The only accurate thing I’ve
ever read in a travel article about São Paulo is that it’s
a notoriously tough nut to crack. As sophisticated as any major capital
on earth, it is nevertheless largely avoided by travelers to Brazil
in favour of the well-beaten paths through the beaches of Copacabana
and Ipanema in Rio de Janeiro. What little that is written on São
Paulo focuses mainly on the staggeringly obvious – public landmarks,
luxurious hotels and five star restaurants – none of which accurately
reflect why its 20+ million residents love this city.
Any guidebook or travel article on São Paulo will tell you to
go to the Mercado Municipal, MASP art museum, Hotel Unique or the restaurants
Baby Beef Rubayat and Massimo. However, considering a night at Unique
will set you back more than most people in São Paulo make in
a month, there must be better, more authentic ways to indulge in the
city’s famous culture and nightlife – and there is.
Contrary to popular gringo wisdom, São Paulo is the much safer
of the two major Brazilian cities. Its overall crime rates have been
falling for the last eight years; the murder rate is 63% lower than
it was in 1999 and is one quarter that of so-called “tourist friendly”
Rio de Janeiro. Perhaps most reassuring is the fact that there is little
to no tourist oriented crime. So rest assured, you won’t be targeted
as a foreigner.
Nightlife
The most difficult nut of all to crack may be São Paulo’s
famous nightlife. With a reputation to defend and little consensus as
to what’s best, most travelers end up at the most expensive and
hyped venues in Vila Olímpia amongst the sons and daughters of
the super rich, instead of the places where São Paulo has cut
its edgy musical teeth. Remember to visit websites in advance –
you can often get your name on a discount list just by emailing the
same day. In Barra Funda, São Paulo’s answer to Shoreditch,
D-Edge (Alameda Olga, 170, 3667-8334, www.d-edge.com.br) may
be the city's favourite club. Its interior, designed by Brazilian Muti
Randolph to sync lights embedded in the floor, walls and ceiling to
live sound, is best described as what we thought the future would look
like in the ‘80s. Like most clubs in São Paulo, don’t
dream of getting there before midnight.
Cheap fun is the name of the game at Milo’s Garage.
(Rua Minas Gerais, 203A, www.milogarage.com) A young crowd, a graffiti-covered
interior and a packed dance floor hosting nights of anything from live
music and indy rock to soul and hip hop, make this crowded bar a great
option on a night with no other plans.
Vegas (Rua Augusta, 765, 3231-3705, www.vegasclub.com.br),
seems to be the default venue for any international DJ passing through
town. With two big dance floors and a covered garden out back where
normal voices can be heard, there’s plenty to keep you entertained
for the long haul. On Saturdays they actually throw two separate “nights”;
the second one, known as Hell’s Club, doesn’t start until
5 am.
The beating heart of São Paulo’s independent music scene
is Studio SP. (Rua Augusta, 591, 3085-8476, www.studiosp.org)
Elected best club in the city, its new location has a much larger dance
floor and stage where you’ll see shows from local acts such as
electro-pop outfit Jumbo Elektro and live hip hop band Z’África
Brasil.
Also a decent restaurant, Tom Jazz (Avenida Angélica,
2331, 3255-3635, www.tomjazz.com.br) hosts most classic bossa nova,
jazz and samba acts when they pass through town. Check listings for
all these venues in the Guia (the Guide) that comes free in Friday’s
Folha De São Paulo newspaper.
Vegas, a
mainstay on the Rua Augusta nightlife strip, draws many of the top "gringo"
(foreign) DJs.
Restaurants
Fervently claimed by locals to be one of the “gastronomic”
capitals of the world, São Paulo’s restaurants do not disappoint.
While it’s easy to find a fixed price R$200($100)/person meal
at one of the super famous restaurants mentioned in most travel books,
the trick is to eat at one of the many quirky, affordable and remarkably
high quality restaurants hidden around town. Ritz is
an institution in Jardins. With monthly art installations in its front
windows, you’ll be served a classic pasta or bife à milanesa
(breaded beef cutlet) by young and energetic staff in this lively, popular
and gay-friendly mainstay. (Two locations: Alameda Franca, 1088, Jardins,
3062-5830, Rua Jerônimo da Veiga, 141, Itaim Bibi, 3079-2725,
entrée R$30/$15)
A walk down a garden-lined pathway behind some shops in funky Vila Madalena
will bring you to Santa Gula. (Rua Fidalga, 340, 3812-7815,
www.stagula.com.br, entrée R$30/$15) Huge salads and rich pastas
are served in any of the small rooms or garden of this old converted
house where everything, from your wine glass to the table you’re
eating from, is for sale.
