"When a woman is tired of Beirut, she is tired of life." -- Samuel Johnson. Johnson was referring to London, of course, not Beirut, but he may as well have been talking about Sitt el Dunya.
If, for whatever strange reason, you are bored of this amazingly diverse town of many subcultures flanked by mountain ranges and sea...then we are here to help.
Here are 7 things to do in Beirut, for the jaded soul.
1. Let your inner Sherlock Holmes come out and play
Gather a couple of (preferably witty) friends and Sherlock your way out of a room by deciphering clues, solving riddles and searching for keys. Always thought you were the brightest friend in your squad? Then prove it!
Where can you do this? >Escape the Room in Gemmayze and >Exit Beirut in Badaro. Prices range between 20-30$ per person.
2. Kill some time with a board game marathon ... at a cafe
For all the geeks (and bored Beirutis) out there, this one's for you. Beirut's first tabletop game cafe, >Multiverse, recently opened in Hamra.
For 2,000 L.L. per hour, you get to play from a board-game library of over 1,000 items, including many games that can't be found anywhere else in the Middle East.
"It is the nexus where all multiverses meet, where Optimus Prime rubs shoulders with Colonel Mustard, Darth Vader borrows sugar from Sauron, while Superman and Son Goku finally settle the age-old question of who would win in a fight," the hub's Facebook page writes.
Plus, you can buy board games, card games, collectibles and original art from Multiverse's pop culture store.
3. Watch some live "wordporn"
Go on an emotional roller-coaster with some awe-inspiring storytelling and spoken-word poetry performances. From the utterly hilarious to the downright miserable, poets and storytellers will remind you that you're not alone in this "exercise in emotional frustration" of a life. Plus, these events often include captivating music performances by local artists.
And if you have a knack for words yourself, share your stories in the open-mic sessions, the audience is always a friendly bunch.
Keep track of The Poetry Pot, Cliffhangers, 101 Poetry Nights, Fade In and Hakaya Storytelling.
4. Unleash your artsy-ness
Thought coloring is just for kids or professional artists? Think again.
Every Sunday, Joon On the Moon in Achrafieh hosts an 18+ coloring and drinking night, which might just be the ultimate end-of-week stress reliever.
5. Indulge your inner child at Lebanon's only trampoline park
Bounce, somersault, cartwheel, dunk... go all out at the trampoline park in CityMall, Dora.
Yes, you'll probably be surrounded by elementary school students, so you might want to ask your craziest friends to tag along.
6. Discover Beirut's vibrant art scene
Get lost in Beirut's museums and art galleries, or just pretend you're an art fanatic for a day.
Check out modern and contemporary art at Sursock Museum in Achrafieh and Art on the 56th in Gemmayze, enjoy the Beirut Art Center's latest exhibitions, or take a trip down memory lane in Robert Mouawad's historic museum in Downtown.
7. Challenge your friends in a quiz night
Team up with your brightest friends, test your general knowledge and solve brain-teasers every Wednesday night at >Cafe Em Nazih in Gemmayze. Plus, >Cantina Sociale in Ashrafieh held its very first quiz night last week and we expect more trivia events to follow.