Paulista Pursuits

Natura: The Store

2012-02-11T16:24:00.001-02:00

As I have mentioned before, Natura is a wonderful Brazilian cosmetics company. Their direct sales model is the only thing I have ever been frustrated with. While I think it works well in certain income classes among Brazilians, it isn't flexible for other markets, making it hard for expats and tourists to buy into the brand when they need to have a consultant. How do you select makeup color from a magazine? There is a constantly changing variety of native scents for bath and body products, how do you know which to choose? What if people want to bring it to their home country as gifts? Happens all the time and the little kiosk in the airport doesn't offer much.

That is all changing now. Soon you will be able to buy your favorite products in a beautifully decorated brick and mortar location in the heart of all things shoptastic, Oscar Freire. Apparently it is supposed to be open for 5 months, a sort of pop up, but we are pretty sure they will have an awfully hard time closing come June. Hope its as beautifully designed as the brand's only other store in Paris, by Brazilian architect, Arthur Casas.

Check it out:

SERVIÇO Espaço Conceito Natura
Endereço: Rua Oscar Freire, 1.052 – Jardim Paulista, São Paulo/SP
Funcionamento: terça à sábado das 10h às 20h – domingo e feriados das 13h às 19h
De Fevereiro à Junho 2012

*source (http://www.blogconsultoria.natura.net/espaco-conceito-natura-oscar-freire/)

A glamorous rise and fall...Daslu

2012-02-07T09:36:00.003-02:00

Most outside of the international luxury-shopping sphere have probably never heard of Daslu. It is ranked #13 of 236 things to do in Sao Paulo by Lonely Planet but it’s recognition goes far beyond what I imagined when I first started researching its history out of curiosity. Known as the premier place to shop in South America if you are amongst the (.0)1%, its status as one of the most luxurious fashion emporiums in the world now joins the ranks of Lehman Brothers, Enron and Arthur Anderson… well sort of.

Its beginning however, was much different. In 1958 Lucia Piva de Albuquerque Tranchesi, a high society wife of one of Sao Paulo’s elite lawyers loved high fashion. She traveled the world shopping and bringing back multiples of her favorite items to then sell to her friends because at the time Brazil was closed to imports. Over time Lucia’s small living room business in the Vila Nova Conceicao neighborhood of Sao Paulo grew to fill her home so she purchased the house next door. She hired help, more specifically the daughters of her friends because they came from Sao Paulo's best families and like their moms, understood luxury brands. The name, Daslu spawned from “In Lu’s House,” something her close friends and customers began calling it. Eventually she had to keep open and closing hours to manage the clothing, shoes, jewelry and bags as well as the hundreds of vehicles lining the streets with customers. From a young age Lucia’s daughter, Eliana also started working at the store, even creating and designing her own label. Sadly in 1983 Lucia died of cancer and Eliana and her brother took over.

In the late 80’s Brazil democratically elected a leader for the first time in over 26 years. The economy was a bit of mess so import restrictions were eased and that set in motion the next phase of Daslu. Eliana’s vision was to bring the heart of luxury not only to Brazil but also to all of South America for the first time. Valentino and Moschino were among the first to find her store (or rather she found them) and Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Zegna and Dolce & Gabbana followed soon after. She was still in the VNC neighborhood occupying homes (23 to be exact) with over 70,000 clients. Finally the city zoning prevented her from further expansion and she decided to build an Italian styled Villa to uniquely rival all other shopping stores. And stand out it did, situated near one of Sao Paulo's favelas it's architecture and austerity created a lot of controversy and picketing, especially once clients began swarming in literally by helicopter to shop.

That is what I finally went to see. 180,000 square feet of palatial rooms fit for queens (and kings as men’s clothing was also sold in the new location). Those friends of Eliana and her mother still working for her became known as Dasluzette’s, beautiful sales girls employed to greet you at the door, meet your every request and take you around the Villa room to room to shop. Men were not allowed in the women’s departments and there were no dressing rooms as you just tried things on in private salons with the Dasluzettes and your best friends. Each fashion house leased their space from Daslu and was laid out much like their intimate origins, individually styled rooms. The Ferragamo room was like the Ferragamo store in Italy, designed and executed not by Daslu staff but by the Ferragamo design team and every brand was outfitted in a similar approach. There is also the Daslu brand, cultivated by Eliana to stand prestigiously alongside the 4,000 square foot Luis Vuitton store inside Daslu.

The more than 200 sales girls and maids, each with appropriate uniform, kept everything running smoothly hoping to leave no stone unturned. The champagne bar on the second floor, the restaurant and cafes with top notch cuisine were just the beginning of the VIP experience. Many celebrities and soccer stars (Ronaldo was a frequent customer) flew in via helicopter with spouses and friends landing on the top floor to meet for high tea and a little pampering to accompany their shopping extravaganza. Beyond the food and the fashion brands Daslu aimed to be the first so-called 'lifestyle store.' There was a spa, a facialist (booked 5 months out minimum), hair parlors, housewares stores with a Viking showroom and barbecue displays, a papery to design your own stationary, chocolate shops and a bakery that specialized in wedding cakes. Speaking of weddings, there was also a chapel, reception rooms and a ballroom seating upwards of thirteen hundred people overlooking the city. Many Paulistas were married at Daslu, booking everything from their registry to their honeymoon all in the same place. There was a nightclub and even a man cave with a bookstore, fireplace, Johnnie Walker whiskey bar and a tobacconist. In case that didn’t meet your fancy, there was also a yacht dealer, Maseratti dealership, luxury real estate and travel agency and even a dealer to buy one of the Daslu styled helicopters on display in the lobby. The kids department was akin to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate factory so everyone in the family was covered. Just in case you need a good dose of chitchat there was a gossip and news section on the website. Need a dentist? Pediatrician or Physiologist? Ballet studio? They thought of everything at the Villa Daslu Educational Center next door. Here, employees had a day care, nursery, a school for children up to 14 years old with a cafeteria and music school. Everyone from the janitors, security guards and valets could use those services which was a nice gesture considering over 1700 employees worked around the clock to ensure Daslu met the highest standards in security and comfort.

But that was then, and sometimes all grand things beyond their time come to an end, in dramatic fashion. A few weeks ago I witnessed this end, like walking into Barney’s New York after the world is over, a few fancy dresses hung on a long rack made for 50, elegant French styled frames hanging crooked on the wall, empty shelves and stalled escalators to closed floors and areas. I wasn’t assigned a Dasluzette, or had anyone follow me anywhere minus a few stranded maids attempting to keep things tidy but the problems were bigger than a duster feather could take care of. I valeted for $20 (because you don’t have any other choice unless you walk or cab there) and witnessed not the beginning of the end but the end of the end for this building, this lifestyle paradigm.

In July 2005 under 'Operation Narciso,' over 300 federal police and tax agents raided the offices and store. Eliana and her brother were fined US$110 million in back taxes. In 2009 they were both sentenced to 94 years and 6 months of jail time for everything from organized crime, embezzlement and forgery to tax evasion and conspiracy. She had been trading commodities abroad using counterfeit notes and according to testimony falsifying invoices and listing things well below market value to reduce the duty taxes. Eliana thought this punishment was a bit harsh considering she was no danger to society. She was afraid without her the 50+ years of work her family had done to establish the name and the brand would be lost and that the Government Tax authority might need to her carry on the store so she could pay back the money. She had also been undergoing treatment for cancer in 2006 and had hoped she might receive leniency in the sentencing. The public was torn, some saying she did wonders for the country and others feeling like she flaunted excess and privilege at the expense of others. She did go to jail but as most blue collar cases go, not for long and she has since been released under Habeus Corpus with appeals pending. She had to sell her store and her brand though, and while there is another Daslu brand store in the fancy Sao Paulo mall, Shopping Cidade Jardim along with another planned for the new JK Iguatemi shopping mall, the Villa Daslu brand is now under management of Iguatemi mall operators (Iguatemi Empresa de Shopping Centers S.A.) while they continue to pay off debts to the government. There are also plans to take the brand to other South American countries in the future, and in an interview last year Eliana hoped be able to advise for the brand. The fate of the building is unclear, as of December there were two rumors, one that it will be torn down and the other that it will be refurbished for office space. For now everything at the store is on 80% clearance, what is left will be moved to the new location at JK this year, and it remains as I saw it, ghostly and stoic. Timeout magazine said, "There's a Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire air about the place..."

All that is left is the Daslu brand. There are now multiple Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Gucci etc. stores in the malls of Sao Paulo and Rio today. Without the family ownership and the signature building its just a name and a story, one she hopes to write very soon so people know how she and her family put Brazil on the fashion map. Asked if she regrets anything? “Tudo valeu a pena.”

(Backside of the building, sortimentos)

(Dasluzettes, desnouvellestendances.com.br)

(back in the day, http://vocecommodamakeup.blogspot.com/)

(fashion show in the lobby, http://exame.abril.com.br/)

(wedding chapel, http://curticomunicacao.blogspot.com/)

(one of the terraces, http://agbnews.blogspot.com/)

(and now*)

(*)

* Check out Paul Keller's photostream of pictures to see what it looks like now
Sources: ISTOE independente, Timeout Sao Paulo, UOL noticias, World Luxury Guide, Wikipedia and Deluxe by Dana Thomas

Brazil hosts one of the most beautiful streets in the world

2012-02-01T10:00:00.023-02:00

Porto Alegre, a beautiful city in the south east of Brazil just added a new reason to visit. "Is This the Most Beautiful Street in the World," stirred a great street debate the other day on a landscape architecture forum. Gonçalo de Carvalho looks like a winner to me and what makes this story so wonderful is
how the community came together to protect their treasured canopy. A construction company recently threatened to cut down a few of these trees for the good of a parking garage (ick) and the people living along the street formed a successful coalition in protest. Not only did they prevent the cuttings but they also had this 500m stretch of Tipuana trees named a site of Ecological, Cultural, and Environmental Heritage.
"What's more, perhaps, beyond the distinction that some consider it to be the prettiest street in the world, is the fact that it represents what is possible when city-dwellers work together to cherish and protect something beautiful." - Treehugger
Bravo!

Watch out the gringos are coming!!!!

2012-01-31T12:52:00.001-02:00

We were at the movies last weekend and one of the pre-preview commercials had a voice singing, "the gringos are arriving, are you ready?" and we were the only ones in a crowded theater that burst out laughing for quite a while. Anyways, now I am hearing it all the time on tv and its just too funny. Cel-Lep is a language school that I actually first started taking lessons from and well I ended up with an interesting teacher that enjoyed making excuses for why she couldn't make our class at least once a week (and if she actually showed up she continually asked if I was pregnant, loved grabbing my cheeks and prayed for me to have a baby. but thats besides the point). The package was unfortunately paid in full and I am one of those people that needs to learn how to complain more when I receive bad service because instead I just felt bad for her and never said anything. Well thats over with now, but hopefully they have employed a more motivated crop of teachers for this latest influx of hopeful brazilians frantically trying to get ready for the gringo explosion!

Enjoy

Sao Paulo Fashion Week

2012-01-25T10:29:00.004-02:00

I am still trying to meet the right person to hook me up with a way in to see something during Sao Paulo Fashion week but until that happens I rely on other's photos. "The Face Hunter," a fashion blogger and avid people watcher always goes and always has a great series to check out. Here is his visual diary of pictures from the last week, an eclectic mix of fashion and city.

heres a few favorites...

Love and Baby Bumps

2012-01-23T14:04:00.000-02:00

This weekend I got to shoot a beautiful mommy to be. She is due at the end of February and despite the rainy weather we found a little sunshine in the praça near Parque Ibirapuera. I wanted to style a picnic with lots of pink balloons but it was too much to risk with the flash storms and saturated soil. A park bench did the trick along with a few inside pictures. My favorite is the black and white in the doorway. I love that maternity pictures are so popular these days, its fun to celebrate the transformation of the female silhouette especially in Brazil. Brazilians love their mommas-to-be and their babies, I am amazed when I see crazed drivers and manic motoboys slow down and quickly become cautious for a woman clearly pregnant. On the bus people give up their seat immediately, hold bags and all too often bump touch without invitation. But certainly better the opposite I suppose. A lot has changed, in my grandmother's era women stayed inside and hoped neighbors wouldn't notice anything, keeping very private. Two generations later and way down south here at the beach women sunbathe and swim right up to the last few months publicly and very happy. Can't wait to meet the result of this lovely family in a few months.

"E" is for "Baby Emma"

The Hunger Games got me...

2012-01-19T17:04:00.000-02:00

I never read the twilight series. So when a friend mentioned, "The Hunger Games," and related it to the vampire series I felt like I would never go for it. But then I did and now its all I do. Its consumed me and while they are quick yet thick reads I am not a quick reader. So for the last few weeks I've been prying myself away around 2am and instantly waking up for more. These characters have played with my dreams and visit my imagination throughout the day. I am finally starting book 3 and its one those books I am afraid to end as it will feel like a bad breakup when it's over (but then again a lot of books do that to me, I get very emotionally attached). Young adult, you bet but every once in a while its good to jump into another world and shake things up. Its a morbid tale of love and futuristic battles, crazy government styles and strife. Suzanne Collins designs a very enthralling world that is easily addictive and identifiable. Not to mention the first movie of the series comes out in the US in March and I just hope its around the corner for us here in Brazil. The book has been on the New York Times Best seller list for more than 60 weeks now so clearly I am not the only one swept away.

Ill be back when I finish book 3...

Hello again

2012-01-15T20:51:00.001-02:00

Well, Happy New Year! I've been working on revising my blog layout/design these days and wanted to wait until it was done to write my first 2012 post all fresh and new but then I decided that was silly. I don't want to wait. Too many things to talk about and somehow it is almost month two of 2012. How the heck did that happen?!

In the midst of that 2011 finish I was back to the US hanging out with family, patting a lot of baby bumps and kissing friends and new kiddos. It was nice to be rejuvenated and back in touch with North America but towards the end of the trip I was missing Brazil. There is a lot of pressure in coming back at least for me because I found some new jobs right before I left and I was nervous after that time lapse picking back up where we left off might be tough. January IS vacation month for Brazilians, kids are out of school and beaches up and down the country's coast are packed with visitors. The city is dead (in comparison to every other month), traffic is light and catching people in business mode is tricky. But it’s nice to be home, unpack our carriage sized travel trunks and return to the good ole routine. And the beach.

(taken in Rio)

Stay tuned for some catchup posts, like our beautiful trip to Bonito in Mato Grosso do Sul and a marathon Rio vacation over Thanksgiving. Rio just gets me every time... such a beautiful city!

beijos

Chef Vivi

2011-12-01T22:43:00.000-02:00

Im way beyond behind on posts. I came back from a mini vacation and a lot of time with in laws to hundreds (380 to be exact yikes) of google reader posts to catch up on and that seemed more exciting than writing my own. But then I went to dinner again at our new favorite restaurant in Sao Paulo (which just so happens to be right up the street from our house, lucky us) and I thought, I must brag about this place! Its teeeny tiny so make sure you call about a reservation before coming over, but I just love it. The chef, Vivi is as wonderful as her culinary expressions. Having left Brazil more than 10 years ago, she spent time in Asia and Europe learning and cultivating her specialties. The menu changes daily according to what is available in the garden and in season and I think I fell quickly in love because it reminded me of some of our favorite spots in Chicago that were very much the same.

So heres my little postinho telling the Paulista's out there to give her a try. It is definately a bit pricey but then again I am so jaded by what a typical dinner for two costs these days with such extreme over pricing in this city that it may not shock you to pay more than 60R for a typical dish. Either way, I feel its worth the splurge every once in a while.

Chef Vivi
Rua Girassol, 833 - Vila Madalena

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” – Mae West

2011-11-15T08:00:00.002-02:00

Happy 1 year brazilanniversary to us (thanks Danielle for this very appropriate diction)! It feels like yesterday and then again many years ago. But when our feet hit the ground in this wonderful country 365 days ago we were running sideways, forwards and backwards all at the same time. I took up this blog as a way to remember our journey and share our many experiences with family and friends but it has also been therapy for the sometimes tough but usually beautiful moments we've had trying to get a grip on it all. I thought I grew up a lot after college but I didn't realize that was minuscule in comparison to this past year abroad. A and I are both in a place in our lives where we are trying to figure out our future professionally in the midst of new career paths and zip codes (CEP codes to be exact) and we have been tested, tried and sometimes brought to tears. But there is nothing like a journey with your partner, one year of marriage down and one common adventurous goal checked off the life list for us both.