Samba is a wonderful Brazilian tradition and though not known as much
of a hotspot in comparison to Rio, Boteco Seu Zé
(Rua Mourato Coelho, 1144, 3034-6382, www.botecoseuze.com.br) is São
Paulo’s finest place to spend a Saturday afternoon sipping ice
cold chopp (draught beer), chewing on a communal porção
de picanha (top sirloin steak, R$50/$25) brought to the table on a sizzling
skillet and cooked in front of your eyes, and taking in the sounds of
live samba and pagode. Schedule at least 4 hours for this meal and expect
to dance.
If you feel the urge for a post-club midnight meal or a lazy weekend
brunch, look no further than the Bella Paulista. (Rua
Haddock Lobo, 354, 3214-3347, www.bellapaulistaonline.com.br) Open 24
hours a day, it’s also a gourmet supermarket with a great selection
of cheeses, wines and prepared antipasto.
Almost hidden
down a long, overgrown path behind shops and bars in Vila Madalena,
Santa Gula is a mis-matched gem of quirky furniture and of course, fantastic
food.
Galleries
Hosting the world’s second most famous art biennial after Venice,
São Paulo is undoubtedly the art capital of Latin America. While
most public galleries and institutions such as SESC and the Pinacoteca
are great, nothing beats the experience of seeking out and finding the
small, private and cutting-edge galleries sprinkled around Jardins,
Pinheiros and Vila Madalena. Galeria Experimenta (Rua
Gumercindo Saraiva, 54, 3086-0141) is the first of a few new galleries
on the same block opened by curator Shayla Farah. As sophisticated and
professional as anything in London or New York, it retains a fun and
funky feel with live music and painting at its opening receptions.
Galeria Vermelho (Rua Minas Gerais, 350, 3257-2033,
www.galeriavermelho.com.br) is probably the most avant-garde and risky
gallery in the city. Expect to find multi-media installations as well
as performance-based pieces.
Choque Cultural (Rua João Moura, 997, 3061-4051,
www.choquecultural.com.br) bridges the gap between the street and the
gallery. It could easily be stereotyped as a graffiti gallery –
but thanks to partnerships with galleries such as Jonathan Levine Gallery
in New York, Choque has been successful in bringing toy-art, illustration
and graffiti inspired work into a formal gallery setting and actually
selling it.
Galeria Vermelho's
facade is customized each month by a different invited artist. Here
it's a minimalist installation by French artists Nathalie Brevet and
Hughes Rochette.
Accommodation
Throughout Brazil, pousadas (inns or guest houses) are nearly always
preferable to hotels - they are affordable and often family-run. Consequently,
the staff takes a much more personal interest in the guests. Situated
in the ideal neighbourhood to base yourself – the centrally located,
clean, safe and full of life Jardim Paulista, Pousada Dona Zilah
(Alameda Franca, 1621, 3062-1444, www.zilah.com, R$145/$75) has simple
rooms, attentive and friendly staff and a glassed-in patio restaurant
with a great variety of food. Perhaps better than this, the majority
of their guests are Brazilians, so there’s a nice, culturally
mixed atmosphere.
For those on more of a budget, just 20 minutes by foot up São
Paulo’s main drag, Avenida Paulista, is Pousada Dos Franceses.
(Rua dos Franceses, 100, 3288-1592, www.pousada dosfranceses.com.br,
dormitory R$30/$15, private room R$50/$25) Half pousada, half hostel,
it caters to a younger, mixed crowd but is by no means a party hostel.
Many guests are longer term, or in the process of looking for permanent
accommodation, and there’s a real family atmosphere revolving
around the common kitchen and TV room. Both pousadas are only a few
blocks from subway stations on the Paulista – which connect you
to nearly any place in the city served by subway in no more than 40
minutes.
Check out a few of these suggestions and discover for yourself why São
Paulo may just be the world's largest city undiscovered by tourists.
The sun room
at Pousada Dona Zilah, where a superb all-you-can-eat breakfast is served
every morning.
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