Barnaldo Lucrécia

 

 

 

 

The other day I was invited to a birthday party that would be held at this bar called Barnaldo Lucrécia. It’s known as one of the best bars for (I don’t know how to call them) “old bohemians” of the city. I was excited to have an event to go there because otherwise I think my crew wouldn’t enjoy going for the fun of getting to know the place.

The bar is on the corner of Alameda Santos and Abílio Soares, a block away from Paulista Avenue. If I were going by subway I would probably get off at Brigadeiro station and walk for 5 blocks. It’s an easy walk, since the way is mostly flat. Paraíso station might be closer than Brigadeiro, but there’s no walking on Paulista in the evening.

Well, we got there and talked to the birthday girl and after something like half hour this band started playing samba. There were only four people and the singer, this middle-aged woman, was simply amazing. We stood there for some time, the music was so great! The caipirinhas are very good too (cachaça, lime and sugar, to go with the samba atmosphere!).

This was all downstairs… Because when we decided to leave and headed to the cashiers to pay our bill, we discovered a new space with different music upstairs. There the music was more MPB (Brazilian pop music), which can include some samba, but is usually more calm and mellow.

 

There’s no valet parking but a few steps before the entrance there’s a parking lot to leave cars and motorbikes. Because there’s a band… actually two bands, there’s a cover charge that’s something like 30 reais (or 15 dollars). It’ worth going with a big group, there wasn’t much flirting going on as far as I could see.

Still, recommend it to both single and taken friends who would enjoy a different night out. Official website (only in Portuguese): http://www.barnaldolucrecia.com.br

SP PROJECT BUENOS AIRES SPECIAL EDITION – COMIDA PORTEÑA (or BA’s Food)

When I traveled to Buenos Aires I had been on this strict diet for almost 3 weeks – no red meat, no bread, no dairy. I have to admit I did try to find some healthy food to keep me going but it was just so hard to resist those medialunas.

Every morning or whenever we would stop for some coffee they were there: small, golden, and crispy. It’s like a mystery the fact that they are so good, despite the café you are at. I strongly recommend trying the plain ones. All the others with jam and fruit and chocolate were not as good as the traditional ones.

The ones in the picture above are from a delicious café called La Biela, a place at the Recoleta Plaza,, across from a Fredo ice cream shop. This is an expensive café, compared to many others you find in Buenos, but the atmosphere is so amazing and the waiters were so nice that I think it’s worth paying a little extra for the fun of it.

La Biela is very touristic; you pay extra for the tables outside the café so I suggest getting a table indoors. The people that sit outdoor are mainly tourists, the guys indoors are old local people with – apparently – free time to spare drinking coffee and reading the newspaper with family and friends.

As I had previously mentioned in another post, on the street of our hotel, something like 3 blocks down, there is a supermarket and a deli right across from it. At this wonderful deli we found croissants, pies and many other delicious homemade food. I can’t remember the name of the place – and that’s a shame.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The supermarket is always a great option for travelers, in my point of view. You can get more water for less (minibars are just lame), drinks and snacks for a party-while-getting-dressed and some after-party cookies, since that’s all we want after a night filled with the most delicious drinks from the pub.

We went to a few of them and the thing is the cashiers were on a semi-strike! Hahahaha The lines to pay for the products were huge and people were upset to wait in line. There was even a mini argument right in front of us when this woman left her cart unattended to get some extra milk, or whatever. Funny experience, anyways.

ice cream _______ my snacks, water, a guide and the feet of the two trouble-makers waiting in line

Another great place to get something to eat is in the Palermo neighborhood, mor specifically in the surroundings of Plazoleta Julio Cortazar, where you can find several bars and restaurants and even a bakery/deli where you can have breakfast, dinner, drinks, etc. At the bars you find great empanadas and amazing milanesas at a great price, compared to other places in the city. Through the whole day the place is filled with young tourists walking around, drinking beer and shopping the cute, hipster stores in the neighborhood.

one corner of Plazoleta Cortázar late at night – and the bars were still crowded

SP PROJECT SPECIAL EDITION: BUENOS AIRES DAY ONE

One of the top 3 destinations chosen by Brazilians willing to have a little bit of the European style for less: Buenos Aires, here I went. As I did not want to be in SP for the New Year’s holiday, nor spend a lot of money, the best option was the capital of the lovely Argentina.

