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Tehran is a very intimidating city. Its population, which is over 13 million people has tripled since the revolution; partly due to the Iran-Iraq war. Such massive growth combined with little urban planning has created a city with no soul, intense traffic and a serious pollution problem. After visiting the beautiful cities of central Iran, I was not impressed... The only thing that Tehran has going for it is a few museums; particularly impressive was the National Jewels Museum with the Darya-yé Nur (sea of light) a 182 carat pink diamond, the largest uncut diamond in the world.
Tehran is however the place to hang out, to pull your scarf as far back as possible, and party. There is contraband alcohol (delivered to your door — even Vancouver doesn't do that well), people who speak English or French, restaurants, etc. The only problem is finding all the cool places, since they change quite quickly. Shahriar introduced me to a few people before heading back to Paris, and I am managing on my own.
But I only really started to appreciate Tehran after it rained one night, and in the morning the air was clean and I saw the mountains... Since then I have been going on hikes above the city: there is the Tochal telecabin which took me to 3750m and into the snow; the Jamshydié Park (stone park) is good place to start a hike above the town. In my explorations I have discovered a great spot for bouldering: its a 2 hour hike to get there, but once up there the view is outstanding.