My stab at a Barcelona visitor guide

Ok, here's a basic guide to this city. My old roommate from Philly, Jordan, is coming in and I'm going to be out of town, so I started writing some tips for what he should do. I got on a roll, and decided to make it super good and then post it on my blog.

Getting here:
When you land at Barcelona, walk out to the curb and look for signs for the blue and yellow Aerobus. Everyone else is probably taking the same thing,and there will probably be a line forming at the bus stop. Don't worry if the line is long, buses come frequently. Feel free to buy a ticket at the kiosk, or you can buy it directly from the driver. The cost is 3,90 each way ("solo ida"), or you could buy a round trip ("ida y vuelta") for a little less than twice that. The bus goes (after 3 or 4 stops, 25-30 min) to Placa Catalunya, where basically everyone will get off. This is the center of the city, with the old city "Ciutat Vella" just below the plaza and the new part "L'Eixample" (pronouced Lay-shamp-lah") above.

Touristy stuff:

• Passeig de Gracia is one of Barcelona's most famous streets, and walking up you'll pass designer stores, two famous Gaudi houses, and countless tourists. Definitely walk up and down it at least once during your time. I live right at the top of the famous part (just above Ave. Diagonal), about 20-25 minutes walk from Placa Catalunya.
  
• The Rambla is another major pedestrian avenue in Barcelona and extends from the opposite corner of Placa Catalunya as the bus. (It starts just to the right of the Hard Rock Cafe). It will probably be swarmed, but is still fun to walk around. Expect to see tacky street performers, and live birds for sale (I'm not sure to whom).
• Sagrada familia: famous Gaudi (~1900 architect, big deal in Barcelona) church. I'm not sure going inside is worth the money, much of the cool stuff can be seen from walking around. Metro: "Sagrada Familia". If you do go inside, you'll see a giant construction sight and an underground museum.
  
• Parc Guell: Huge Gaudi park full of weird architecture. Will probably be very busy on Sunday, but is open and free at all times (most everything else is closed on Sunday). Take the bus #24 from anywhere on Passeig de Gracia right to the park (get on going away from Placa Catalunya).
• Fortaleza de Mont Juic: Mont Juic is a big hill just southwest of the city. The fort is at the very top, and offers stunning panoramas of the city. Take a taxi there (~10 eur, make sure the driver understands you want to go to the fortaleza), and take the cable car back down to the metro station. Also free, although the cable car is like 5 more euros.
• Art museums: Two of note are the Picasso museum and the Miro museum. The Picasso one is more of his early stuff so it won't be what you'd expect. Still pretty good though. The Miro museum is right by the metro stop on top of Mont Juic, and showcases the life's work of this Barcelonian artist. He's a little post-cubist and experimental, so lots of different types of modern art to be seen.

Nightlife:

My favorite part of town is known as the Born. If you're looking at a map, its at the bottom of the old city just to the right of Via Laietana (a vertical avenue). Take the metro to Jaume I (pronounced Jou-mah pree-may), and walk down Carrer de la Argenteria which extends from the metro stairway diagonally. My best advice is for you to walk down some alleys, get a little lost, and turn around whenever you hit a road with actual cars on it. In this area you will find some real gems of tapas restaurants, bars, and shopping boutiques (closed after 9).

Bars close around 2 or 3, and if you want to go to a dance club, don't show up before 2. I'm no expert on the clubs, so consult a real guide if you want to go dancing.

Metro/bus:

• When taking the metro, go to any machine and get a "T-10" pass. It should cost 6.90, and is worth 10 rides. More than one person can share it, you just have to pass it back. Also, all metro vending machines have an English option.
• Metro directions are distinguished by the last stop in each direction. For example, the L1 Fondo goes east, and the L1 Hospital goes west.
• Buses use the same ticket as the metro. Just stick your ticket in the reader to validate it once you hop on (or twice if two people are sharing the ticket). If you just got off the metro, don't validate it, the transfer is free for the first hour or so.
• The metro is open until midnight Sunday-Thursday, 2am on Friday night, and all night Saturday night.
  

Random:

• Barcelona is in Catalunya, and the people native here speak Catalan. Everyone speaks Spanish, but don't call them Spaniards or they'll be quick to correct you. Catalan is a mixture of mostly Spanish and French, and all the street signs, metro stops, etc are in Catalan.
• 'X' in Catalan is pronounced "sh", and 'c' in Catalan is pronounced like 's'.
  
• Many stores close for siesta, around 2-4pm.
• Dinner is not eaten before 9pm, 10pm is normal, and 11pm not out of the question.
• Many restaurants serve a "menu" for lunch. Usually between 8-12 euros, it includes a 3 course meal and house wine. The word for an actual menu with the list of food and prices is "carta".
• Little supermarkets are a good place to buy things. A 1.5-liter bottle of water should be about 75 cents.