It was not my first time there, so my friends and me felt no need to spend many days there. We went on the 27^th and returned on the 1^st. It’s enough to get to know the city and still feel like you want a little more. I hate long trips that make me feel like going home.

So we were lucky enough to change our flight and go straight to Buenos very early on the 27^th. It was 9:30am when we got there. Leaving the baggage claim area there are many taxi companies ready to help passengers before they cross the gate to the open hall of the airport. We had heard some weird stories of taxi drivers that try to trick tourists, so those companies kiosks in a private area of the airport seemed more trustable than getting anything outside.

We paid USD$20 each for a ride from Ezeiza to Recoleta, which is extremely expensive. It cost USD$60 which is like  300 pesos. The regular ride would be about 180 pesos, which is something like 37 American dollars. Well, we did not know what would be fair do pay so we went for it anyways.

cute café across from the cemetery

this nice bookshop also had a cafe in the back

As I have previously mentioned, our hotel was in the Recoleta neighborhood, which is somehow central, yet very touristic. The name of the hotel is Chateau Unique and it was super ok. The rooms are spacious, nice mattresses, continental breakfast included, as well as Wi-Fi; old sink and shower, though.

The hotel is within 5 blocks from almost everything a tourist might need: supermarket, drugstore, ice-cream, café and subway. Hahaha

On our first day there we explored a bit the neighborhood, walking the streets randomly for a while and then decided to visit the cemetery, where one of the top tombs is Evita’s. I think most people only go there to check it out and then leave. That’s somehow what we did, but one of my friends is an architect, so he also wanted to check some of the styles they had there. It was kind of fun, not creepy at all, but I would recommend a tourist not to be alone in the maze a cemetery is. It may be the paranoid in me, but I am sure I saw some suspicious guys around.

Then, after taking many pictures we headed to MALBA, the Latin-American museum. The walk from the cemetery to the museum is kind of long but totally worth it.

On the way we passed by the Building of University of Buenos Aires’ Law School, which is beautiful, and right after that there was Floralis Generica.

floralis genérica @ plaza naciones unidas

MALBA

When we got there we were tired from our trip, tired of walking, hungry and thirsty. They had free Wi-Fi though, which entertained us for a few minutes before we decided to get in line for tickets – which, by the way, cost 30 pesos. They accept dollars, as most places in Argentina.

The shows were great, the museum itself is super cute with a lovely café/restaurant facing the garden and it’s kind of small.

the entrance

When you leave the museum, if you continue walking on Presidente Figueiroa Avenue, you’ll get to the Japanese Garden (3 blocks away) and the planetarium (a little further). We didn’t go there because we were SUPER TIRED and just wanted to walk back ‘home’, get something to eat and relax.

a piece of Antonio Berni, an argentinian artist @ MALBA

That night we went to Palermo for drinks and empanadas. Nothing huge, just us meeting some other friends that happened to be there too. End of day 1.

how it feels @ MALBA

 

Sao Paulo in December

Is crazy. I wouldn’t recommend a friend to come to my city and enjoy its pleasures anytime before Christmas. It’s summer, as we know it. The thermometers hit 38 Celsius, which is like, 100 Fahrenheit. Everyday paulistas have to face terrible traffic to get to work and let’s not forget it’s sunny (there isn’t a cloud in the sky today) and we have occasional afternoon showers that flood some city spots.

 

Last Saturday I met a friend for lunch. He works on Paulista Ave., one of our main avenue and financial landmark of SP. During Christmas time many companies along the avenue decorate its facades, promote shows and choir presentations and I remember last year CET (the company that organizes traffic) closed one of the ways so that people would be able to walk freely, take pictures and enjoy summer nights and winter décor.

 

So, getting back to my friend, we met on the corner of Paulista and Augusta to go somewhere to lunch. The traffic was bad, as usual, but not completely bad. We went to a cute vegetarian restaurant called Apfel on Bela Cintra Street. It’s an all-you-can-eat restaurant – you pay a fixed price and eat as much as you want. During the week they even have tea and juice included in the price, but on weekends there’s just water. I ordered lemonade and had a great lunch for 35 reais, which is like 17 dollars, with desserts!

