GOOD COMMUNICATIONS IN THE ROADS
by RafaelTheSecond
Travelling through the State of São Paulo is quite safe, the roads are modern and in every gas station there is a public phone!
This is me getting some news talking with my mother who were in the city of Poá waiting for us to continue our way to Paraty!
November 15th, 2004 I drove alot in that trip, I love driving anyway and in many times my friend Pierre helped me, and drove a little, but something I love to remeber were one of opur stops for sleeping after long hours driving!;)
Parque da Luz
by marakaki
This is the first public park in São Paulo. It used to be a bothanical garden and in the past families used to meet there and listen to orchest music on Sundays.
Just beside Pinacoteca Museum and in front of Luz Station and Lingua Portuguesa Museum, it has been remodeled and restaured.
You can find old and giant trees, native plants and birds.
Best visited on weekends and during the morning.
Easy to reach by subway station Tiradentes.
Av. Tiradentes, s/nº, Luz
High Traffic... It sucks!
by andrezin83
Sao Paulo has 5 million cars. Can you just imagine millions of cars going around everyday? The city has many expressways, HUGE avenues sometimes with 5 lanes to each direction... but, it doesn´t matter... the traffic is VERY heavy, especially from 7-10am and 5-8pm. Motorcycle drivers, bus drivers and truck drivers are the worst part of the city´s traffic... they´re unrespectful and are very rude. My tip... when stopped in the traffic... listen to the radio... the city has excellent radio stations. Or just look around and see if you find any cuties to flirt with haha!
Food for All Tastes... and Pockets! Part II
by CelloSP about São Paulo Restaurant Scene
2) Hey! I Am on Vacation! I Want to Eat Well, and See the City’s Coolest Restaurants (or “Hey! I’m Here on Bizness! My Company is Paying for My Expenses”)
- Some all-you-can-eat places are worth the while (such as "churrascarias"). The problem is that you overindulge and will only want to go back to the hotel for a nap.
- Old-fashioned restaurants will serve huge orders of bland food. That’s what’s kept them going since times immemorial.
- Wannabe restaurants. I have very mixed feelings about this type of restaurant, abounding in São Paulo, mostly in the “nicest” areas (Jardins/Vila Madalena/Vila Olímpia). You will spot them right away: modern, cool patrons, great music. One problem is that some bank more on their décor than on the skills of their chefs. I, for one, have cooking as a hobby, and personally find it outrageous to spend R$40 (US$18) on a grilled piece of chicken and a side salad, because I am aware of the going prices of the ingredients used – and realize that sometimes the ingredients were not as “prime” as promised. Still I go. For most people they are wonderful. I regard some – if not most – as bars serving good-presentation airplane food. Drinks will often be as expensive as at a nightclub, because management is well aware many people will glimpse at the menu and declare “Hmmm, I’m not that hungry; just a glass of wine, please” when they realize the cheapest item is a R$25 (US$10) burger – with no cheese.
3) I Enjoy Lavish Dinners, and Money is no Object (or “I Run This Joint! If The Current Controller Questions My T&E Report, I’ll Just Get One Who Does Not”)
- That is a totally different cup of tea. Some of São Paulo’s top restaurants offer experiences to be cherished – and experienced again and again. Some will offer an amazing “menu confidence”: you brief the headwaiter on your major likes and dislikes, and the chef will prepare what he feels you would enjoy – and do his personal best to please you. But be prepared to spend proportionally, particularly as most wine lists are very rarefied. I will eventually post specific tips about my favorite restaurants – all profiles.
What *not* to eat?
My major concern is sanitation.
If you are hungry and simply *must eat*, just do not eat anything sold by street vendors (hot dogs, kebabs, Japanese "yakisoba" - it does not matter how good it looks: refrain) or even at cheap street corner bars. The problem is how they keep and re-use their supplies - and water.
You are probably healthy, and will never get seriously ill. Still, an unpleasant episode of diarrhea might keep you at your hotel for some good two days or so. You don't want that. Nobody wants that.
Look for a clean "padaria" (bakery), where you will find fresher products, prices are a joke, and the standards of cleanliness are usually high. "Padarias" are perfect for breakfast - if yours is not included in your room rate.
You might also head to the nearest chain supermarket, where you will usually find lots of yummy things to eat.
Embu Street Fair on weekends
by juicygirl
About half an hour's drive from Sao Paulo -- Embu holds weekend markets on its most charming town square. Think locally made inexpensive trinkets from amethyst / rose quartz / agate loose stones, antiques, hand made chandeliers, hand painted tiles depicting scenes of brazil, cute handicrafts and so much more -- all on several dozen little kiosks that lie out on cobblestone paths in the Embu center. I was told though that while the town center where all the weekend shops are is considered to be "safe" -- just outside the tourist-y ring, crime is bad bec of the abundance of poor. We rented a car for the trip and so we were in no danger of being kidnapped or anything and i still believe it was more than worth the trip. We had lunch in a little side restaurant in the middle of the Embu street fair and i swear for a fraction of the price of what it would have cost in Sao Paulo -- we still had the most delicious rump steak! you must must must check this place out -- and don't be shy to try your bargaining skills.
Fancy shops in Jardins
Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Homens Pretos
Aparecida has an aquarium!;)
Mezzanine floor
