I just liked the "vibe" of the city. I'm not a beach person, mostly a vampire and very rarely will go to a beach, Cancun, Rio, Playa del Carmen, Cuba, Puerto Vallarta, etc.... I make a point to go in Pattaya at least once per trip, Bali at sunset or later and Fortaleza I'd go every day, there are saunas nothing like other parts of Brasil, but all it takes is meeting one person to make it worth it.....plus there seems like a circuit that guys from the NE of Brasil do and never make it to Rio & SP.
Kind of like the escorts that do the circuit of Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Merida but don't make it to Mexico City.