 

We got there early for Brazilian standards and it was ok to find a table. There’s no AC and it was really hot but we could survive with a table by the window. We had the whole afternoon to catch up with each other so there was no rush and we stayed there for hours. It’s a cool place to meet artists, producers, actors, etc.

 

When we were about to leave we decided to go to the movies – and Paulista is surrounded by great movie theaters. He wanted a comedy and the place we chose was a theater inside Patio Paulista Mall. I don’t know why I accepted this, maybe because living a little bit far from the city center I forgot the nightmare it is to go to a mall 1) on weekends 2) in December 3) right after payday.

 

The movie was ok, the theater was not full at all and it is super comfy – good chairs, ac working but no freezing. The stores and halls on the other hand were crowded. At one point, when we were browsing in a Zara store, I thought they were just giving clothes, so many people I saw in line to try them on and pay.

 

Good news is that it all changes on Christmas – and I would say Christmas Eve. Many people travel and stay away until the next year. The streets then empty out and you can drive or ride freely through the city. The malls and stores and museums are all yours; the only downside is that some cool restaurants and bars close during this time (due to the “lack” of people).

 

December is great to go to the beaches and enjoy summer with a caipirinha. The cities by the sea will be crowded, of course, but at least it’s with people in their bathing suits and surfboards.

I’ve been having quite a year. Since the last post I wrote I’ve been to a few touristic spots and, to be honest, not to many different and interesting places.

I could finish my photography project, though, which gives me more time to wander around taking pictures of my lovely SP.

We are already in November, which gives me two months to finish my project – and that is completely insane and will not happen.

Anyways, it’s good to have time to write again. I’ll probably visit a cool place today so I’ll have something to write about.

Latin America Memorial

You can walk all over the Yucatán Peninsula -a great way to see all Latin America in a few minutes.

On the same morning I went to Agua Branca, I visited Memorial da América Latina. Just like some other famous building in Brazil, such as MAM, it was designed by Oscar Niemeyer to host and be home to all Latin artistic expressions in Sao Paulo.

View from the parking lot.

The concept of the project aimed for the union of the continent and was developed by the great anthropologist Darcy Ribeiro. To make this union possible its people would have to be aware of their cultural and historical similarities, not to mention the language. Latin America Memorial has been trying to do it since its opening on March 18^th, 1989.

The area of more than 900 square feet is divided into two main areas that can be identified by the two squares: Praça do Sol (Sun Square) and Praça da Sombra (Shadow Square). The Memorial is beside Barra Funda Terminal where you can get buses, trains and subways so it’s pretty easy to get there. Either by car (there’s a parking lot inside Memorial R$5 the first hour) or using public transportation, the main entrance is from Shadow Square’s side.

Praça da Sombra – Shadow Square

Here, the only thing open for visitors is Pavilhão da Criatividade Darcy Ribeiro (Creativity Pavilion) that holds a permanent show of art pieces from many latin American countries. Among the pieces you’ll find: popular instruments, sculptures, toys, religious adornments, masks and costume.

After visiting the Pavilion I headed to the other side of the Memorial, going up the ramp.

Going down the ramp the first building on the right is Galeria Marta Traba and it was my first stop. The building is beautiful but too hot (and that morning was freaking cold, I think the ac was off). The show I saw was called Immediate Past and there were brochures in English and Italian (for the show was on the influences of italian culture in Brazilian art).

I continued my visit heading to Biblioteca Victor Civita (Victor Civita Library) a place where visitors can have access to the books, magazines, internet.

Last stop was Salão de Atos Tiradentes, where ceremonies and official events are held. There you can see one of the most important pieces of the artist Candido Portinari that is a little bit overshadowed by six huge panels by the artists Caribé and Poty. The panels are each 15m tall (or almost 50 feet). They represent people from the pre-colombian era, African people… when I got there the sun rays were coming in the building from behind the panels, making the scene even more beautiful.

And then I ended my visit taking pictures of the landmark of LA Memorial: the Hand. It shows Latin America’s map in red and the color goes down on what would be a wrist as if Latin American blood was being drained off. It tries to represent latinos fight for its own identity and independence. At the time I was leaving there was a group coming in, listening to stories in English, which reminds me of the fact that there are guided visits, they just have to be scheduled.