The good news is the first year of anything is always the hardest and if you go by visual imprint only, I'd say we had it pretty good thus far. We've seen the most incredible waterfalls in Iguazu, beaches in the north, two fabulous carnivals of completely different scale in Tiradentes and Rio respectively, the incredible landscape of the Pantanal, a few trips to Buenos Aires and lots of amazing things in between. We've met wonderful people and made lifelong friends and that is just the beginning.

The bad news is that I miss country music and chocolate chips. But in learning to manage, I've gladly replaced both with bossa nova and every fruit you can imagine and then some you can't. It sounds healthier if you forget that I also pretended like I discovered steak and cheese bread for the first time and together they bought a not-so-luxurious duplex apartment in my stomach and butt; eviction notices ignored.

What a year, so here's a few things we've learned so far...

-the mule travel system is sacred and its important to happily inform any visitor they will probably have to dodge fed ex for a month prior to departure and carry another duffle down just for us.

-how best to spend an entire afternoon and evening eating. just eating. and enjoying eating. and talking about eating. and thats on sunday. every sunday.

-that the gym is not just for working out your muscles, but more importantly your vocal chords and your spandex collection.

-that in every crowd of brazilians there is always a Bruno and a Leticia so if you can't remember anyone's name best try those first.

-ha, you thought NY was expensive.

-drop crotch pants are the new skinny jean, for some reason a la crotch extends down to your knees. i dont understand it. men and women both. its terrible.

-the farmers markets here rule. 90 cents for 20 bananas? ill take it. it makes all the other expensive things feel better. well not really i lied about that last statement but i like farmers markets.

-novelas are awesome and thats a fact.

-i get to kiss (on the cheek) a lot of people and i like it.

-nothing like a coffee after breakfast, lunch and dinner. and you get a cookie too. bonus!

-my butt's gotten bigger but my bikini bottom's gotten smaller? fact of life. (As Carmen Miranda said, "Look at me and tell me if I don't have Brazil in every curve of my body")

-get over yourself and show more skin. americans are way to demure.

-louis vuitton is apparently the stamp of approval you've made it. brazilians are obsessed with this brand more than any other.

-nothing is ever on time. you are never late. there is always traffic to blame and generally people are very forgiving. its both a blessing and a curse.

-cab drivers are your friends. they don't believe in a plexiglass separator it would be insulting. when i use the same one over and over we kiss and hug like long lost pals.

-Brazil is beautiful and I can´t wait to spend more years here!

Ahh the stage is set and the adventure continues.

beijos

Ohh thats braziliant

2011-11-03T15:40:00.008-02:00

In preparation for our upcoming voyage to the Pantanal next week we just found out we needed yellow fever vaccinations. Yes, we probably should have known that but I guess since its not exactly the Amazon I didn't think to research. Anyways my mother in law is coming down for a few weeks and we are all going to these beautiful wetlands for the big 4 day holiday around the corner. With a yellow fever vac, you need 10 days for it to settle in before you might need its all mighty medical powers so basically today was the last day I could get it done. So here is a little story about how my mother in law and I both received our vaccine, hers in Chicago and mine in Sao Paulo.

MIL: Finding out at the last minute before her trip, frantically she calls the doctor to get an appointment. Luckily they had one available the next day. She goes in, waits over an hour to see the nurse, finally gets into the little patient room, chats with the nurse (probably hitting the two hour mark here) and is informed that not only does she need the yellow fever vaccine but she also needs malaria pills. The nurse had over 50 pages of diseases and problems that could occur and basically asked her, you sure you want to go? Um was there a choice? She finally receives the shot and a prescription for the pills. When she goes to check out she finds out insurance doesn't cover this and has to pay over 400$ for both the vaccine and the pills (which mind you according to travel websites you really don't need malaria pills but you know how over the top better safe than sorry american doctors are). She's now very upset at both the cost and the now half day spent at the doctors office.

Me: I inquired about where to get a vaccine on a newcomers facebook page, immediately was given a very helpful website found here to locate your 'vaccine posto' nearest to your neighborhood. Nervous it could take all day I took a cab over and was embarrassed at how close it was to where I live. 8R later I walked into a big building with a blue sign that read VACINAÇÃO and found a room much like the DMV. There was a man by the ticket dispenser (to receive a number and wait) and clearly his job was to dispense tickets from the already automatic machine and answer questions. He told me I didn't need a ticket (ohh how nice) and that I should go down a hallway to a room on the right. Inside sat two nurses at a table and no one else. I told them I needed a yellow fever shot and they asked if I had a passport number or RJ (resident card) which I had neither with me. They mulled it over for a min then decided that was ok and I just gave them my name and address. Literally 2 seconds later the nice little nurse sat me on a chair, whipped out a shot, administered it and gave me some instructions that I gave a smile nod to even though I had no idea what she was saying. I asked how much? They smiled and waved me off and said "free." Within 10 minutes I was saying thank you to mr. ticket dispenser and out the door I went.

The first thought that came to mind... Ohh, thats braziliant*!! (happy dance)

*I give credit to the very funny Born Again Brazilian blogger who discovered this fabulous adjective! I even found you can buy a t-shirt with the above logo here!

Hello 'hollywood'

2011-10-29T00:32:00.003-02:00

My bull rider loving cousin of the west coast informed me about a very good looking Paulista in the championship bull riding competition this weekend in Las Vegas. So I wanted to cheer him on and dutifully agree that yes Mel hes quite the hottie! While hes becoming one of my special interests he listed his as soccer, team roping and surfing. A true Brasileiro.

Good Luck Guilherme Marchi nicknamed "Hollywood." Ill make sure my televisão is turned on for your show... Im a guna file this one under nourishment... =)

The way the DR. should be

2011-10-27T18:40:00.004-02:00

With almost a year under our belt, I finally decided to take a few friend's recommendations and get a doctor. And this is not your average stethoscope trotting white coat wearing man of the infirmary, this guy is Pele´s medicó! Boo-ya sickness and health my knees are going to shine like a hall-of-fame national hero!

Our first consultation was akin to meeting up with an old friend at their house. His office is in one of those big beautiful old coffee planation houses on Avenida Brasil and minus the secretaries at the entrance I climbed the granite stairs to the second floor and went straight into his comfy office. In true brazilian fashion I was offered coffee, water and fresh squeezed juice. He greeted me wearing jeans, loafers and a t-shirt and we got to business while he ate some lunch.

What I loved most about the experience was the lack of paperwork involved. He had his computer set up with an online form that we filled out together. He went through family history and basically every part of the body head to toe asking about issues and problems past and current. He also gave me a nice lecture about eating right and living a stress free life. Happy minds = Healthy minds and I was advised to get to the beach and relax as often as possible. I'll take that prescription any day! He was also plugging his book, which talks a lot about mind over matter of which below there is a photo with Pele and his little health bible. After our 2.5+ hour chat we went to another room in his office for the checkup. From eyes to toes to ekg's and blood draws he tested for anything and everything. I came with allergy questions and left feeling like if anything was wrong well beyond my recent aversion to the pollution, he would get to the bottom of it.

Before going in for the blood draw I noticed my name on a list with just about everything checked off. Strange, but he reminded me it was standard procedure. 31 viles of blood later I practically fainted in the lounge chair. I wish I was kidding but this guy tested for EVERYTHING. I guess that is normal? I just kept telling myself if the guy apparently treats a world phenomenon he knows what he's doing so I am awaiting the file cabinet of results.

In sum, I am impressed and happy to finally have a doc here. Its those ~~little~~ big things that help with adapting in a new place. It is quite common in Brazil for the doctor to give you their email, home and cell phone numbers to be available at your disposal. During our almost 4 hour appointment he was answering many a text message from his clients... over 5000 of them. Clients that is but I would imagine over the course of a flu season he hears from all of them. Most of the time he can even cure common illnesses over the phone and then send a motoboy to fetch your prescription at any hour of the day, any day of the week. Super bonus! It wasn't a cheap consultation but the follow up is included and the subsequent appointments (so long as they aren't more ekgs or other ex-rays etc.) are covered by insurance. For all the american copays I've shelled out over the years its nice to finally see a doctor!

Pele with my doctor's new book

Pay your bills even if you cant!

2011-10-22T11:43:00.001-02:00

So here I am at a cafe downtown with internet for the first time since Wednesday and the last time till probably next week at least for my personal computer.

Why? Because NET, our internet, tv and phone provider cut off our services.

Why? Because we were 10 days late on paying our bill. Yes only 10 days!!

Why? Because the post office decided to go on strike for about 30 days causing complete mayhem for mail delivery.

So we got our bill late in the mail and past its "due date."

If the bill is past its due date, you can no longer pay it online or at the bank which is how most people pay their bills. You (or the bank) enter in this very long code of 60 or so numbers at the bottom of your bill directly into your online bank account and it finds it and pays it. Its actually a nice little system if were automatic. But, the code doesn't work if it is after a certain "due date." We (stupidly) assumed we would be getting our next bill very soon since the last one was so late and just pay both on top of a late fee that sadly wasn't our fault but inevitable. Instead, NET cut us off which probably took 3.5 seconds. Guess how long it takes to turn back on? 4 BUSINESS DAYS once the money transferred pops up in their account which also can sometimes take DAYS. So here we are. (Yes I know we can set up automatic bill-pay we just ran into problems before attempting to do so and its a bit more complicated than it sounds).

I will tell you, the world doesn't fall apart when you lose internet and tv but it does remind at least us, how dependent we have become. I work in a design office and when the power goes out, as it randomly does sometimes, everyone goes into panic mode. "But how do we work now? we must go home!" Perhaps considering we are all some type of architect, we could... I don't know DRAW??? But on paper? With a pencil?

Ahh life...

Supporting at-risk youth in Rocinha Favela

2011-10-13T17:51:00.000-03:00

Fellow blogger Jim, at Qualidade de Vida is helping with efforts to raise money for at-risk youth in the Rocinha Favela.

Please check out their progress and ideas here on his blog and consider even a small donation, it can go a long way!

Rio Sex Comedy

2011-10-13T15:55:00.003-03:00

An interesting find on itunes, this movie is in portuguese and english with subtitles. Basically it talks about the lives of a few expatriates in Rio and their various quests for "social justice and personal pleasure." A french woman is working on an anthropologic quest to find out if maids wish for a better life by studying home help. Then an ambassador goes missing in the favelas by his own accord (he ran away to hide) and is found by an american favela tour guide. So from there the audience gets a little tour of the Rocinha Favela, one of the more famous communities in South America. The third story revolved around the pulsing world of plastic surgery where regardless of wealth, people are equal in how they feel about themselves.

This movie does a good job showing realities of Brazil and what life is like in a culture that is very class stratified. The idea of what a favela means comes up several times, the dweller defining pride in where they live, an amazonian tribe too good for life in a "slum," and a wealthy american enjoying his escape there and wondering what he can do to help. It is full of satire and comedy and I encourage you to check it out sometime...

Outside dining

2011-10-12T20:26:00.008-03:00

Pe de Manga

For those that love feel of a deck, patio or view, here is my ever evolving list of favorite outdoor spots in the city.

1. Pe de Manga : actually listed in the book, 1000 things to do before you die and I agree its awesome!

now no longer in order of preference

2. Due Cuochi Cucina on the roof at Shopping Cidade Jardim : very small area to eat outside but a nice view beyond the electrical fields

3. Tanger : they have a wonderful front porch dining area

4. Capim Santo : lovely lovely gravel backyard

5. Unique Hotel : classic spot everyone has to go once (or a million times), small bites and pizza only, on the pool deck though

6. Figueira Rubaiyat : The famous fig tree that stretches throughout the restaurant space is fun for people watching but I think a bit overrated

7. O Pote do Rei : our new favorite spot in Pinheiros, seating in the back is also under a lovely tree outside

8. The ever special Sao Bento boteco establishment on Aspicuelta : kinda like eating outside, again open air but really fun. If you find its too crowded there just about every bar on both sides of the street is the same type of feel...

9. Esch Cafe : Cigar bar but they have great food and a front outside dining space

10. Santa Gula : is sorta outside/inside but a really cool entrance and has funky artsy appeal

11. N'o Cafe : you will find us here just about every weekend taking in the sunshine and a great breakfast

12. Deli Paris : next door to N'o Cafe and if we aren't there we are here for their all you can eat buffet that is okay but its nice to sit on the sidewalk and people watch!

13. Arturito : Threw this one in even though it isn't exactly outside except for a sliver in the back but its so fabulous its one of our favorites and if you haven't been you should! You can still get a little sunshine in along the bench in the back right side so technically there is a piece of an open roof. Call ahead as it is very difficult to get a reservation here.

14. Famiglia Mancini : apparently has a great little outdoor space but I have yet to go!

I had some problems making this post a dedicated page and lost pieces of it so it will just be a post for the time being. I am sure there are quite a few restaurant spots I am missing so please feel free to add to the list...

I just want to work out!!!

2011-10-04T16:50:00.005-03:00

My gripe list is short. Well sometimes I might be lying, but outside of traffic nightmares and pollution I seem to be meshing okay to the brazilian style of life living. However when it comes to the gym I am hard pressed to think the transition will ever happen.

Most brazilian gyms (mine and those of friends) have the so called 'professor," which is a quasi personal trainer. My gym is decent sized so depending on the hour we usually have between 1-3 to pace the floor eager to assist you in reaching your fitness goals. At first I thought, great a free trainer (even though you definately pay for it and you can't opt out) that can help motivate me through the boredom I get after about 45 minutes. But that isn't realllllly what they do. They should be called gym buddies. Can't find a friend to chat next to you on the elliptical? Never fear, your professor is here! They chat and chat and chat and this chatting has no barriers. Like when you are the ground doing abs, running on the treadmill or really just looking to be fully engaged with your ipod and magazine obviously not in the mood to giggle and gossip, they happily come over to interrupt with curiosity to know exactly what you are thinking, what you did last weekend and what you plan on doing this coming weekend. Okay, so its great portuguese practice but at this point there is still a lot of pictionary going on when the words are coming. So with me there is usually a lot of standing and watching, but RIGHT NEXT TO ME, waiting for one of us to understand what the other is trying to say.

But brazilians love this attention and know no different. I even try to follow the greeting rules when I arrive, kisses on the cheeks to the 'professor(s)' and the long drawn out 'how are you' which always goes a little something like this: "Hey, how are you? Great, how are you? Great! Thats great! Im so glad everything is great for you? Yes and I am so glad everything is great for you too! Great! Great, ok see you soon (more like in 5 min). Great!!!" But then I like to retreat to the treadmill and be left alone.

Ohh no I didn't. I didn't just attempt to ignore the professors as they make their rounds to make sure everyone is STILL GREAT. Like today for example, I tried so hard to just do a quick walk in, work out and go and I was stopped as I tried to quickly hurry out, if everything was ok? I looked sad? I looked upset? What is the matter? NO, I am not upset, just in a hurry to beat this storm and get to the grocery store. Ohhhhh ok so "how are you? Great! How are you? Great! How was your weekend? What did you do?..........ETC

AARRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG leave me alone, I just want to work out!!!!!

Here ends rant.

'PIPA is spanish slang for having a good time'

2011-09-24T11:00:00.000-03:00

As an american in Pipa, I felt like I stepped back into time some 70 years by US standards. I don't know what its like to be an hour from a big city where there isn't a mariott sheraton lineup of sorts impacting the dunes and serenity. I wish I could have seen North Carolina in the 40's... dunes, drifters and divers I imagine. What wasn't here now, is coming though. Common words on everyone's lips seemed to be 'real estate boom' because Natal, some 60 km away (and a 3 hour flight north from Sao Paulo) boasts direct flights from Europe making Pipa a fantastic get away. Yet somehow we managed to get there early enough to indulge in some desolation, just in time before it becomes thoroughly bought and built. But then again a little desolation is the Brazil I know thus far. Yes there are luxury vacation homes and a few fancy restaurants but the locals still seem to have the run of the place on their bicycles. Even the beach towns 2 hours from Sao Paulo still feel rustic (to me) so I don't have this sense of anxiety that I did when I was in Cuba a few years back, worrying that all the coastal misshaped hotels from the 50's will soon rediscover their american mob roots and sprout back to life, cluttering up the views.

For Pipa, its a blessing the landscape is abundant in rich, earthen toned cliffs that protect the beaches. If you want something on the beach you have to build high and design a sturdy set of stairs to reach sand. The town is laid out in similar fashion with the exception of a well used dirt road to descend in elevation. The restaurants and bikini stores all open up in the back to a 100 foot drop down to the central beach where the good surfing is. But that is one of dozens nestled into coves that shape the shoreline. The pousadas are either mixed somewhere within that fabric of small town street life or a little ways up the road on a slope to take advantage of the views. But you won't find anything on the beach.

