Palermo, Sicily - do it, or skip it?
 

Hi all,
I'm reposting because this message doesn't come up when I search for Palermo, Italy, or Sicily. Hope I did it right this time.

My boyfriend and I are going in September to Sicily for 7-9 days, followed by a week in Rome. We're definitely planning on Taormina and Siracusa, but I haven't been able to decide on Palermo.
We'd probably go at the beginning of the trip.
We both enjoy getting the feel of a town or city through its streets, local life and restaurants. As far as sightseeing goes, we're content to see a few major things, but not into exploring every last church and ruin. We're way more into walking around and eating, and enjoying beautiful scenery - countryside, beach, city. We were in Spain last year and Sevilla and Cadiz were our favorites. We're both from New York City and love living here - also loved it back in the 70s when it was known for muggers, garbage, and nothing but hookers in Times Square.

Given all that, is Palermo a "must" for us? Or is it more stress than it's worth? Is it truly impossible to walk around in a liesurely way, or have the reports of its inhospitality to pedestrians been exaggerated?
Would we be missing out big-time if we just focused on the eastern side, relaxing in Taormina and taking a couple of daytrips from Siracusa?

Please weigh in with your thoughts, and experiences in Palermo.
Also, if anyone's stayed at Hotel Ucciardhome in Palermo, I'd love your opinions on it. My other prospect is b&b Ai Cartari.

Thanks!

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YES, go to Palermo. I was there 3 years ago for two days and really want to go back. I stayed at Ai Cartari and loved it--nice family, great location, really interesting building. After several days walking around Palermo, pick up a rental car and head out.

Don't skip it! There is a lot of beautiful history and culture in Palermo. (Just avoid driving if you're not comfortable with that aspect.)

Thanks, kayd.
You make it sound appealing.

As for the thread issue, I have no problem locating my messages (using the method you just suggested) - my concern is that they don't appear when other people are browsing Italy or Sicily topics.
Advice?

It may take some hours (days?) for the search function to pick up new posts. If all your posts were this morning, that might be the explanation. Check again tomorrow, maybe?