O sentiment da unidade latino Americana é o limiar de um novo tempo. O esforço de organização para eliminar a opressão dos poderosos e construir um destino maior e mais justo é o compromisso solene de todos nós.

Orestes Quércia

It’s not a must see, but it’s so easy to get there it’s a shame not to go. Memorial’s website is full of useful information and is available in Portuguese and Spanish.

Agua Branca Park

The Park

Barra Funda, Perdizes, Pompéia and Lapa. That’s the name of one of the chapter of my guide. They start giving an overview of the neighborhoods, mentioning PUC (Sao Paulo’s Catholic University) and the role it played in bringing students and consequently bars and nightlife to the area. They are all mostly residential neighborhoods and in the guide the author suggests seven places to be visited. During this first visit I went to Parque da Água Branca and Memorial da América Latina. I also tried to visit Theatro São Pedro, it was closed though.

Map of the surroundings

Everything is really close by and there are many bus stops and subway stations around. Right beside Memorial da América Latina is Barra Funda Station, that connects buses, trains and subway. It’s possible to walk from one attraction to another. I was driving and it’s also easy to park around the three places.

My first stop was Agua Branca, a park I was familiar with for I used to go there with my grandfather and my brother when I was a child. We would ride a bus and spend the morning there, walking around, riding the attractions (whenever possible) and observing the animals.

According to my guide, Agua Branca used to be an agriculture school but has been used as a park since 1912. So we are celebrating its 100^th birthday this year! Yay!

When I got there I talked to the guy at the entrance to ask about the parking fee (on weekends it’s free!)  and to check if they had any kind of map for visitors. He didn’t know about the maps but he was extremely polite. In the parking lot visitors can already feel the animalia vibe of Agua Branca. They are everywhere! Roosters, chickens, peacocks, ducks etc.

When I started walking around one of the first things I saw there was an open air library. It wasn’t all open, but different little huts (?) actually, filled with children books. They are divided by category and there are chairs and tables in the garden among the trees for you to sit and read some poetry, for example. I think it’s really cute. It was veeeery early on a Saturday morning, tough, and it was one of the coldest mornings of the year, so I saw ZERO kid reading a book under a tree. #sadface The idea is great, if I had kids I would surely take them there!

I mentioned it was super early and cold when I got at Agua Branca. Why in heaven would I leave home on a freezing Saturday morning and head to a park when I could go there in the afternoon the same day? Because at Agua Branca you’ll find Feira de Produtos Organicos every Sat morning. Next to the market there’s a small café that sells, of course, organic snacks. There are many cake and pie options. They look delicious! They also have coffee, milk, tea… eggs, bread. Lots of customers would shop and then stop for breakfast. The place is not luxurious nor expensive. I had eggs and a small latte and it cost me four Reais. It’s less than TWO DOLLARS!

I know I loved it partially because of my childhood memories, but Agua Branca is a wonderful place to visit, specially if a person has kids. Super nice! 😉

 

This is the park’s website. It’s only in Portuguese.

Cheese Bun in BH

The ride Confins-Downtown. AC and free wi-wi for 20 Reais.

When I got to Belo Horizonte I had to take a bus from Confins to the city. The final destination was Conexao Aerporto’s ticket store in the city. There I stood for something like 15 minutes waiting for my friends to pick me up. The weather was incredibly good and I had to try a cheese bun to compare with the one I had in São Paulo.

Conexão Aeroporto’s Terminal Alvares Cabral

Ticket Booth

It’s not fair to compare cheese buns from Minas to cheese buns from all other cities and states in Brazil, but the one that I had had that morning. OH. MY. GOD. That thing was disgusting. The rubbery dough was cold and the drink… I was looking for some cold mate (which is a kind of tea) and all I got was a bottle of water. When I got to Belo Horizonte I could finally get what I wanted!

BH is cute.

The snacks didn’t look as fancy as the ones in SP…

…but certainly tasted much better! It was delicious! Exactly what I wanted =)

Congonhas Aiport

July 9^th is a holiday in the state of São Paulo. This year the holiday fell on a Monday and I packed my bags and headed to Belo Horizonte, a city in the state of Minas Gerais, to visit some friends. As I wouldn’t use the days off to sightsee down here I thought of writing about the airport and flight conditions.