I met a few nomads, one making wire souvenirs as he travels the coast throughout the year on his bike. The town is active with locals, fisherman and artists but thanks to some obvious brands its evident things are slowly changing from bead shops to fancy brazilian names. Still, Pipa has the same magic spell as one of A and I's favorite towns in Mexico, Sayulita. Just a sleepy surfer town with incredible food and the kind of authenticity you want to put in a jar and seal so it can remain pure.

If not for the perfect beaches go to Pipa for the cousine. Toca da Caruja deserves a Michelin star. The moqueca on the beach in a little 200 person shrimper town a few hours down south (accessed by our champion dune buggy driver, Josinaldo) is the best in Brazil I've had. We also met Daniel, who runs a little restaurant out of his house and makes a mean fire grilled lobster. Like...his stuff is the kind of stuff you find yourself saying, 'okay I can die happy now."

So is Pipa the best beach in Brazil? I dont believe there is a, 'best" beach in this country, its a myth. Try finding a bad beach though... In fact I think I am going to devot the rest of my life trying to find a bad beach... even a mediocre one. Dare me.

the local security

robalo at toca da caruja

coca cola lagoon, accessed by dune buggies only

for sale?

the locals

the place to watch the sunset

sunset from the place

Banco Itau Heist

2011-09-21T09:34:00.000-03:00

This kinda went viral amongst friends recently and at first I thought it was a joke. Is it all really possible? In Sao Paulo, indeed it is. Story taken from Forbes ....

´´Banco Itaú branch located on Paulista Avenue

On the night of Saturday, August 27, precisely at 11:50 p.m., 12 men
in gray uniforms entered one of São Paulo’s most highly secured
buildings, the Banco Itaú‘s bank branch located on Paulista Avenue,
the very financial and business heart of Brazil’s biggest metropolis.
They passed through the security check at the bank’s underground
parkade by identifying themselves as furnishing workers – a perfect
disguise, since the branch was under renovations and the guards at the
building had been previously warned about people coming in that night.
Without firing a single shot, they spent the following 10 hours
breaking into some 170 private strongboxes belonging to at least 120
wealthy clients of Banco Itaú, Latin America’s largest bank by market
value. Only two security guards were disarmed, the first when the
thieves seized the ground floor where the entrance door to the branch
was opened, so the other members of the team could enter; and the
other when he arrived in the morning for his work shift. Five other
men spent the whole night outside, to keep the rest of the pack aware
of any possible casualties, should something have gone wrong.
Gallery: Global High Performers

On the next morning, the thieves left with cash, luxury watches, gold
bars, sapphires, emeralds, rubies and diamonds. Loads of diamonds.
According to the most optimistic estimates, the total amount of
valuables taken was about R$ 100 million ($58.5 million). Little of
the loot was insured (banks don’t usually ask their customers about
the contents of their safety deposit boxes,) and much of it appeared
difficult to trace. Banco Itaú only guarantees the compensation of R$
15.000,00 ($8,800) per deposit box. Those whose valuables are worth up
to R$ 200.000,00 ($117,000) can opt for an insurance plan provided by
the bank. If the amount to be secured is higher than that, an external
insurance company must be hired for the service. Most clients,
however, never thought of being ripped off in such a way.

Among the victims who did not have insurance is Therezinha Maluf
Chamma, the 82-year-old sister of the legally troubled former State
Governor of São Paulo, Paulo Salim Maluf. For more than 30 years,
Chamma kept hers and her daughters’ jewellery in two deposit boxes at
the Banco Itaú branch. Everything was stolen, including a diamond
necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels and a ring encrusted with a diamond of
the size of a big cherry. The family’s loss was R$ 1 million
($585,000) or more. Two collections of luxury watches were also taken,
one of which contained 143 Rolex watches worth more than R$ 2 million
($1,170,000). Another client lost two jewellery cases, one being an
18th Century Prussian jewellery case studded with rubies, and made of
silver and ivory, which sheltered inside a collection of 33 rough
diamonds extracted from African and Brazilian mines. The other was a
wooden box decorated with silver containing 58 Colombian emeralds in
its interior, in sizes varying from 1 to 3 carats. Together, the boxes
are worth R$ 12 million ($7 million).

Due to the amazingness of the situation, one should expect that the
police would take immediate action. But that’s not what happened at
all. In spite of being prompt informed by Banco Itaú about the crime,
the police department responsible for handling bank robberies in São
Paulo only began to investigate the case a week after it took place.
Even the security guards who worked that night were interrogated only
11 days after the robbery, not to mention that investigators didn’t do
much during the time known as the ‘Golden 48,’ in reference to the
relevance of collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses during the
48 hours after a crime is committed, a period after which the
likelihood of solving it drops precipitously.

There’s already suspicion of self-dealing in a fishy deal between key
members of the investigation team and the thieves, especially because
the São Paulo police has a history in this regard. In the past, some
of its officials extorted money from Colombian drug lords, including
Juan Carlos Ramírez Abadía, and also from burglars responsible for
several bank thefts over the past years.

Because of that, a lot of the victims are hiring private investigation
agencies such as the New York-based RCI First Security and
Intelligence Advising, which already contacted hundreds of cutters,
jewellers, auctioneers and money changers from all over the globe in
order to locate some of the stolen goods. The fact that the
investigations were delayed, though, is a major problem. Timing is
crucial in these cases, since the thieves will always try to go away
as soon as possible to avoid being tracked down.

As soon as they heard the shocking news of the robbery, the directors
of Banco Itaú set up a crisis committee to monitor the situation and
make an exhaustive assessment of the consequences of this
unprecedented theft, which, for some reason, only became public last
week. For a bank, a huge robbery like the one in this case can somehow
be compared to a plane crash for an airliner. Some 40 managers at the
bank were ordered to put aside their daily tasks and devote to
personally inform clients that their precious goods had been stolen.
Many have had to be medicated after receiving the news.

Meanwhile, investigators are trying to identify the thieves thanks to
the only clue they have left: Although they’ve destroyed much of the
surveillance system, some of the security cameras went unnoticed to
them. Based on the video footage, 12 thieves have been identified so
far. And it is quite likely that the mentors of the Banco Itaú
burglary are the same behind the Banco Central burglary at Fortaleza,
one of the world’s largest burglaries.

On the weekend of August 6, 2005 and August 7, 2005 a gang of burglars
tunneled into the Banco Central in Fortaleza, a city in north-eastern
Brazil. They removed five containers of R$ 50 notes, with an estimated
value of R$ 164,755,150 ($95 million) and weighing about 3.5 tons. The
money was uninsured; a bank spokeswoman stated that the risks were too
small to justify the insurance premiums. The burglars managed to evade
or disable the bank’s internal alarms and sensors; the burglary
remained undiscovered until the bank opened for business on the
morning of Monday, August 8, 2005. So far, authorities have recovered
more than $8.93 million, while the remaining is still unaccounted for.

The Banco Central robbery inspired a just-released movie that is
already a contender for representing Brazil at the 2012 Academy
Awards. The question is whether a possible sequel of the movie will
have a happy ending for the victims or the thieves.´´

Well thats kinda fun

2011-09-05T10:07:00.000-03:00

Maybe wordle word clouds are one of those... ´um that came around like 4 years ago? things,´ but to me it came around last week when my brother emailed me a worldle of my blog. it goes something like this...

I could make poetry out of it but for now, it kinda sums up my life here.

great weekend view, just brazilian. chairs, husband, view, unforgettable home

The best beach in Brazil?

2011-08-31T23:34:00.001-03:00

Well thats quite a statement considering there seem to be soo many. But according to Backpacker Ben, Praia de Pipa takes the cake. Known for fine cuisine and gorgeous beaches, this small fishing village was discovered by backpackers and surfers in the 70´s and is also a dolphin haven. It is located about 85 km from the city of Natal in Rio Grande do Norte which is very very.....norte! So in honor of Brazilian Independence Day off we go for a much needed vacation in the sun. When is a vacation not needed?

Praia de Pipa here we come... ohh I´m so excited!

Rio or Sao Paulo?

2011-08-25T15:05:00.000-03:00

While I am in Article Forwarding mode...this article is taken from The Economist (scroll to the bottom for an audio guide)

Doing Business in Brazil

Rio or São Paulo?

Aug 24th 2011, 18:31 by H.J | RIO DE JANEIRO AND SÃO PAULO

LAST year Paulo Rezende, a Brazilian private-equity investor, and two partners decided to set up a fund investing in suppliers to oil and gas companies. Although this industry is centred on Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s second-largest city, with its huge offshore oilfields—and fabulous beaches, dramatic scenery and outdoor lifestyle—they instead established the Brasil Oil and Gas Fund 430km (270 miles) away, in São Paulo’s concrete sprawl. Even though it means flying to Rio once or twice a week, Mr Rezende, like many other businesspeople, decided that São Paulo’s economic heft outweighed Rio’s charms. But the choice is harder than it used to be.

For many years, São Paulo has been the place for multinationals to open a Brazil office. It may be less glamorous than Rio, as the two cities’ nicknames suggest: Rio is Cidade Maravilhosa (the Marvellous City); São Paulo is Cidade da Garoa (the City of Drizzle). But as Mr Rezende sadly concluded: “São Paulo is the financial centre, and that’s where the money is.”

Edilson Camara of Egon Zehnder International, an executive-search firm with offices in both cities, does 12 searches in São Paulo for each one in Rio. The biggest mistake, he reckons, is for firms to let future expatriates visit Rio at all. “They are seduced by the scenery and lifestyle, and it’s a move they can sell to their families. But many have ended up moving their office to São Paulo a couple of years later, with all the upheaval that entails.”

From a hamlet founded by Jesuit missionaries in 1554, São Paulo grew on coffee in the 19th century, industry in the first half of the 20th—and then on the misfortunes of Rio, once Brazil’s capital and its richest, biggest city. The federal government abandoned Rio for the newly built Brasília in 1960, starting a half-century of decline. Misgoverned by politicians and fought over by drug gangs and corrupt police, Rio became dangerous, even by Brazilian standards. The exodus gained pace as businesses and the rich fled, mostly for São Paulo.

Now, though, there are signs that the cost-benefit calculation is shifting. São Paulo’s economy has done well in Brazil’s recent boom years and it is still much bigger, but Rio’s is growing faster, boosted by oil discoveries and winning its bid to host the 2016 Olympics (see table below). Last year Rio received $7.3 billion in foreign direct investment—seven times more than the year before, and more than twice as much as São Paulo. Prime office rents in Rio are now higher than anywhere else in the Americas, north or south, according to Cushman and Wakefield, a property consultancy.

Community-policing projects are taming its infamous favelas, or shanty towns: its murder rate, though still very high at 26 per 100,000 people per year (two-and-a-half times São Paulo’s), is at last falling. Brazil’s soaring real is pricing expats paid in foreign currencies out of São Paulo’s classy restaurants and shopping malls; Rio’s recipe of sun, sea and samba is still free. Even Hollywood seems to be on Rio’s side: an eponymous animation, with its lush depictions of rainforest and carnival, is one of the year’s highest-grossing films.

Red-carpet treatmentRio’s mayor, Eduardo Paes, has big plans for capitalising on the city’s magic moment. The sharp-suited, English-speaking lawyer has set up a business-development agency, Rio Negócios, to market the city, help businesspeople find investment opportunities, and advise on paperwork and tax breaks. Though all investors are welcome, it concentrates on those in sectors where it reckons Rio has an edge: tourism, energy, infrastructure and creative industries such as fashion and film. “A couple of years ago, foreign businessmen would come to Rio and ask what we had to offer,” says Mr Paes. “We had no answer. Now we roll out the red carpet.”

The political balance between the two cities has changed too. In the 1990s São Paulo was more influential and better run: it is the stronghold of the Party of Brazilian Social Democracy (PSDB), the national party of government from 1995 to 2002. Now the PSDB is in its third term of opposition in Brasília, and though it still governs São Paulo state, it is weakened by internal feuds. In Rio, by contrast, the political stars are aligned. The state governor, Sérgio Cabral, campaigned tirelessly for the current president, Dilma Rousseff—and received his reward when police actions in an unruly favela late last year were backed up by federal forces. Mr Paes and Mr Cabral are from the same party, and their pre-Olympic plans for security, housing and transport mesh well.

São Paulo’s socioeconomic segregation, long part of its appeal to expats, is starting to look like less of an advantage. Most of its nicer bits are clustered together, allowing rich paulistanos to ignore the vast favelas on the periphery. In Rio, selective blindness is harder with favelas perched on hilltops overlooking all the best neighbourhoods. But proximity seems to be teaching well-off cariocas that abandonment is no solution for poverty and violence. Community policing and urban-renewal schemes are bringing safety and public services. Chapéu Mangueira and Babilônia, twin favelas a 20-minute uphill scramble from Copacabana beach, are being rebuilt, with a health clinic, nursery and a 24-hour police presence. The price of nearby apartments has already soared. Several other slums are also getting similar make-overs.

Central do BrasilRio’s Olympic preparations include extending its metro and building lots of dedicated bus lanes, including one linking the international airport to the city centre. By 2016, predicts City Hall, half of all journeys in the city will be by high-quality public transport, up from 16% today. São Paulo’s metro extensions are years behind schedule, and the city is grinding towards gridlock. Its plans to link the city centre to its main international airport (recently voted Latin America’s most-hated by business travellers) rely on a grandiose federal high-speed train project, bidding for which was recently postponed for the third time.

Rio is still unpredictably dangerous, and decades of poor infrastructure maintenance have left their mark. Its mobile-phone and electricity networks are outage-prone; the língua negra (“black tongue”, a sudden overflow of water and sewage from inadequate hillside culverts) is a staple of the rainy season; exploding manholes, caused by subterranean gas leaks meeting sparks from electricity lines, are a hazard all year round. All in all, still not an easy choice for a multinational business—but it is no longer foolish to let prospective expats fly down to Rio to take a look.

Audio guide:

Sao Paulo: Brazilian Beauty

2011-08-22T23:57:00.000-03:00

Aug 20th Wall Street Journal Article

By SAMEER REDDY

Rafael Pinho for The Wall Street Journal

Figueira Rubaiyat

Beaches, bikinis and feathered headdresses are not reasons to visit the biggest city in Brazil—that's Rio you're dreaming of. What São Paulo lacks in sea and sand, it more than makes up for with sophisticated style, can't-look-away architecture and a rich culture influenced by immigrants from around the globe.

This megatropolis of 11 million is the pounding heart of South America's biggest economic success story. A city on the make, it's dynamic and teeming, yet noticeably…happy. Despite the frequently rainy weather, locals have a rep for offering easy smiles.

Insider's Guide to São Paulo

View Slideshow

Rafael Pinho for The Wall Street Journal

Chef Helena Rizzo at Mani

And why not? Paulistas are blessed with stunning buildings, including several by celebrated Brazilian modernist Oscar Niemeyer. The city's diversity is on display in Liberdade, also known as Little Tokyo. In Vila Madalena, a bohemian outpost set in rolling hills, the nighttime vibe is one of all-out revelry. Street art graces miles of concrete walls around town; avant-folk fashion turns heads on the streets.

September will bring some bikini sightings with the Miss Universe pageant, as well as rain-free fall weather. If it does drizzle, at least there are plenty of sunny dispositions to enjoy.

—Sameer Reddy

The Hotelier

ROGERIO FASANO

Rogerio Fasano
Head of the Fasano Group, which owns the Hotel Fasano São Paulo

Mega Food Market: Mercado Municipal. For me this amazing indoor food market represents the plurality and the multiculturalism of São Paulo. It also reminds me of my grandfather, who used to go there all the time. 306 Rua da Cantareira, mercadomunicipal.com.br

Landmark Museum: Museu de Arte de São Paulo. MASP is my favorite museum in town. Its modern architecture is a landmark and represents the feeling and spirit of São Paulo. 1578 Ave. Paulista, masp.art.br

Petite Park:Trianon Park. I like this small park because I used to spend a lot of time there when I was a kid. My school, Dante Alighieri, was just across the street. Its location is a breath of fresh air on the city's most business oriented avenue—the contrast is nice. 850 Alameda Jaú

Escape Route:Congonhas Airport. I love the feeling of going there, because it usually means that I will be boarding a flight to Rio de Janeiro, my second home in Brazil. www.infraero.com.br

Memorable Building:Edifício Matarazzo. It was designed by the Italian architect Marcello Piacentini in the 1940s, and in my opinion it is the most beautiful building in the city. It was one of the inspirations for the Hotel Fasano in São Paulo. 15 Viaduto do Chá

The Chef

ALEX ATALA

Alex Atala
Chef and owner of award-winning restaurant D.O.M.

