LX Factory has restaurants, shops, and a flea market.
Sergio: Cool places, cool places… Oh, LX!
Sylvia: Yes, LX Factory is a really cool place! It's not far. It's by bus, just 10-15 minutes.
Sergio: They don’t have a subway that goes there, so that is why it feels far, since we use the subway so much. But there is a bus.
Sylvia: But they organize a lot of events, so it’s fun. They have a market on Sundays, a flea market with handmade stuff, vintage, everything. It's one of my favorite spots in Lisbon. And Cais do Sodré. There are bars and restaurants. Pensão Amor!
The pink streets of Cais do Sodre.
The entrance to Pensao Amor.
Sergio: Yes, it’s a really nice place to go now. Before the bars were not there. Now there is a place called Pensão Amor. You know, with the girls? They didn’t get rid of the brothel, but they gave it a new life. You still see all the old things. It’s very cool.
Sylvia: Then you have Bairro Alto. The outside of Bairro Alto, there’s a place called Lost In. It’s a very cool Indian-style place with a nice terrace near the miradouro.
Outside of Foxtrot. Inside, there's a game of pool going on, and a cat napping on an overstuffed chair.
Sergio: This area is a really nice neighborhood too, I really like it. São Bento and Praça das Flores. There are a lot of gay bars here—Finalmente, Woof, Tr3s. Then we have Foxtrot. It’s the oldest bar in the neighborhood. It has the ambiance of the '20s and '30s. And you have a similar bar in Príncipe Real, Pavilhão Chinês. You have to just get in and look around and get lost in the millions of things you have on the walls and ceilings.
Sylvia: It’s like dolls and strange stuff, you can just stare at the walls forever. But the people are not as friendly as at Foxtrot, don’t you think? Because it's kinda fancy. Like I just went inside and took a look and left.
Sergio: I guess.
Sylvia: And in Santa Apolonia, you have a bar on the rooftop. That’s where the train station is, so they have the bar with train seats. Bit expensive but it’s a cool experience. Here in Lisbon, you have a lot of nice rooftop bars, with great views.
Sergio: Yes, Park is really cool too, in Bairro Alto.
Sylvia: And Illegal Chinese! When I take friends around Lisbon, I always take them there because it's interesting. You don't have any labels outside, but when you go into the building, it’s a Chinese restaurant. It's so traditional now, and very famous here. It’s not a proper restaurant, and well, I’ve never seen any receipt! It's cool and a bit unusual. When you take your friends there, they're like, where are you taking me...
Sergio: It’s like you go up the stairs, and feel like, umm, now are my last hours in this world…
Sylvia: They’re all near Martim Moniz. One is on its own a bit further away, and then you have two more—one on the first and one on the second floor. The one on the second floor is best.