arbor.

“Wandering the woods and grassy meadows, it’s almost possible to forget that housing additions, retail shops and major traffic routes surround the quiet confines. “