Authentic Eats:Mocotó Restaurant & Cachaçaria. Far from the city center, but it's a must. This picturesque restaurant has unforgettable food based on traditional Brazilian dishes, and very reasonable prices. It's been open since 1973; these days chef Rodrigo Oliveira carries on his father's work. 1100 Ave. Nossa Senhora do Loreto, mocoto.com.br

Street Art: Beco do Batman. "Batman's Alley" is more than just a street—it's an open-air graffiti gallery in the heart of the bohemian Vila Madalena neighborhood. Worth the trip. Rua Gonçalo Afonso

Asian Bazaar: Liberdade Street Market. Hosts the best of Japanese culture and cuisine—São Paulo, after all, has the biggest Japanese community outside Japan. Saturdays and Sundays on Praça da Liberdade

Modern Fare: Maní. Chef Helena Rizzo does wonderful work alongside her husband, Spaniard Daniel Redondo, creating nouvelle Brazilian cuisine. It's one restaurant I truly recommend. 210 Rua Joaquim Antunes, manimanioca.com.br

Cultural Complex: Latin American Memorial. I believe Oscar Niemeyer is a revolutionary and a genius. Make sure to see his soaring, curving design that showcases Latin American art, theater, music, dance and more. 664 Ave. Áuro Soares de Moura Andrade, www.memorial.sp.gov.br

The Style Editor

ERIKA PALOMINO

Erika Palomino
Editor of Plastic Dreams magazine, columnist for Brazilian web portal iG and TV commentator

Sleek Museum: Museu Lasar Segall. The movie theater and gardens form a modernist space in which you can walk around, and watch art films sitting on antique chairs. You can also see the atelier of gravures and enjoy a late afternoon coffee in the calm. 111 Rua Berta, museusegall.org.br

Sports Arena:Estádio do Pacaembu. I like to go there to watch the Corinthians' soccer matches—my team! Also great for a visit to the Soccer Museum or to hang out at the low-key Art Deco pub. Praça Charles Miller, corinthians.com.br

Art Showcase: Pinacoteca. A beautiful building that hosts great exhibitions, completely restored by Brazilian starchitect Paulo Mendes da Rocha. Afterwards, have a wonderful lunch at Acrópoles, a nearby Greek restaurant. 2 Praça da Luz, pinacoteca.org.br; 364 Rua da Graça, restauranteacropoles.com.br

Boutique and Bite: Surface to Air and Lorena 1989. Check the new arrivals in the city's best multi-brand store, then have a delicious meal at the attached terrace restaurant, which has a charming view. 1989 Alameda Lorena, surfacetoair.com.br, lorena1989.com.br

Top Design: Micasa. A spectacular design store, they have pieces from Vitra, the Bouroullec brothers and special collections from young Brazilian furniture designers. 2109 Rua Estados Unidos, micasa.com.br

The Fashion Designer

OSKAR METSAVAHT

Oskar Metsavaht
Designer and owner of Brazilian luxury brand Osklen

Modernist Masterpiece: Pavilhão Lucas Nogueira Garcez (Oca).The dome-shaped building, designed by Oscar Niemeyer in 1951, once housed the Museu da Aeronáutica and the Museu do Folclore, and was renovated in part by Paulo Mendes da Rocha. It's now used for temporary exhibitions and events. Ibirapuera Park, parquedoibirapuera.com

Go-To Gallery: Galeria Fortes Vilaça. One of the most important galleries in São Paulo. It represents artists I really appreciate, like Vik Muniz, Janaina Tschäpe and Ernesto Neto. 1500 Rua Fradique Coutinho, fortesvilaca.com.br

Local Snack Spot: Frevo. One of the most traditional snack bars in the city. Its Beirute sandwich, made with pita, roast beef, cheese and tomato, is famous—and delicious! 603 Rua Oscar Freire and other locations, frevinho.com.br

Edgy Art: Instituto Tomie Ohtake. Designed by Ruy Ohtake, the center is named after his father, a well-known Japanese artist, and the center reflects a contemporary view of the city, where culture, art and entertainment are all integrated. 201 Ave. Faria Lima, www.institutotomieohtake.org.br

Power Tower: Edifício Itália. São Paulo's second-tallest building, located in the city center, offers an amazing view of the skyline. Don't miss the rooftop restaurant for a 360-degree perspective. 344 Ave. Ipiranga, www.terracoitalia.com.br

they got an awful lot of coffee in brazil....

2011-08-21T21:36:00.002-03:00

oh yes they do and its gooooooood, and did you know mr. sinatra did a song about coffee in brazil? well I didnt and I feel silly and one of my best friends shared it with me.. because its a great little song

my favorite sunday ritual

Vila Madalena Street Fair this weekend!!

2011-08-19T14:02:00.000-03:00

´´About 500 exhibitors will offer crafts, food, sculptures, paintings and fashion to the public. In addition, there will be a bike ride sponsored by the local group "Pedal da Vila Madalena." The street Mourato Coelho will host a pool table, basketball games, soccer games, and skateboarding activities.``

Read more here

Looking forward to it...I love a good street fair!

puppy time

2011-08-17T09:21:00.001-03:00

Recently I've been craving a furry friend at my feet during some of these wintery evenings. I attempt a pat on every hairy animal head I pass on the street and have a coffee as close to the pet store in the mall as possible. Short of throwing a 3 year old tantrum, I've begged and pleaded my husband for a dog. I'd rescue one tomorrow at a shelter but I can't go near those places because I'd sleep on the couch just to fit them all in my apartment. In fact, I would be relegated to the couch anyways because I would be in so much trouble.

Anyways enough whining, I finally got my golden chance and it had a bit of a different outcome that I had imagined. A girl at work just got a Shih Tzu puppy from her parents a week before she had a planned a weekend in Argentina. Obviously the little guy was too young to go to the kennel without his proper shots so before it was even a question I had volunteered to borrow him for the weekend. With a smile ear to ear I took him home and created a little puppy perfect area in the laundry room. Fast forward 48 hours and many pees and poos throughout the apartment and under the bed later... I again with a smile ear to ear was happy to return him to his owner. Some might say it was because he is a little dog, and I am a big dog person or that I am a bit of a clean freak and puppies don't fit that mold whatsoever, but deep down I realized we just aren't ready. We like to run off to the beach at the drop of a hat, travel back to the US over breaks for weeks and we don't have a park or even a praca where I can let the dog just be a dog. Not to mention the guilt I got every time I was annoyed at his lack of potty training and put him in his bed so I could just have some piece of mind. It was a fun little experiment, and freedom and clean floors won for now.

Of course I had to take a few glamour shots before he headed back home....he sure was a cutie!

Hall Pass: Natura

2011-08-12T00:57:00.002-03:00

Natura Cosmeticos is one of the most recognized brands in Brazil. Started over 40 years ago, they pride themselves on sustainability and that is evident from start to finish in the manufacturing of their naturally aromatic products. From the packaging to the ingredients everything is harvested and executed with Brazil's ecology in mind. The suppliers typically live in small areas within the amazon and it is an important part of Natura's business that even if they abandon a specific material they do their best to ensure that the community can sustain without them. Known for always giving back, be it through k-12 educational funding or environmental charity, the company is a poster child for sustainable marketing and business strategy. Their motto, "bem estar bem," means to live well, with yourself, your relationships, nature and the world around. The company is set up as a direct sales model only, so to purchase their products you either have to have a consultant in the same way that Avon and Mary Kay operate or you can pick them up at Duty free in the airport as well as at their first ever store in Paris, designed by a distinguished Sao Paulo architect, Arthur Casas.

I recently got a tour of their plant and central offices in Cajamar, which is about 40 minutes from downtown Sao Paulo. It was a beautiful campus where people truly work, play, eat and nurse in nature! Nurse? Yes, there is a nursery and a children's day care on site next to the restaurant and cafe, as well as a large gym with a pool nestled into the hills. The building itself is completely open air with offices surrounded by windows for great daylighting. If LEED was around in Brazil at the time of design, this would surely be at least LEED Silver. If only everyone could work in an environment like this...

the pearly white halls...

boxes = furniture!

employee store

educational wing

the picking area.... 7 days a week its rolling

move, eat, learn: incredible watch

2011-08-10T19:17:00.002-03:00

"3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage... all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food ....into 3 beautiful and hopefully compelling short films.....

= a trip of a lifetime.

move, eat, learn"

MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

LEARN from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

EAT from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

*picture from their flickr site

Reliving my childhood....Sao Paulo Style

2011-08-02T02:29:00.002-03:00

I was a kid with an architect for a dad. No complaints, that just meant we got to travel a lot with one consistent caveat, it was always in search of some building. I remember arguing over an 8 hour drive on our way to some random house in the middle of nowhere that dad planned as a, "family outing." The moment I was old enough to compile a decent strategy to avoid such adventures, my mom finally chimed as well, as if she had needed reinforcements all those years and the architect lost his battle. But only briefly as I came to find it was hard to discover a new city without knowing its architectural bones.

The past few weeks my parents have been visting and guess what we spent our time doing?

Exhibit A.

And so somewhere in between all the trips to various pieces of architecture, I realized that I actually enjoyed it and probably took for granted all those years as a juvenile student of the modern american landscape. I feel like I could lead a tour now on all the prolific design spots in this city as my dad made a detailed map of everything we saw! I had a planned to check out a few before their visit and while at the the Building Museum (Museu de Casa Brasileira) on Faria Lima a few months ago, I met an architect couple setting up a wonderful exhibit on wood in architecture. Turned out they spent 2 years in Chicago living three streets from where my husband grew up. We've stayed in touch and they offered to have my family over to their beautiful home one evening. Thanks to their gracious hospitality we filled in the missing pieces we hadn't yet found, and forged a global building friendship!

- SESC Pompeia

- Oscar Niemeyer's Latin American Memorial Campus

- MUBE (Museum of Brazilian Sculpture)

- MASP (Museum of Art Sao Paulo)

- Parque Burle Marx

- Niemeyer in Parque Ibirapuera

- Paulo Mendes da Rocha's addition to the Pinacoteca (he is a Pritzker Prize winner)

- Architecture School at University of Sao Paulo

- Centro Cultural (+sweet green roof)

- Home of our dear friends, Marta and Marcelo

And there are plenty more places. I didn't take my nice camera around the city as we criss crossed around but I managed to document those with a point and shoot and my phone. It was a great trip; I enjoyed Sao Paulo's extensive collection of interesting buildings and I feel like I really know the city now (from a concrete perspective!) and....in the end good ole dad won.

A Golden Pet...

2011-07-23T00:20:00.001-03:00

But not a retriever. This lion lives in Sao Paulo and from what I gather... as a pet. Its a bit of a confusing article in that it doesn't get into how Ms. Borges acquired the lion and whether or not its possible to have a lion as a pet in your apartment here? All I know is this guy is pretty cute and it brought back teary memories of ole Christian the Lion. If you aren't one of the 5 million plus animal lovers that have watched this... well here you go...

Just a thought.... its probably a tad easier to keep him in a city apartment paralyzed no?

Now thats more like it...

2011-07-11T23:46:00.004-03:00

CNN posted this article

and I am like wait, whaaaaa t? Where is Sao Paulo or Rio on this list? I was in Shanghai in 2007 and while that was a few years ago I know I never felt that rush of expensive steam there quite the same way I did here. So then I was relieved to see this article in Bloomberg which, when it comes to this subject, I trust over CNN (even though they spelled Sao Paulo wrong... we'll just let that one slide...oppsies).

How is it that two mainstream articles are written within days of each other and ohh so different? I was shell shocked to see Brazil not even mentioned in the first article. Am I crazy? Is it normal to see $40 salmon dishes and $50 steaks at most of the restaurants nearby? Sure, there are exceptions and they are basing a lot of this off the cost of items like bread or cigarettes which are still very reasonable in Sao Paulo (actually not sure about cigarettes) but EVERYTHING else isn't! Jim wrote a great article that gets to the bottom of it, purchasing power. Economies are all very different but the most important factor wherever you are is how much does it cost to maintain your standard of living.

Take for instance the other day at the mall, I spy the EXACT same George Foreman grill for sale for a whopping 400R ($250)! I had literally just bought that same grill at Target in the US for $35... thats a 700% markup! Now I understand a markup on imported goods but I am sorry, you have to be a CEO to 'college kid' cook your chicken? I told a cab driver about it, he knew all about George Foreman grills, put it on the same level as acquiring a Louis Vuitton bag! In the US you get a forman grill for your dorm room because you dont have a place to cook your food. Its cheap and probably embarrassing that I just bought one and was super excited to use it (less dishes when you have to handwash everything)! But c'mon!?! Even my old space heater I had at my desk at work in Chicago was $18.99 ....and $75 at the Sao Paulo Wal-Mart! Forget how you cook your chicken, freezing in this winter weather for that price just isn't fair!

So yea, how many times can I say it, its expensive here! From $7 ice cream cones to $70,000 mini coopers... we feel it all around us and I am glad that Bloomberg finally legitimized it. Now... about those beaches.....

Cheapest Greatest Thing in Sao Paulo

2011-07-11T14:31:00.004-03:00

A Sinfonia...

It was our first anniversary and since I am married to the most wonderful old soul in a young body, he suprised me with a trip to the Sao Paulo Symphony. I was almost dissappointed to find out our balcony second row tickets were only... yes... wait for it... 10 Reals a ticket!!!!!! Thats six US dollars and 31 cents! Cheaper than valet parking at the pizza parlor, or anywhere for that matter. After enjoying such talent, that is the last thing I wish was the greatest cheapest thing I have found here. They deserved to be 50R or much much more... but I´ll take it! It was stunning inside, a well done modern updo to a beautifully ornate classic style building. Please, don´t walk, run to see and support it!

pic from my phone...

Need your advice!

2011-07-09T14:43:00.000-03:00

Rose, my wonderful faxineira (once a week cleaner) is getting married in November. I started thinking about her wedding and while my Portuguese limits our ability to really talk about how happy and excited she must be, I would like to do something for her special day. My first thought was of course various gift ideas but then I wondered if she had a photographer. I don't want to sound snotty, but they are so expensive I doubt that would be a luxury she could afford. So I thought I could offer to take pictures for her. I am totally amateur but I really enjoy it and hope to someday take pictures more professionally. To do that, I need practice and diversity of occasions. So I could take her pictures for free, give her a CD and use them as portfolio pieces if they turn out well. Do you think thats fair for her though? I don't want to ask her without understanding better a few dynamics of brazilians and their maids.

Is it crossing the line? Would she feel obligated once I asked thinking that turning down my offer might hurt her job? Might she be uncomfortable showing me her lifestyle? Would she even have access to a computer to use the CD of pictures? I don't want to assume she wouldn't have someone already taking pictures, or would she even care to have them at all? But the big question is, am I overstepping a boundary here?

Thanks for your help!

Welcome to the modern world!

2011-07-06T15:37:00.002-03:00

Its like the 80s and I am finally getting a colored TV! I got a kindle from my MIL as a anniversary gift (1 year = paper = books = welcome to the modern world) and its literally all I do. Its on the bus with me, at work with me... dull moment? I'm prepared... think I am scared to go to the Policia Federal and wait three days for my resident fingerprinting? Nope bring it on, I've got my kindle!

I protested against this technology because I love the feeling of books, underlining the pages of my favorite lines and passing them along for others to do the same, lining my book shelves by subject and dreaming of a one day room with a moving ladder and a big leather chair! But unfortunately when I want a new book amazon sometimes takes months and depending on the title it may not even hit the big bookstores here. I haven't sold out to my inky white paged leather friends but our dates together are few and farther between.

These days wherever my day takes me, my kindle is there. I'm not pushing it on you, just saying my blog life is a little less consistent these days. I'll find my stride again sometime soon...

Emotional eating and the crock pot

2011-06-29T09:45:00.001-03:00

It felt like forever in Brazilian time but I went to the US for what felt like a very short 2 weeks. I landed and played a part in my mom's successful surprise 60th birthday party, played golf with dad for fathers day, met up with all my high school buddies for a weekend of debauchery thanks to a good friends wedding, shopped a bunch at target, drove around the state a bit to see some friends... and it was over. Not before coming down with an infection on my finger that made it swell up so bad I had to go to the firestation the day before I left so they could split open my engagement ring since I always leave it in the US. That was a tad emotional since the swelling had gotten so bad they couldn't just snap it, they had to rip it apart. I thought after that experience I was a due a smooth flight back to life down south.

