I thought the girls were overrated - everybody bangs on about how Sichuan girls are the most attractive in China, but I thought they were a bit too dolled-up and had bad skin - there is too much emphasis on uber-spicy food, but the scenery is great around Chengdu (check out Wolong Nature Reserve and Leshan, both day-trips away)

Oh, and look up Mr Yang who lives in Leshan - he gives free tours of the town and you can eat with his family in the evenings for a small price. His English is great for an old fella!

In fairness the hot pot is mouth-numbing.

Back when I called Chongqing home, Chengdu was always a welcomed trip when I had a long weekend. Like Ludovico said, great day trips to nearby areas. Many nice hostels and lots of cheap forms of entertainment (parks, old streets, etc) inside the city. Lived in CQ so I had to love the spicy Sichuan food and Chengdu offered good quality as far as spicy. But every time I went to Chengdu, I had one thought on my mind.... it was the closest place that offered Tex-Mex and other tasty western foods (this was a few years ago so CQ has grown and now offers more variety of western food).

Chengdu is an awesome city. I lived there for about a year and loved it. It's different from east coast cities...more laid back and chill. There are a lot of places in and around the city to explore, and food options from all over the world. The traffic is kind of crazy and the pollution is pretty bad, but overall I loved living there.