After years and years of travel, I have come to realize that one of my favorite things in life is people watching. So sitting at an outdoor cafe like this one, as long as it has foot traffic, is heaven. This one is just steps from the Jaume 1 metro stop, into Placa del Angels, on the edge of the Barri Gothic in Barcelona. Got that?

I’m not that opinionated about the specifics of the traffic, just that there’s a parade of people and this particular one is at the crossroads of a hot, hip, happening neighborhood. And that means a continuous stream of folks to watch. If San Diego had cafes like this one, I’d never leave.

Piazzenza was so good we ate there two nights in a row. Another perfect outdoor cafe slash people-watching spot. Nearly perfect. Excellent pizza, a wonderful house white wine for 6 Euros a bottle, and, although you can’t see it in the photo, a nighttime lit-up view of the incredible Sagrada Familia. The salads here, as in most of Spain, take some getting used to, and you need to exercise caution if you like fresh greens. I’m not sure what defines a salad here, but my Salad Roquefort was actually a few pieces of sliced iceberg lettuce, bits of ham, and a generous bath of blue-cheese dressing. My wife’s Salad Mixed was more like fresh greens, but still not too many of them. Stick with the Pizzas and the Calzones and you’ll do fine.