I was so excited to get home and see my husband and get back to my routine that I paid so little attention at the airport when they decided that the box of wine glasses I was carrying on "HAD" to be my large bag and not my personal item (grrrrr) that I had to last minute check my carryon. Well of course it never showed up in Sao Paulo. Inside were lots of new clothes my mom had purchased for me (tear, as that is a very rare event), new shoes, all my jewelry including a necklace my parents gave me for graduation that has a LOT of meaning, my wedding earrings, pieces for my large camera, my point and shoot camera, all my purses I had finally decided to bring to Brazil, all my tax information and basically everything that meant anything to me that I stupidly traveled with. I ALWAYS pack that stuff in my carryon, not leaving it out of my sight but for some reason I had a brain lapse and forgot all that was in there when I checked it without locks.....IDIOT. The worst part is the american airlines employees at the baggage claim in Sao Paulo are amazing and are doing everything they can to help (they know me by name after my sliiiight meltdown) which to me tells me its really missing since they are probably sick of me calling them 35 times a day. Yes, I've cried myself to sleep wishing I wasn't so attached to things, wishing I just hadn't packed that stuff and wishing I could just go back in time for a re-do. So I decided to use my new crock pot that made it back in perfect shape at the bottom of my duffle bag to drown out my tears.

While home I mentioned to several people I came across a blog, "A Year of Slow Cooking," to aid in my new adventure along with a few of my friends recipes from her cooking blog. If I can manage to put the same amount of energy into using my crock pot that I have with Roberto and Luciana at American Airlines baggage claim, Alex is in for a treat!

So to the crock pot and its mental health assistance... may the baggage god please forgive my prior sins and come through for me this one time!

not mine... but will be soon!

A Year in Provence, a great book for the expat or the vicarious one

2011-06-08T22:15:00.000-03:00

Reading this book at the gym has become quite a scene since I seem to burst out laughing every other paragraph, miss my pedal on the bike and nearly fall off. Before I moved to Brazil I had this dream of writing some short story collection about all the crazy adventures we might cross until I started reading Peter Mayle's account of his own expatriate tales from France. First off, I am not even a writer and second of all not nearly as funny as I wish and not even close to Mayle's lyrical prose. His words are like a pencil drawing a character, incredibly visual and almost cartoon like. So while that idea takes a timeout break, I continue to enjoy reading about other people's fortuities.

I am not even finished with this book yet, but I thought I would spread the word in case you hadn't come across it and you were looking for a back pocket friend to help justify the glory and the pain of living in another country. Its also fun to discover the common threads of lazy workers, unbelievable little restaurants that change your life and the "jeitinho's"that make it all work out someway or another. "Jeitinho's" being those people errr.. little angles that make it happen regardless of the law. Miss Sarah in her cozy Le Petit Village writes very similar and reminds me of a modern day Mayle and I think if he were writing his story today blogstyle, he would have just as popular of a following as she does. Mayle and his wife may have moved to Provence in 1987, but his monthly chapters are timeless accounts that really marked the beginning of humorous travel writing as a genre (according to "The Guardian").

So I encourage you to check it out and partake in the fun, even if you still live in your home country. It might even inspire you either begin chronicling your own circumstance or better yet map out a new one!

Peter Mayle

moqueca tears

2011-06-02T13:19:00.001-03:00

For lunch I usually try and eat inexpensively to save for the other expensivities (is that word? well it is today) of this city. Most days I pack my lunch to work, however every once in a while I treat myself to ´subway´ or the grocery store deli. So today, I went to the deli for a little gnochi and carne. They were out of their usual tasty meat selections so I went with a teeny tiny container of moqueca (like teeny the size of a cocktail napkin). I never read the price because this little meal never costs more than 7 or 8R (5$). I quickly read the tag as shrimp moqueca, which is typical here and headed to the cash register. She rang me up at 34R and so still in my basic portuguese I asked what in the world cost 25.91R on the screen and she pointed to my very obvious priced LOBSTER moqueca. So I tried to politely ask to put it back and she sternly said no. So I politely asked again, and she even more sternly said no!!! And the line was growing as was my red face so I gave up and accepted defeat. I know I need to take this as a little lesson in knowing what you are buying because yeah, it was my fault, there is no one else to blame it on but come on, she could easily take the plastic off and dump that 25R back into the other 1000R sitting at the deli right?! Right!

Either way the worst part? It wasn´t that good. I am sure most brazilians would tell you never to get moqueca at the grocery store... duh! And lagosta = shrimp? I know! But I am still upset.

Goodnight to you O

2011-05-24T23:45:00.002-03:00

Oprah has brought stories to my living room that shake me, break me and then put me back together again by the end of an hour. She exposed hardship I would have never known about in this world and provided faith when it was needed most. Thanks to her I know a small bit about the Freedom Riders, the child rape epidemic around the world, the history of AIDS and how in the beginning some people thought you could get it from touching someone, that they may appear perfect but everybody struggles with something, to give back, to chase your dreams, that girls can run the world...

She's one of the last long standing people in media today, so there is a comfort to turning on her show knowing she will always be there on her couch showing you something new wherever you are in the world. When I first moved to Brazil besides all the Law and Order on all the time, she was syndicated on GNT in the afternoons. I didn't know anyone yet, have a job or anything to do so I would wander the neighborhood and organize my day around her show because it was my little piece of home. I could connect back to my friends at home that watched and we shared a common thread even though I was thousands of miles away.

In Chicago, our old apartment was in the west loop about 3 blocks from her studio. I used to watch the crowds gather for her shows sometimes and submit requests for tickets over and over to no avail. Its hard to imagine how that neighborhood has changed in the last few decades from meat packing to trendy, how the world as changed from big 80s pouf hair to ipads while she held court.

Tomorrow we say goodbye to a legend, a voice and a smile. You may not love her or care that she's gone from the daily routine but either way she's made an impact on your world in some facet. Be it through books, charity or important discussions that needed to be public opening the minds of the world to better understand. I dont know where else you can witness a old KKK member apologize to the black man he nearly beat to death some 50 years ago, it was the first apology that man had ever received. Or where you can witness 200 men in one room all admit to surviving childhood sexual abuse, sometimes for the first time to their wife of 20 years. Or how one little 12 year old named Mattie who spent his life in a wheelchair, worked to change the world into a better place before he left.

Oprah, here's to the millions of lives you have touched thus far, may your best days still be yet to come!

Ill leave you with some of the memorable things she said over the years:

"Turn your wounds into wisdom"

"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate."

"True forgiveness is when you can say, "Thank you for that experience."

"Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not."

"You get in life what you have the courage to ask for."

"Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment"

(west loop by her studio in chicago)

Coco Fabulous

2011-05-22T23:58:00.006-03:00

There are a few things here that Brazilians try and adopt from the US that just... get a little lost in the translation. I can't say that they fail because they are rather successful businesses but they certainly lack in the taste department. One of those is cupcakes (another is the Hooters chain here, the wings are nasty!). One would think its hard to make a bad cupcake, but indeed its very possible. And popping up all over town are 'cupcakeries!' Lucky for us cupcake snots, we got one of our own down here now whipping up an american challenge.

Ole Theo is a mighty cute Great Dane and Sophie's mom is the whisk behind the magic. I decided to give Sophie and Theo's Cupcakes a shot for my husbands birthday and they didn't let me down! I wanted to take a few pictures of these delicious concoctions but we devoured them to fast to remember. His favorite flavors are coconut and lemon/lime so we tried the "Coco-Limao," and they were every bit as good as the ones up north. You can even have a little Brazilian american cupcake with their "Cupirinha" flavor. So when you get a little homesick for the good stuff that just can't be recreated any other way give them a call and you will find yourself with some very american cupcakes!

Check them out here: http://www.saopaulocupcakes.com/

Wussy Club

2011-05-17T23:39:00.001-03:00

I have joined the ranks of the wussy club. Its officially winter here and while it may have only touched the 40 degree mark like a finger on a hot oven, I've honored that and broken out my very own chicago hot oven. Yes, the head to toe puffy jacket is out of the box and ready for a new adventure right here in my casa brasiliera.

When we were apartment shopping back in late November the weather was classic Brazil. What you might imagine Brazil always to be. I never even thought to look for heating and cooling units because there was a steady breeze and lots of windows. Who'd a thought those windows and breeze would actually later become a hinderance to my comfort level on the couch!

So word to the wise, Sao Paulo has seasons. And no, most apartments do not have heating and cooling abilities, rather they sell a lot of fans and space heaters. Luckily my next trip home is soon and I plan to purchase and import a few space heaters.

My days of living like a puff ball inside might by numbered but as far as outside goes I feel its just the beginning. What happened to my tough Chicago skin? This jacket was for the -10degree days I fought the 50mph winds to the bus stop in... and here it is 46 outside (and inside) and I am blue!

Pontiac Bystander

2011-05-11T09:48:00.002-03:00

The other day I was waiting for the bus on a lovely warm evening. The cars were backing up way down the block and one rolls up right in front of me full of guys ready to hit the town on a Tuesday. Windows rolled down, cuff links shiny and hair slicked back they were rollin tight in a Pontiac. Yes, a Pontiac. Actually in Brazil I think its pronounced phonetically, Ponchiacky, which is even more fashionable. See in the US girls would laugh, but in Brazil they blush. Thats because while this brand might have been out of business since 2009, at one time it was incredibly expensive. Cars hold their value in Brazil much better than in the US because they are a lot more expensive and naturally most people take good care of them. Got yourself a toyota corolla? honda civic? yep, you are a baller in Brazil!

Regardless I smiled at them, thinking only in Brazil are you a badass for driving a pontiac(y).

Hello May.

2011-05-06T10:00:00.010-03:00

my new favorite picture

Hello May and Hello Chilly weather. It was a good thing the MIL stuck around long enough to still enjoy some Brazilian summer. We headed to the beach for her last weekend here and boy was it ever so maravilhoso. We have friends that head to the beach often usually checking the weather beforehand and it may look hot and sunny but then I see their poor facebook uploads and its gloomy and rainy. The beach is only about 2 hours away but you drop about 3000ft in elevation so you really can jump between climates. Originally the plan was to see Maresias and after reading O Jeito Brasileiro's blog I thought we would try a pousada she recommended. But, we had dinner plans at Manaca, which is in Camburi (about 20 km closer than Maresias) so we stopped there first. In the end we got to talking with some people and scrapped our idea of going on a little further and just decided to stay at a place near the restaurant with a golf cart shuttle to the beach. It was already 10am so it was silly to waste more time in the car on such a gorgeous day. I was a little bummed since this will probably be one of the last beach trips of the season and I was eager to try something new, but Camburi doesn't disappoint. Our pousada was just what we needed for one night but it was covered in ants. Ants everywhere, in my bags and on my wet hanging bathing suit. I know its par for the course but I thought it was a little extreme so I don't think I will be recommending. I cant believe I am even complaining about anything to do with the beach though, my american friends would slap me!

Once on the beach I realized again how much I love living here. Paradise (minus ants) is only a quick drive away and since it's fall, Brasilians have already started their retreat to the interior for weekend vacations leaving the beaches empty. Yet, it was still 80 degrees and lovely, maybe we were lucky, maybe just smart to take in one last opportunity for our feet to taste the sand.

If you haven't tried Manaca, you must add it to your list. Its pricey so beware but I don't think you will be disappointed. I had only been for drinks before with friends so I really wanted to show it off to Alex and his mom as a special send off dinner. They were awe struck. If it sounds familiar, Anthony Bourdain featured it as one of his Sao Paulo stops on his show, "No Reservations." Here is a snippet if you missed it.... It was a great chance for the MIL to try Moqueca and while I have had it in SP and was told it was the best in the city (its a Bahian dish), it was nothing like her dish. She wanted to lick the plate... as did I once my fish-grilled-in-Banana-leaves had quickly disappeared off my plate. Its hard to photograph the restaurant at night with a small camera and looking back I should have at least taken a picture of my insane dessert but the time was better spent eating, laughing and taking in the beautiful amazonian atmosphere.

Yet another amazing trip. I think we are done with traveling for a little while, looking forward to relaxing at home and getting back to our Saturday market then cook a fresh feast routine, but my oh my the things you see when you step outside this city! As Anthony Bourdain says, "Life does not suck."

The falls of all falls

2011-05-04T14:15:00.011-03:00

There is just something majestic about water. It’s power, it’s fury and it’s dashing humid spirit. I have never been to see the great Niagara Falls but I imagine it must also just steal the breath right out of you. These falls however, like distinguished water curtains standing defiantly in their natural mold were simply awe striking. Alone one evening I stood there staring, my mind playing tricks as though it were a painting. The colors of the sun dipping into the Jurassic park scene glowed in stunning silence.

One of the benefits of staying in the only hotel within the park are the evenings and early mornings. The park opens at 8am so if you are an early bird you can run down and catch the fresh light peeping over the falls without being pushed and crammed. At five o’ clock the park closes and all the tour buses scamper away like mice retreating to the walls. While Alex and his mother enjoyed the sunset perched atop the terrace with a glass of wine, I wandered down the gentle slope with my camera and spent the sunset in silence. Not 30 minutes before there were thousands of people trying to squeeze their way to the front for the perfect picture where I later stood solo.

I checked the weather the morning we arrived and the first day seemed to be the best so we dropped our bags and headed out for a day of adventures. First stop, a boat ride down the river past the Argentinean side of the falls for pictures and then literally straight into them for a Disneyworld like experience. Fortunately for us we hadn’t read that just three weeks before, a similar boat flipped as it went into the falls killing 2 Americans, one my age and the other my mother in law’s. We were a bit freaked out when we found out a few hours later, but were glad we had gone because had we known before we never would have. And well… it was really fun! A few hours later we headed for the heliport to discover the area from above.

A quick 10 minute tour seems like plenty but once we were up in the air I could have stared down for hours. We shared our helicopter with a very attractive French family of 5 boys so when I say we could have stayed up there for hours/days I’m not kidding. MIL and I were gawking and poor Alex wished they’d had sisters.

The next few days were spent relaxing and to our luck the weather was perfect and the beautiful French family was staying in our hotel. Friday was spent at the pool and for the first time since Christmas it really felt like we were on vacation. I chased butterflies with my camera and Alex and his mother soaked up some much needed sun. Alex may live in Brazil but he sure doesn’t look like it.

Saturday was our day to see the Argentinean side and by morning it had chilled down to the low 50’s and was pouring rain like the dickens. We fought the good fight against the terrors of wind and rain and stayed true to plan, insisting to see this magnificent place from both sides. Soaked through, you could have poured a bucket full of water over my head and I wouldn’t have noticed. We trudged on across what felt like a mile of steel platforms exposing multiple tributaries each gaining more vigor than the one before and it was actually pretty scary. By the end it literally just dropped below us, more than 300 feet and witnessing the strength of the water so close below was soooo worth the pain. I have no idea why I brought my nice camera, poor Alex carried it like a baby all the way there and then I was too afraid to even take it out at the end. All in all Argentina has the more dramatic view whereas the Brazilian side is more beautiful. Both however are breathtaking in their own unique style and if you go, you must see each.

Alex and his mom

On our way home to the hotel we had to make one important stop, a wine store. It was so incredibly cheap we stocked up for the plane home. Apparently you are allowed twelve bottles per person carry on. Back at the hotel we had a wonderful lunch of hamburgers with one of our new bottles while the rain still pelted on outside.

For her first time to South America, MIL had only been in Brazil for a few days and she had seen one of the most beautiful places in Brazil and I think on earth. By the time we hopped back on the plane she had dipped her foot into Argentina, tried agua de Coco, a churrascaria, a few Caipirinhas, picanha and farofa and of course a good bit of the fabulous brazilian sun.

Like sugar on my lips, this trip was divine.

view from Brazilian side

Similarities and Differences.

2011-04-18T22:41:00.047-03:00

Photo Courtesy of Ben Townsend

Similarities and Differences, sounds like the name of a show. Unfortunately its reality tv where one frustrated human becomes so twisted inside their brain I question just how human they really are.

I remember April 2007 like I do 9-11. However during 9-11, I didn't know people in those towers, or near by on the ground so it was an emotion filled spectacle minus that extra attachment. On April 16th, when Seung-Hui Cho began his graphic killing spree through the beautiful campus of Virginia Tech I was getting ready for class in Denver. Not only did I attend this University for undergrad but I also grew up there. That small delicate town where front doors stayed unlocked and we rode bicycles in the calm streets was what I knew as home until I turned 22 and left for the mountains of Colorado. While I was at Tech, we made headlines with a guy named Michael Vick who ran touchdowns like lightening sending us to the top of our game, making us football champions the country admired. Then a few short years later even Michael Vick´s slaughtered name couldn't compete with a guy named Cho.