Airports in Brazil are not very good. I mean, they are not good at all. Given size of the cities, number of flights and passengers, I could they they are actually terrible.

I bought a ticket to go really early on Saturday leaving from Congonhas airport, which is located in Zona Sul. It is not near my house, there’s no train or subway station near the airport, but it’s easy to get there.

According to Google, if you walked from the subway to the airport it would take you an hour to get there.

My flight would depart at 7am on a Saturday so I got there at 6am. When we were getting close to the entrance the traffic was terrible! And that was due to a major accident involving a car, a truck and motorcycles. This is very common in São Paulo and completely unpredictable. Who would tell that at that time I would get traffic? Anyway, it’s always good to be prepared for those incidents and leave a little earlier.

Morning has brooooken in São Paulo

Outside the main lobby

The kids are on vacation and it was a weekend pre-holiday so it was obvious the flight would be full and the airport would be packed. I had checked-in on my phone to prevent lines and I highly recommend doing it when flying in Brazil because even the line to drop the bags is long.

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Congonhas is a super cute airport. It’s small, the floor is all black and white and the architecture reminds me of the 50s. The main lobby concentrates shops and cafés. Going up the escalators, on the first floor, is the boarding area and gates.

Main lobby, seen from outside.

A few cafe options

After you go through security the lines get even bigger! As I didn’t have much time I decided to do everything I had to and then get something to drink/eat. The boarding area is clean and there are two or three options to snack in there. I had little time, so I got in the first line I saw.

Superman, ready to help us.

My gate. Not so crowded.

It was for A Casa do Pão de Queijo, a shop that sells good cheese buns, a Brazilian savory specialty that we all love and I strongly recommend! Pão de Queijo (or cheese bun) is a snack originally from Minas, the state I was going to, which made the experience even more interesting for I would be able to compare in a couple of hours two snacks in terms of flavor, size and price.

The options

I paid 8 Reais…

For this (!) which would be 3 Reais downtown SP =/

Then I waited for what it seemed like an hour

But finally boarded. I hate flying. I usually sleep but while the plane is landing and taking off I feel sick and dizzy. It’s not good. I was one of the last passengers to board the plane and as I got a window seat, I only had one person by my side. Thank God it was a young boy just like me, who slept during the whole flight and spoke a few words that I could not understand.

I love socializing, really. It’s just that I have this thing and for some reason I attract people who talk about their life without me asking them about it. It’s funny in a way and I’ve heard some weird stories. So, back to the boy, the only words I heard the guy saying were during the snack time, when both of us ‘woke up’.

Lunchbox + coffee and milk. The coffee and milk was terrible… too sweet.

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In the lunchbox there was: a cup of yoghurt, fruit salad (or something like two pieces of fruit, but anyway) and a super mini sandwich that was the only thing I tried and was ok.

(to be continued)

Ice Cream – Baccio di Latte

So, the other day I visited Alaska, one of the oldest and most traditional ice cream shops in the city. Well, at that time I thought of writing about Baccio di Latte but I had to go there first, take some pictures and collect more information. And well, it seems I found time to do it.

This is heaven…

It’s hard to choose a favorite.

Their ice cream is considered the best one can find in Sao Paulo and it really is amazing. The second time I went there was on a cold, rainy Saturday after lunch. It was drizzling and the shop was completely packed! There was a line going out of the door to buy a scone of their delicious, creamy, perfect ice cream.

Everybody waiting in line.

The smallest cup is big enough, trust me. It’s something like R$8 or US$3.5 and you can choose more than one flavor. All times I’ve been there I had half  pistachio and half baccio di latte and they were just the best I’ve had in my life so I bet the other flavors are as good as the ones I chose.

I am sure Chocolate Giuanduia is a hit. There was nothing left inside the container on the right.

Coco (coconut) looks good too…

You can try the flavors before deciding on one or two!

There is a small area inside the shop with chairs and tables for people to sit and relax. However, if it’s not a rainy Saturday and there’s no drizzle falling from the sky, the best option is to go outside and walk on Oscar Freire just window-shopping and people watching.

Behind the counter.

It’s all white and cute. Milky-style.

Baccio di Latte’s official website is baciodilatte.com.br and is available in Portuguese, Italian and English.

Definitely a must go!