So yes, I remember precisely sitting on my black futon frantically making calls home as I stayed in from studio that Monday. My dad taught in the building next door to where Cho made a name for himself. My mom usually taught in that exact building, Norris Hall most semesters but this particular one she was instead on the other side of campus holding a guest lecture. Her class started at 9am, hours after Cho's first victims and fifteen minutes prior to his next quest. Neither parent could be reached. I was finally able to get a hold of my dad, there was a lot of static and commotion and he was holed up in the basement of the building with lots of other people locked inside and waiting. He had heard the shots in Norris, lots of them but no one at the time really knew much. Who would have thought they were bullet rounds, that someone would actually be killing people inside of a university classroom? My mom finished class and headed for her quick walk home without a clue as to what had gone down hundreds of feet away.

When I go back to visit I often meet my dad for lunch at his office which is still right next door to where it all went down. I walk by and witness the silent strolls of students. Every other quad is full of laughter and ringing cellphones, couples giggling on their way to physics but when they pass Norris it becomes a whisper. I feel as though several ghostly eyes are watching from the windows still hoping to escape, stuck inside wondering why this happened in such an idyllic place where they dreamed of starting their young lives, not ending them.

I am still angry. People used to ask me, "Where is Blacksburg? I've never heard of it?" I miss that. Google Virginia Tech? Google begins to fill in with 'Virginia Tech shooting' as the first option! So when poor Rio just endured a Virginia Tech copycat, a similar soulless shadow of terror, it broke my heart and brought me back. I saw this article pop up on my news feed and thought, "its following me here?!" I don't exactly know what to say. I watched the video of the children fleeing attached to that article and it was like some sick joke from a slasher film. Children panicked, running for their lives and slipping on the stone surface of the hallways, some already injured.

All I know is that I can sympathize with those poor parents to some degree, scared and helpless without the ability to protect their loved ones. The shock might be calming as the vigils and memorials begin, but the toll on the families will be a lifetime of pain. Everyone is affected. My dad handed out a post mortem degree to a one of the victim's families and he couldn't help but think his daughter was in that same building taking classes 2 years prior. He handed me the same degree at my graduation in 2005 that he gave her family, from the same major.

Parents can no longer joyfully wave goodbye in the morning without the haunting thought their children could be in danger. Not because they walk, drive or bike to school, but because they sit in school and learn and that privilege has been threatened and poisoned.

The similarities are atrocious and the geographic differences shocking. Brazil is a peaceful country, their motoboy's may ride like features in the Fast and Furious but at the end of the day they make love not war. So its even more nefarious in this soil, spreading like a disease throughout the globe. Rio, I feel your affliction, your confusion and trauma.

Nikki Giovanni said, "We Will Prevail." And we will.

4..3..2....1

2011-04-17T19:29:00.026-03:00

Jardim Botanico in Rio

Besides the new spare tire I'm carrying around in front of me ....this was one of the greatest girlfriend trips. We did too much of everything. In a good way; lots of drinking, too too much eating and plenty of seeing.

Those beautiful smiling faces I kissed goodbye to throughout the day in Buenos Aires will never know how much it meant to me that they spent the effort & time & money & ....came. It helped that our itinerary featured two of the most beautiful cities in the world as well as my lovely companionship ....but still. So here we go....

Airport pick up - Post picking up the cheery ladies, I took the wrong street on the gps and wound up in the middle of scary centro and fully admitted I was really nervous and they needed to lock the doors and keep the windows up. Yes, welcome to brazil girls! Not exactly the smooth entrance I had planned.

When we breathed a deep one that we had not only gotten ourselves out of centro but also successfully made it to my house in our 1.0 liter car that does a hill full of suitcases with the ease and power of an overaged cripple...it was time for feijoada, sao bento style!

All the lovely paulistas were spending their day samba dancing and eating and we attempted to fit right into the groove. A few honorary caipirinhas later, we continued on to 'pe manga,' a fun bar with a huge tree lit up in the middle, and then into a lounge on lorena in jardins for live music belted from an incredible bonnie rait sounding canadian voice and we created our own dance routine with lots and lots of fresh tangerine caipiroskas till 3am...

Day2 we woke up and headed to Shopping Cidade Jardim for a quick tour and breakfast of pao de quejo and fresh fruit smoothies at santo grau for a little pick-me-up, walked down the sunny side of the street at oscar freire to shoe shop (lots of shoes purchased), havaiana store and pictures, moqueca for late lunch (a taste of bahian food) and the finale at hotel unique where we sat next to pamela anderson and her new surfer boyfriend and watched them make out. She definately had a breast reduction. Champagne and many giggles shared, we were home by 10pm to pack for our very early flight to rio.

damage at the Havaiana Store

I hope I did ok as tour guide in sp. They said they enjoyed centro despite the condition of the people and the area in which I was lost and they wernt scared outside of my driving... Which ultimately cost us an extra 2 hours of getting lost in morumbi and a little passenger car sickness (slash too much vodka the night before) all the while enjoying the spectacle of my 2-year old tantrum with the gps. Anyways. It was a good weekend in the city!

RIO

Landed many pao de queijos later and headed straight to the hotel for fresh juice in the pouring rain in Leblon. We paused for an ounce of relaxation, the rain stopped and were off to the botanic gardens. Best way to spend 2 hours in the late afternoon ever, together. Dinner at Leblon sushi. More like, AMAZING dinner at Leblon sushi! Met lots of obama security guys at the hotel bar post dinner. Learned he has teams in place working on telephones and communications, k9s and perimeter survaillance on the ground 4 weeks prior to any trip outside the country usually. These guys worked hard and then got to play hard for another bonus week and had some very interesting stories. They were kinda rednecky so we left as sleep felt more important.

Foggy Cristo Redentor from Jardim Botanico

Got up early to catch the Cristo before the clouds rolled in. Took the trem to the top, clear Christ but not clear city views due to fog. Fresh mango juice and a big ole bug bite on my foot made the view more eventful though. Headed to Ipanema beach, arrived and literally 2 seconds later it started to POUR. Lunch at an amazing bakery down from mile post 9. Wow, yum sandwhich with my favorite burratta cheese! Decided to walk in the pouring rain to find mil frutas ice cream on Rua Garcia D'Ávila with no umbrellas and two kangas. Soaked success! Awesome ice cream with local amazonian fruit flavors and after 2 hours there it was still raining, boooo.

still foggy but worth it

Dinner at copacabana palace on the terrace by the pool. Nice and quiet post the obama frenzy (we were there the day he left the city, he didn't stay there but it was still a madhouse). Headed to the Rio Scenarium in Lapa for the night and ran into a guy staying on our hall at the hotel, he taught us latin moves and we called him Jimmy of the stars (last name la Estrella). Samba danced till 3am with Jimmy of the stars, made lots of friends. My girlfriend K got a marriage proposal from a banker in town from rotterdam, she said no... it one of the best nights of the trip. Later we made friends with our early morning cabbie and he took us to the beach for aqua de coco. Hung with the locals, sipped our recovery drink and we were back in hotel by 330am, checked that off the list. Called for a wake up call for 430am. The front desk said, as in an hour? Yes as in an hour, are you sure? Yes we are sure. Flight to Buenos Aires 8am.

BUENOS AIRES

sculpture United Nations Plaza

So the bug bite from the trem grew giant and black thanks to too much samba dancing. It became infected and my ankle dissappeared into something of a cankle. I couldn't walk so I hobbled to the plane, hobbled to the hotel, hobbled to the hospital. Luckily a german hospital in BA was near by. Sent the girls to an afternoon lunch of empanadas and erva-mate while I waited under 30 minutes for my english speaking doctor who drained the bug bite, administered two tetnus shots in a place i wasn't so keen on, gave me antibiotics, explained something about an ¨´itis´´ and sent me home. 90us dollars total for all (yes cheap healthcare and good healthcare!!) including hospital visit, drugs, two shots on the upper butt at the vacunatorim not to be confused with the labotorium or the 4 other ´atoriums´´ that i wandered\hopped on one foot into. Felt sick though so a late afternoon nap was added to the list while girls wondered the city in the rain. Dinner at las lilas in puerto modero lasted 4 hours. it was Ahhhmazing. Cured the bite with the yummiest of steak and wine!

Recoleta Cemetery

Foot kinda sorta fit into a tennis shoe for the am walk to Recoleta cemetery. Saw Eva Peroni's grave, toured the touristy recoleta crafts market, strolled through the park past the beautiful palaces to the Obelisk. Holiday = parades and demonstrations. Walked to the Colon Theater for local beers and lunch, wandered down Santa Fe for afternoon coffee and shopping. Dinner and tango show for the evening = incredible!

very sexy tango show

The last day in BA the biblioteca was sadly closed (another trip) so off to Florida street for cheap leather and shoes. The gorgeous afternoon was spent in heavenly Palermo Soho at Meridian 58. Otimo. Decided I wouldn't mind moving to the Palermo Soho neighborhood but I think I would deeply miss Brazil too much. It was a long, lovely afternoon with more markets and more ice cream at freddo! Dinner at La Cabrera was nice and quaint for steak but we liked Las Lilas better (try both though if you can!). Still, we shared wonderful bottles of malbec for our last night togther toasting to a perfect vacation of 4 fabulous girls, 3 amazing cities, 2 incredible countries and 1 unbelievable week.

By Saturday morning I could walk again! Goodbye BA, goodbye amazing best friends and hopefully goodbye spare tire in a few weeks!

*travel note to self, check holiday schedule in cities to be traveled in so things looking forward to seeing arent closed.

**written stream of consciousness style on the plane home, please excuse typos!

tchau meninas

Carnival Rio Style

2011-04-03T16:24:00.057-03:00

What an adventure the last month has been. Prior to the furniture surprise, I left off with carnival in Tiradentes and it is now the end of march and I've finally make it back to the computer. In reading through the 557 blog posts on google reader I've missed these past few weeks, early march feels like last year.

Before March, I hadn't been to Rio yet and now I've been twice. I'll try to recap carnival part dois.

Rio is an easy plane flight from Sao Paulo, about fifty minutes and one of the most beautiful landings into a city you can find. Its much easier to truly take in the city upon reflection, while there it is usually too busy. This first trip the weather was mediocre at best but we still attempted the gondola to the top of Sugarloaf (Pao de Acucar).

The view should have looked like this

(photo Wallace Ugulino)

But instead on my camera, I got this.

but I did get one lucky shot of the beach below when it cleared for a split second...

No worries, I will be back again another time. My father in law's friends picked us up and they live close to Barra and wanted to take us to their new favorite pizza place. Well lo and behold, we pulled up to our very own, Casa Braz! Cariocas can't complain about their pizza anymore, only the prices and the distance it may take to get to this location.

Saturday was spent resting up for the big night at the Sambodromo. We got last minute tickets through friends to the brahma beer camarote (box) for the finals celebration. Arriving home around 730am Alex called it the 8th wonder of the world. We were up close and personal with some of the most beautiful people I have ever seen in my life, both in the tent and dancing down the stadium path. It was simply a magical experience. I ate one too many Rochina popsicles but the sugar and pure beauty of the night kept us going till sunrise. Driving around the bending beach roads as the sun began to rise into a brilliant blue, through Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon with the windows down my hands weaving through the salty air I thought "this is really living in the world."

and the sunrise....

I love rio, I love carnival and I just love living here.

Icamento

2011-03-29T23:50:00.004-03:00

I want to post about my trip to Rio for Carnival, and I will. I also want to wrap up my amazing trip with my girlfriends to Rio and Buenos Aires, and I will. But having just jumped back into blogging after a very busy hiatus I figured I would kick it off with flying furniture. Ill break it down.

Last week while I was traveling with my girlfriends I was also intermittently emailing Alex to check on things. We were supposed to finally have a few lights installed and some other little things and I was so excited. An empty apartment without lights was just starting to feel weird. So I was email nagging to see if the guy was coming to do the work and a little annoyed I wasn't getting any solid replies, usually just a quick word or two like "busy cant talk" or "stressed out!" However cryptic and strange the behavior, I was on vacation and I would deal with it later.

Meanwhile back in Alex land. Thursday morning he gets a phone call, "Your furniture is going to be about 30 minutes late on the delivery this morning, is that going to be ok?" Ummmm WHAT???? As in our container is arriving TODAY????? Yea, a little miscommunication I suppose. We knew it was approved down at the port but it was indefinite as to when it would be delivered. So he drove as fast as possible to our apartment and of course there was a terrible accident on the marginal. He called back to say he would be late to meet the truck, and they said sorry we have other deliveries we have to move on. He was pleading to do all that he could to keep the truck at bay but to no avail, they were leaving. Finally and hour or so later he gets through and as he is driving up the steep hill to the house with a glimmer of hope they had waited... there in the distance is a truck with a giant container on top stuck under a tree.

Not only that but there were about 5 cop cars swarming the situation as well as many other bystanders. He hadn't had a chance to explain to the building manager we were all of the sudden expecting a GINORMOUS delivery so that guy was just as pissed as the poor stuck truck driver over the situation. Finally they said no delivery, the truck is behind schedule and once removed from the tree claws it must move along. So he decided to wait and again beg as this situation clearly wasn't about to get unglued any time soon. An hour into this ordeal lawyers for the moving company showed up. Apparently the truck driver had illegally forged his license so he was in the process of being arrested. Yes, right there in the street next to his stuck truck. The lawyers realized it was silly not to start unloading while they figured out a way to trim the branches and several people showed up to begin the unload. Meanwhile I was writing an email to Alex that briefly mentioned I had forgotten to purchase my plane flight home from Buenos Aires (opps) and I needed his credit card number pronto. Timing is a beautiful thing. Thats a story for another day, and not nearly as exciting.

So they unloaded into the evening and Alex was on the phone with the rental furniture people to have that picked up asap, and basically trying to find time to breath and realize after not having seen our things since August, we were finally going to have a proper apartment in time for April. At that point he decides not to tell me any of this and instead attempt to get the apartment in shape to surprise me whenever I was able to get home.

The truck finally got unstuck, and the furniture people had to come back most of Friday to continue the process of unpacking and checking things off. The rental people came and picked up our small little life of a fridge, bed and table, the electricians came and Alex worked around the clock all hours of the night moving things, rearranging and settling in, mostly by himself.

I cannot begin to describe my reaction when I walked in at 3am Sunday morning. In the elevator I was like why were you so busy? Busy with what? What in the world has been going on??? Why are you stressed? Is something going on I don't know about? Annoying I know. But the door opened and complete disbelief. I had gotten used to our bed with two twin mattresses poorly stuck together that allowed no normal sheets to fit, cooking without a stove, having no lights.... And all of the sudden we had pictures, and pots and pans, an iron, a real cozy bed... rugs, lamps and books! The sofa however was missing. It had been too big for the elevator and the stairs so it was being hoisted up the side of the building Monday morning at 830am.

Alex had meetings so I stayed back from work to watch the spectacle. Apparently in Brazil this is extremely normal. 15 stories? Easy! My dad was like, "I bet they have a crane of some sort on top of the building for these things...." yeaaaaaa No! I was waiting for that part until they unloaded it out of their truck and brought it up to the apartment and set up it on the balcony and literally in 25 minutes the sofa was all the way up! Our balcony is off the bedroom and there is a narrow hallway to the living room. They tried every which way to get the couch through but it clearly wasn't going to happen. Most people would have probably given up, even hoisted it back down the building. Instead they preceded to take the couch apart and saw off the base. HOURS later and wood chips everywhere they pushed it through. Then they made new holes and screwed the base back together as best they could and there we go folks we had our apartment! Brazilians! Ahmazing. No way would they do all that in the US. I was acting like this was some crazy cool rarity but people tell me its quite normal, happens all the time. They take apart windows, balcony doors, saw, bend, cut, piece back together, whatever the issue they solve it and get it done. Regardless, unbelievable effort by those men and my man. I still can't believe it. The stove doesn't work yet, and the washing machine is 220v (opps) but our wonderful brazilian electrician says he's got it all figured out! And I'm sure he does in one way or another.

Icamento: Google it. The portuguese word for hoistin' it up! (literal translation: Lifting)

Carnival Part 1: Tiradentes

2011-03-09T21:29:00.007-03:00

Getting there was a rainy adventure. Old Gringo was in for the ride of his young life, we had never taken him this far so it was time to test the waters. The first few hours of our vacation boasted beautiful pastures and hills reminiscent of Ohio or Pennsylvania. Rodovia Fernao Dias is a highway of sorts with two double lanes and about 3 hours into the trip on the opposite side we passed an 18-wheeler that had flipped over completely perpendicular to the road blocking all traffic. Not only that, it was full of gravel… yes gravel had poured out along the road for at least a hundred feet. It appeared as though it had just happened, but then as we started to pass the hundreds, then thousands (I could be exaggerating just a bit) of stranded vehicles waiting in angst to start moving again we realized they were probably in for a minimum 10 hour wait AT LEAST! Also there was a nice ditch between them and us making it nearly impossible to cross over and turn around. Mind you, I think this was also the busiest traffic day/holiday of the year next to maybe New Years. However I think Carnival is even bigger as Brazilians get more days off. Never found out anything more about the truck mess but we were just glad to be on the right side of the world that day!

So a few hours into the ride there was that.... and then the fact that it was pouring down rain like some Brazilian God had really been betrayed. In addition we came upon a fun little detour. It was mud on top broken concrete with potholes that make Chicago roads look blissfill on a post winters day. It was a minefield and another mess. By the time we pulled into Tiradentes mid afternoon (we left at 5am) it felt like we'd conquered a country and it was time for a local brew! When isn’t it time?

While there it continued to rain. All day. This was my first carnival and I only knew what I had seen on TV or heard briefly through friends and somehow I always pictured it bright and sunny. Was it possible that it could rain during ALL of Carnival? As we huddled under the umbrella wearing sweaters and jeans we saw the stage set in the middle of town, streamers and masks on every light post and an abundance of party goers draped in ponchos and glitter, beer in hand in postponed cheer. This picture did not change until Tuesday. I have never seen a happier group of people in pouring down rain dancing like it was college spring break. We were voyeurs to the magic that is Brazil and its people. Ray told me to mind the cobblestones in the town center as it was designed 300 years ago to keep slaves from fleeing. He wasn’t kidding and so we can prepared, sporting our bright white tennis shoes like disney world pros! The brazilian women however STILL wore their 6 inch heels despite the rain and seemed to manage those cobblestones as if they were dancing on a Rio float.

Our hotel was more than perfect. We made our decision based on a few recommendations from Alex’s friends at work and it was good we spent the extra money. You never need a good hotel until you need a good hotel. And unfortunately, we ended up spending more time in it than of out. So instead of being poolside, or out horseback riding in the hills like we imagined, we split our time between the bar around the corner smack in the middle of town so we could make fun of drunk people in the rain or we were hunkered down on a big old couch next to a fireplace watching Carnival in Salvador on TV where it was hot and sunny!

Tiradentes has incredible arts and crafts and its fun wandering the streets full of furniture stores and linen shops. It is also known for its Dolce de Leite to which my father in law decided he needed to bring back enough to feed the city of Chicago. He also decided he would buy himself a matching american tourist style hat and t-shirt that read “TIRADENTES, MINAS GERAIS.” Minas Gerais is the state in which Tiradentes resides.

Maybe the funniest part of the weekend was when he walked out of the store to show me his new treasures and said, “well I had to buy memorabilia to wear at the gym when I get home and this was perfect, it has the name of the town AND Mardi Gras all written together so everyone will know I was there!" He was so happy, I hated to rain on his parade but he interpreted Minas Gerias to be Mardi Gras?!!! No more do Brazilians call Carnival Mardi Gras than they watch baseball instead of soccer. WRONG country, WRONG language, WRONG party... Poor guy BUT hilarious.

It finally cleared up on Tuesday and even though a storm was looming our cabin fever put us on the old steam engine train through the countryside to Sao Joao del Rey. As they say in Portuguese, ‘Valeu a Pena' = worth the pain. That day made all the others, spent waiting to get out, well worth while. Alex and I even took an afternoon run along the river on a muddy dirt road checking out all the farms where our lovely “Slow food” style dinners came from (check out Tragaluz if you find yourself in need of a wonderful meal!)

Carnival, there! Each night a different bloco planned its parade through town, usually in a downpour but sometimes in a light sprinkle. Either way, we were there. To watch men dressed up regardless of sexual preference as women, women scantily clothed as beer maids and cops, disney characters and nurses or whatever their bloco theme designated. Those themes I observed, can range widely from roman gods to diapers. It’s a themed party and anyone’s invited to witness a bloco's practiced dance that vaguely looks synchronized after multiple pre parties. They surround a band, usually made up of teenagers and grandpas with drums and horns controlling the beat through the town singing songs and chants. That my friends is a small town bloco and we got to see about 5 of them. The blocos in Sao Paulo, Salvador and Rio however practice all year, invest sometimes millions in décor and strategy and are flawless and magnificent, charging hundreds of dollars to see. Our little Tiradentes Carnival was free and a perfect way to be introduced to such a wonderful Brazilian tradition.

It was fun to...

Watch drunk men hit on what they thought were women, “Hey snow white how youuuu doin…? Woah hey, sausage surprise!" (we heard a lot of that in so many words)

Drink a lot of caipirinhas at Conto de Reis. The owner of the bar looks like Santa Claus and has his picture painted on the wall inside. Outside lots of of boys were following groups of sixteen year old girls in teddys and other lingerie with blinking lights and bunny ears much like American Halloween. Except in the US I rarely see dads dressed as keg-orators with taps on their heads and their kids dressed as beer bottles!

Dance in the street with roman emperors in my ann taylor cardigan and sperrys... the most conservative obvious American in town! If you didn’t know it by my appearance you knew it by my dance, a la Tom Brady style (if you don’t know what I mean click here) something I clearly need to work on if I plan to attend more of these in the future. Yes the outfit AND the dance. Less clothes more action in the hips. When in Rome… still an American.

Leaving there of course it was sunny and beautiful. Alex may have backed up into a stone curb causing a crunch and a bang so when we made it to the highway the bottom of our car rattled the entire way home. But even with a little jingle and shake, it was the perfect backdrop to reflect on our wonderful time there. Despite the rain and samba tunes that lasted well into the morning preventing our beauty sleep, Tiradentes is a must see if you have a weekend to spare. Great food, incredible history, top notch pousadas, wonderful and inexpensive furniture, a quiet peacefulness you cannot find in the city. An experience well worth your while!

Next up part 2: Rio @ Sambadrome

bookend in-laws

2011-02-26T15:01:00.001-03:00

My father in law is coming to visit for two weeks tomorrow. My mother in law is then also coming to visit for two weeks in April. In the middle of this fun little sandwich my girlfriends are coming for a whirlwind tour I am calling:

'four fabulous girls see three amazing cities in two fantastic countries in one crazy week'

aaaand it kicks off tomorrow with the purchase of a futon to help situate all these lovely guests since of course, our container is trapped in never never land.

it does mean this blog is going road trippin' to do a little domestic traveling!

over the next month we area headed to:

:: Tiradentes (formally Sao Jose do Rio das Mortes) a little colonial wonder about 300 miles into the interior from Sao Paulo for a little culture check and then taking the train to Sao Joao del Rey for some more!

:: Iguazu falls, on the borders of Argentina and Brazil basically making Niagra Falls look like a stream...

:: Rio a few times, post carnival for the weekend and then with the girls for a few weekdays!

and hopefully many wonderful places in between and along the way! If you have any suggestions let me know!

(national lampoon's the truckster... quality)

suit'n up

2011-02-23T17:12:00.003-03:00

stripes = american
funky pattern = brazilian

initial thoughts:

-thank goodness for that thick band right?
-ohh and that is a size "LARGE"
-skin to fabric ratio has now been reduced from a comfortable 4:5 to a denuded 1:5
-my tan lines will be amazing for the debut
-maybe the patterns will scare people off before they see the rest of the package
-americans and their excess!

Because

2011-02-18T16:28:00.001-02:00

Because my friend said, I’ve never seen you so happy over a toilet seat for your birthday

Well that was one of many things I bought myself back home to bring to Brasil, it was needed, it was cheap and it didn’t squish and make a puff sound every time it is sat upon like the current, need to now happily throw out one we had

Because I’m on cruise control

The last three months feels like an airplane ride: Running to the gate, shew you just made it, sweating, boarding, finding places for your things in overhead storage sometimes inconveniently in the back of the plane when you are seated near the front, settling into your seat, then moving seats, mechanical problems once everyone was settled, waiting on the tarmac for hours not knowing when the mechanical problems will resolve, finally taking off, the shutter of the wheels on the runway, the bumps and turns to maneuver into the flight path groove, turbulence as you move through the elevation changes and… seat back we have reached cruising altitude.

Because I love champagne

And so I drank a lot of it on my birthday. And the next day…. and the next….

Because you just never know

I pinch myself sometimes and still think, wow I live in Brazil!

Because some things change

I now wear spandex and perfume to the gym because a girls gotta fit in!

Because I do love ‘Glee’

I am not going to be ashamed of it anymore

Because it was my birthday

So I celebrated for two weeks and ate all my favorite foods, did all my favorite things and saw as many of my favorite people as I could from Bodo’s Bagels in Charlottesville to a little dinner in Itaim

Because I always wanted a lot of storms…

To make me curl up and read on the couch with chocolate milk and now I get them at 430 every day!

Because it is just the sunset of my twenties

Not the sadness of growing older

Because my birthday

Marked the exact day three months ago that we took off for this new adventure

Because I am one year older

In a place I love with a guy I love and I’ve never been happier!

Because I love the fruit and colors of this country

blog woah

2011-02-16T18:04:00.001-02:00

I spent last evening catching up on google reader and all of the sudden up pops pictures of me?! Yoola is a very talented designer and is always coming up with interesting creations so I follow her blog. I bought my wedding earrings from her shop on etsy and sent her some pictures as a thank you and kinda forgot about it. Now she is using them for a little bit of marketing, so I am going to market her!

Please check out Yoola's esty shop and her blog, her jewelry is one of a kind!

satisfeitos

2011-02-15T17:51:00.000-02:00

I was homesick over Christmas, more than I ever imagined and while we had a blast doing our own little Brazilian holiday, I vowed to my husband no matter what from here on out we are going back for Christmas'. I needed my family and close friends, snow, home cooked meals and the traditions that only a home can cure. I hadn't planned on going back till this summer but my mom fell on some ice a few weeks ago and broke not only some bones but also her usually happy emotional state. This coming right after she had surgery last year and had finally recovered, I needed to be there.

I am sure every expat will concur, living abroad offers a wonderfully unique twist on life, one I've come to love but it all gets shaken up when family or close friends incur sickness or distress. I've always seen myself as someone who will be there come hell or high water so between my mother and my best friend who is caught in the middle of a wretched ordeal I did what I could. I found few moments for the computer but jotted down some thoughts as I came to discover in the end it was me that also needed the trip home. It was like giving thirst to a dehydrating body. I tried swinging in under the radar but quickly realized its hard to not try and see people and quench the appetite for familiarity. Maybe it was the awful ride home that jolted my nerves but sitting by the fire drinking wine with my parents and the dog nuzzled in my feet gave a sense of peace to my soul. Laughing with friends till my face hurt and sharing an afternoon lunch like the old days reminded me I can leave knowing some things will always stay the same. Towards the end of the week I had a longing to get back to brazil.... I missed my life, my husband, the edge, the complexity, portuguese and the adventure that even a grocery store trip provides.

In that week I did it all... helped my mom recover and gain some cheer, shot some quick loving pictures of my best friend and her beautiful daughter, ate my heart out of my favorite French cheese, Indian food and homemade fondue and macaroni and cheese (yes I believe all of those have cheese in common, even my favorite Indian dish saag paneer) went to target and bought everything from a new toilet seat (more on that later) to shelf paper and a shower head, went shopping for a few summer things since mine are still hiding somewhere on the coast in customs and cured that need for some face to face affection.

Here are some highlights...

Momma and her little darling

SNOW!!!!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

FONDUE!

Sleepy Pup

accidental emotions

2011-02-08T15:18:00.004-02:00

There is a place floating in the sky, suspended in some unknown quiet in the clouds where like children we imagined them like soft comfy pillows you could dance around in thanks to many hours of watching 'the care bears' as a child. In this case, my 'caring meter' was far on the rainbow side, signaling all was congruent with earth and that precious delicate world of wishes and wonder. That is the place I go in the midst of turbulence and shaky atmosphere.

The other night I was happily embarking on a quick journey home for the first time since I moved. Everything seemed quite smooth, I questioned various emotions I might experience upon landing in the US as I waded through a 2 hour line into customs but all in all I was appreciating the chance just to be home for a bit. We boarded, I settled in with a glass of wine and proceeded to wait on the tarmac for 2 hours due to mechanical problems. It didn't matter though, it was 230am and I was intermittently doing the shut eye head bounce. Finally as we took off I grabbed a few quick glances back at my city down below and with another glass of wine and dinner in sight the 11 hours to detroit would soon speed by like a time warp. Then, a half hour into the trip like nails scratching a chalkboard the flight attendants began to scram and dinner disappeared on its common trajectory up the aisle. My aunt was a flight attendant for years and told me never to worry unless its obvious the staff is. They looked terrified. Scrambling around they awoke most everyone and finally the captain came on to make the emergency announcement. We had lost all radar and had to return to Sao Paulo immediately. There was a storm looming so everyone was on edge as the plane turned around and headed back with the ease of a roller coaster.

Its hard to describe the next half hour as I tried to make my way to that place, to find calm amidst chaos. All the emotions I worried about regarding being back in the US were trumped by making it safely to the ground. It was then a 30 hour blur of more customs (after the de-plane at 4am we had 250 people that had to go back through customs to get inside the airport with ONE official's window open), lots of extra hours spent in the sao paulo airport, a tasty McDonalds breakfast, standing in a two hour wait for the american airlines counter to open for the morning while I was shaking from drinking too much wine a few hours earlier, new farmer friends from north carolina that were also trying to get home to the same area and even offered to drive me as close to virginia as possible once we got stateside... it was a mixture of sunrises, sunsets, tears, smiles and new friendships that finally got me home. I almost forgot to capture what it felt like to be back for the first time knowing this isn't really home anymore... my new home down south... well I already miss it.

Thanks to the clouds, that place that saved my sanity...

a week in pictures...

2011-02-07T02:30:00.003-02:00

Sunday: The view from Terraco Italia... I think one of the best views in the city

Tuesday: Happy Dance, the air freight finally came, only 5 weeks later than planned! Spent the rest of the week wrapped up in soft towels, new sheets and using wedding dishes, silverware and other gifts we finally got to open for the first time.

Friday: Home Sweet Home USA... to be continued...

Done with Diapers

2011-01-31T13:05:00.001-02:00

This weekend we went to the beach, Juquehy to be exact with some of Alex's schoolmates from Chicago that also moved down here and have introduced us to a great little group of expats. As I prepped for our 6am departure to beat all the traffic mongrels I was trying on bathing suits to figure out which one might be the smallest of them all so as to best fit in with the locals and my brazilianified buddies. Finally I had my pick and I was prancing around stuffing the beach bag when Alex walked in and preceded to compare my bathing fabrics to that of a diaper. Lovely, thanks for the vote of confidence.

About 5 months ago we had a heated discussion with my mother in law and some friends over how quickly I would buy a brazilian swimsuit aka "post-it notes on strings." Since everyone figured me for a pushover I stood my ground and stubbornly declared NEVER. I love my bottom covered and secure and I own wayyyyy too many swimsuits already, I wasn't about get another one, especially any smaller. They made a bet with a wager we now cannot remember but it doesn't matter, I like winning and I'm stubborn so I never felt this would be an issue. Not only did my husband take my bikini for an overstuffed absorbant pad but my new American and UK comrades thought me silly for being so defiant.

Wheres my white flag. Im defeated, the brazilians have won and therefore challenged me to decrease the extra and in the way? material and dispose of the diaper. Whatever conservative modesty I clung to in my move from the north has washed away deep into the Sao Paulo sea. I am now on the lookout next time mall errands are on the agenda for the best 3 inches of water wicking thread suitable for my next foray on the beach. I've never seen my husband happier over such a vacuous victory. I now even feel silly for ever worrying about it in the first place. Who cares? There might be a little extra space for skin cancer but the liberating adoption of something so vernacular to the beach scene here makes up for it. At least with brazilian swimsuits you dont have to worry about fitting it all in, its more about stringing it all up.

Pic and "post it notes on strings" from Rachel's blog

honesty: brazilian style

2011-01-26T13:41:00.001-02:00

This morning in portuguese class

Teacher: Good morning Jana, are you pregnant?
Me: Huh?

Teacher: Yes are you with child... ? Oh i guess maybe not now, a lot going on in your life eh?
Inner Dialogue: is she serious right now?
Teacher: Did you eat a lot this weekend? Like feijoada or lots of churrascaria?
Me: Ummm no, lots of salads actually? (seriously, I went to the market this weekend and ate the healthiest all month)
Teacher: Well my you sure look, shall I say in english Chubby?! (no smile on her face either)
Inner Dialogue: Blunt force trauma
Me: Here is my homework for lesson 4.

Gotta love brazilian honesty. Im off to the gym for the next 87 hours

Jackpot

2011-01-24T17:14:00.001-02:00

Saturday we found THE greatest venue ever. Hello dear Vila Madalena farmer's market, I am your long lost local friend. Yes, I have marveled at the Mercado Municipal down town, paid the 5$ foreigner price for one mango and gawked at the wondrous displays of color and variety of harvest. But, I don't have the time or the patience to go over there every time I want inexpensive (minus the mango hangup) produce, spices, cheeses and meats. I think our new found gem beats the MM, its cheaper (they 'list' prices rather than negotiate) and you can sample anything you want without getting stalked by some rambunctious chap needing validation. You might have to put up with a good deal of screaming and yelling as one banana man stands off against his banana man neighbor in hopes one will be the winner of your dollar, but thats just par for the grocery green course. All in all though, we were the winners. Spending a lonely R$20 bill ($12 USD) on:
1 big bag of cherries
10 bananas
2 heads of lettuce
6 eggs
1 bag of spinach
3 large red peppers (seriously 60 cents?)
3 mangos
2 cleaning rags
2 notebooks
1 heavy duty scissors
2 very happy happy Vila Madalena residents.

Oh and we had change. Take that coupon Suzy! Who said this city was expensive?

You can find this lovely event Saturdays on the corner of Mourato and Aspecuelta....

Happy Pickin's

Stormy storms

2011-01-22T17:43:00.004-02:00

We live a few levels from the top of our building which is already on a very steep hill (hence the incredible view). So when we get a storm, it means business. I feel like the strength of the wind goes up exponentially at every floor. The windows shake wildly, the porch doors wobble uncontrollably and I usually have to shut the outer shell of protection on the porch which I've now discovered the reasoning behind. Things begin flying off buildings, lightening strikes and the whole apartment howls. Literally I saw rain standing still. There was so much wind going so many directions the rain just stopped for a second as it tried to remember to continue falling down, or sideways or back up again. Our balcony becomes a bathtub, water creeps into every crevice it can find and we have to mop beneath the windows in the living room because they do not have outer shells of armor. And this hurricane occurs almost daily now. When it subsides everyone comes back out of their shelter and the beat goes on. We are very lucky though, as there are many that aren't high up on stable ground... and they are in the news. Summer in Brazil... if only we could find where the rainbows are hiding.

the "shell"

oven-less snacks

2011-01-19T16:45:00.000-02:00

I am counting down the days until I have an stove/oven, blender, food processor, mixer... but in the meantime I am concocting several wonderfully simple afternoon snacks where all you need is a fridge!

This I will call the "Rustic Fig"

- One large slice of Pao Rustico (raisins, cinnamon, nuts)

- One fresh purple fig

- Brie cheese (triple creme and the smellier the better, more flavor)

- A few dollops of Acai jelly

- Pinch of Sea salt (for a slight punch)

Fondue with a View...

2011-01-17T22:58:00.002-02:00

So it started with a blogpost. And it ended in the celebration of a sort of forgotten anniversary. Its hard to make weekend plans these days with so much spontaneity and rain in the air. All I had to read was 'fondue,' and I was sold. Funny I never thought to inquire on the likes of tripadvisor or google for this most favorite food item and where it might be found in Sao Paulo... maybe because its hot, humid and rainy rather than cold, dry and snowy, the latter being normal circumstances for fondue cravings. Irregardless a reservation was made promptly and without much regard to the whereabouts of this intriguing "Green Garden" restaurant we headed for the hills sans GPS because we had better, man directions. Man directions are those that are half written cursive squiggle lines, sometimes with a hopeful "R" or "L" to designate an important turn and sometimes spelled correctly.

It just so happened it was the perfect evening, no rain a few clouds and an apparent stunning sunset around the corner. Off we went fresh smelling and a tad early to catch the view. An hour and a few wrong turns into flavelas later we arrived sweaty and late. You see, when you dont know where exactly you are going and you dont have a map (we are smart like that) AND you have man directions you should expect to come across a few delays. We didn't and we missed the sunset. But that was ok because once we found the right road, got out of the dead end scary place all intact and made it to the top of a very steep road where a GIGANTIC hollywood proportioned green sign welcomes and reminds that you've found GREEN GARDEN, all was right with the world.

Hello Fondue. But first Hello View!

The parking lot manager seemed a bit bored since there were only a few cars to manage at our american reservation time (830 is wayyy early for a sat night dinner) so he gave us the full lecture on the view. Which neighborhoods were where, our proximity to Guarulhos Int. Airport and the fact that on a clear(er) day you can see the water in the distance. Our elevation was about 3,200 ft roughly 700 ft higher than Sao Paulo.

The interior, much like the sign is bright and memorable. Blue christmas lights strung about with a colored dj both and disco ball... something about it said late 80's prom. Maybe that's because, "Fooled around and fell in love," was playing followed up by some classic Kenny G and Duran Duran.

Within that lull of saxaphone, over candlelight tasting some very yummy lamb cooking in the pot to our side, we realized we passed our 6month married life marker. Not that I felt our half year anniversary needed pomp and circumstance but it was nice that we happened upon that little fact over a random collection of cheese, bread, raw meat, boiling pots, vegetables, strange dipping sauces, Chianti and a tremendous view overlooking our new home. It was a great way to last minute celebrate with the greatest man behind man directions I know!

Thanks for the recommendation Gil and Ray. We'll be back for lobster season!

(picture: green garden website)

(unfortunately I just had my small point and shoot which doesn't do this view justice...)

Casa Braz

2011-01-15T18:07:00.008-02:00

Ever wondered where you might go if you wanted to spend say 40$ on a pizza? We learned the stupid way. One night we were looking up reviews on pizza and decided to place an order where the stars ranked highest on tripadvisor, our go-to "yelp" replacement. Portuguese is a tough language to learn but its even harder over the phone. So when my husband called I think he was so nervous about getting the order, address and conversation right that he forgot to ask the price. One hour later the 'moto boy' (delivery guy) showed up at the door with a pizza and a R60$ receipt. We honestly thought we were getting three pizzas and somehow the order got screwed up. Nope just one single pizza all by its lonesome, no cokes, no napkins and certainly no hot red pepper and parmesan packets. After a good laugh the pizza was so good it became a silly memory. We vowed never to spend that much on pizza that was driven 20 minutes from its location in the pouring down rain by a guy on a motorcycle going 90mph and literally risking his life in traffic to finally get us our now slightly chilled pie. But we would be happy to go there and enjoy it with a nice cold Bohemia Chopp!

Now its our every once in a while midweek date night or friday evening meet up with friends spot because the atmosphere is perfect and for Sao Paulo so is the pizza. Its all relative right? I refuse to compare this to my all time favorite pizza at Mici's in Denver or even the old brick oven and deep dish stomping grounds back in Chicago but this our place in Sao Paulo! While we don't go there as much as we would if it were 18$ pizza, we love it and if you come to this city and crave some mozzarella and fresh tomatoes on dough this is your casa!

Heavy hearts

2011-01-14T13:27:00.002-02:00

A few fellow bloggers have been mentioning some very unfortunate facts about the current flood situation here in the state of Rio de Janeiro. My heart breaks looking through the pictures, reminiscent of Katrina and Haiti where all I can do is watch in agony and try to donate money. Jim offered a link with a variety of ways to donate in Portuguese and someone created a facebook page with a paypal link however I am not sure who the money goes to so I would try and check that out first before sending a payment.

"Veja magazine say this is the worse natural disaster in number of deaths in Brazil’s history. O Globo reports the death toll now past 510."

Click here to view more pictures....

Weather report today? tomorrow? next week? more rain. and when i say rain i mean heavy heavy look out your window and cant see across the street rain.

Pigskin comas

2011-01-13T09:05:00.002-02:00

Brilliantly, someone decided to invent a device called the "slingbox," that literally connects to any dvr or satellite box in the US and relays the signal and remote to anywhere in the world. Even more brilliantly my husband found out about this before we moved here and he bought one and hooked it up to a box at his dads house. That day he was like a kid opening his first train set watching over and over how he could change the channel with the computer remote. Now, you have to have fast internet speed to be able to log in and connect to the direct tv box and we did not have this in our hotel. I didn't realize that was the last of our frolicking around the new city together. When we got to move into our apartment he cared less that we were without sheets and towels or even a bed, but internet was imperative. He even smiled and winked an extra gringo wink at the NET lady to have it set up the ~~day~~ morning we ~~moved in~~ walked in the door. Our first "moment" in the new place together was with the NET guy figuring out how long it would take to get things up and running, it was very romantic.

If he were just a football and hockey fan, or just a baseball and basketball fan, or even just a Chicago sports fan there might be some light at the end of the tunnel. But he is an... all of the above fan. We have two computers and one rented TV until our stuff arrives. He bought cords for both our mac and pc to hook up the computers to the tv for full viewing capacity. Brilliantly, the cords do not work with his older PC and work effortlessly on my mac. Every evening I get sad droopy puppy eyes in the hopes that I release my computer and husband to the sports devil. From that point on he's lost in the moment, what is it with guys and sports? He is a smart man, we have smart conversations and then all of the sudden sports come on and he can't even manage to complete a sentence?! He uses the hand during important plays to which I've learned is short for, "I think you are talking, perhaps asking me an important question but as you can see I am quite engaged, so do you mind holding for a commercial break?"

The silver lining? I get to watch 'the today show' every once in a while and catch a little chicago news and weather to further remind me why I live in and love a warm climate. Brilliant!

Yes, that is him checking spring training baseball stats on his computer while watching Drew Brees battle the Seahawks on my computer.

Truly Unique

2011-01-11T11:56:00.004-02:00

In the unisex washroom at La Mar restaurant in Itaim there is a scrolling cityscape decorating the edge of the mirror. At first glance I was frustrated that I didn't recognize the city but then realized the buildings weren't printed true to scale and upon further glance I identified Willis Tower (former Sears Tower) and the Aon Building to know it was most definitely Chicago.

Major cities around the world play host to a collection of timeless statements recognizable and distinctive, be it in their topography like Rio, massive monuments like St. Louis and Paris or in brick and mortar like Sydney and New York. Generally, Sao Paulo is a mass of homogenous concrete with specs of colored glass here and there and little varied architectural distinction in the skyline other than maybe the radio towers on Paulista Avenue that look like mini Eiffel towers.

Its hard to miss the visual nature of Brazil's protectionist mentality, from the designers to the products. Keep it local; its the defining phrase of pride and in some respects its rather refreshing. You may not always get the best your buck can buy but in a way its all relative isn't it? Regarding architecture, you get a good dose of the vernacular talent from the obvious Oscar Niemeyer to Ruy Ohtake to the under-recognized Lina Bo Bardi (MASP). Their masterpieces fall a little short of the loftiness required to make an individual statement along the horizon but each have created memorable pieces. Once you see them, they are unforgettable and unique to Sao Paulo. I have a running list of places to explore and photograph from the Centro Cultural CCSP to the more notable SESC Pompéia but for now we'll stick to the unique.

In an effort to create "daring" architecture in Sao Paulo, Ruy Ohtake's, "Hotel Unique," rises to the occasion. Ohtake was basically given artist's license not only to create an icon but to elevate the standard of boutique hotels. Boasting only 95 rooms this concrete filled smile is best viewed from the top. To be honest I've eaten at the restaurant and I don't think the food is worth the hefty price tag but its certainly worth a drink or five on a breezy clear evening at the sky bar. If you can get a table on the pool deck bordered in glass for optimal city reflection its a Sao Paulo panorama at its best. Planes flying in and taking off above challenging the soft lounge music and conversations of business travelers and local hipsters. Its the perfect place to blow some $R, sit back, relax and take in the monochromatic view.

Some friends were discussing this most unfortunate lack of symbolic skyline here and while there are many historical and political reasons for the overused faceless concrete designs it might mean you just need to sneak below the canopy to find the true gems. In the end, a view is a view right?

I was there recently on a perfect cloud spangled sky.....

(photo: Architour)

(photo: skyscrapercity)

where modernism meets aliens

2011-01-06T19:29:00.006-02:00

Vila Madalena has been keeping me up at night with an amazing array of restaurants and night life. In such an eclectic neighborhood of artisans and fashion, the food is no different. From organic cafes to middle eastern treats and good old traditional brazilian dishes its hard to find something mainstream, much less reason to stay in and cook. Since I don't really have the gear to cook at the moment anyways, its a great excuse for trying out all the new local digs.

During the day I've been exploring Cemetery Araca which opened its doors for tombs in 1887! It may seem morbid to spend so much time with the departed but this place has as incredible amount of character and is nothing like the hill of plastic flowers I grew up around and more like something you might find in New Orleans. The dead tell their stories through elaborate, rarely modest stone work where fresh flowers lay and a few bums take cover. Meanwhile outside along the walls and streets near by, colorful alleys of graffiti tell stories of the living. Galleries of public art wind their way down steep dominion and creep their way into my imagination. Everything is a part of the drawing, the windows, trashcans and even the trees. This is no home for vandalism but instead the visions of locals cast like dreams on a storyboard.

The architecture is a fusion of contemporary monotones and concrete designs sometimes called 'brutalism' with a touch of traditional and gothic style worship dwellings wiggled in between. Writers, painters, musicians and designers coalesce among the uniqueness that surprises and captivates on every corner of this bohemian village. This place, all on a bed of san francisco-like topography served appropriately with bakeries a plenty to make up for your walking work out is full of contrast and resolve. We couldn't have picked a better new home.

I am struck with love.

Vila Madalena in Sao Paulo

It takes a forest... of patience

2011-01-03T18:32:00.004-02:00

Getting proper quantities of documentation to do ANYTHING in this country is like wading through concrete. I seriously don't think the word "efficient" is listed anywhere in our brazilian portuguese translation book. If it were, it would read:
Efficient: please see Incompetent.

Ok a little mean but I need to air out some frustrations.

We have an air freight box coming from the US that was packed back in early December complete with sheets, towels, pillows, dishes, silverware....etc. Things we well kinda need. The box was supposed to arrive Dec. 23 and instead landed Dec. 27th. Fine. We could wait a few days without those necessary things since we were still living in a hotel. However once we moved into our apartment we have a floor, a mattress, paper towels... none of which help with any of the desired things we enjoy doing like shower and sleep. We didn't want to buy stuff because we thought the box was here and would be delivered any day! All documentation was said to have been done, notarized and approved. Dec. 29th we received an email when we inquired about receiving such box, requesting more documents. No, they needed "three" copies of our airline ticket each notarized, not one notarized and then copied two times like we were told. They also needed "two" copies of some "DOU Gazette" which I am not sure what that is but something must have gotten lost in translation. Once we get this all figured out, printed and notarized it will take a day to send to the correct people that will then take a day to approve it and then another day to send us our box. Or they will realize we need to cut down another tree and have that notarized as well, just in case.

This comes on top of the fact we have no local bank cards either. Itau bank screwed up Alex's information and its taken over three weeks for him to be able to pick up a temporary card. He was told last week they would have this "rushed" for him to pick up Monday. Well today is Monday and they said, sorry we are rushing it for Wednesday. We have been using our american cards for the past six weeks that work 50% of the time. Usually we go through 3 visa's and an AmEx to find out this just isn't going to work. Our back up plan is cash or realizing we have run out of cash like the other day when I poured out all the change I had on the counter and had to put back the groceries that I couldn't cover while a line of confused people waited. It will get fun if that happens at a restaurant. "I thought you said you got cash? No, I thought you HAD cash? Sir could we wash dishes?"

We also have a container coming that left Chicago in early December. That is supposed to take 1 month to get here by boat and then another 2 months in customs. IF our mini rainforest of documentation is correct.

Brazil I love you but this is a bit ridiculous.

Feliz Ano Novo

2011-01-01T11:34:00.001-02:00

Staying in on New Years Eve in is incredibly rare in Brazil. Not only is every holiday or non-holiday reason to party but New Years is the celebration of celebrations next to carnival. At 7pm we went out in search of pizza and there wasn’t a soul to be found, much less any pizza with a soul. Storefronts chained and bare, we could have laid down in the middle of the street for we were lucky to locate another human nearby. I might have spotted tumbleweed rolling in the distance like some John Wayne movie. It was eerie and beyond extraordinary in a city of such size. The ONLY noise to signal this holiday was a concert of neighboring households practicing their firework shows and a cacophony of dogs responding in distress.

We moved into our apartment yesterday, a mighty feat worthy of pizza and champagne. The plan was always to stay in, hang out on our new balcony and watch the sunset, the most inactive NYE to date. Alex was sick with what appeared to be a nasty flu so we quietly listened to the choir from the church across the street, eating cereal, (several attempts for pizza delivery including dominos were unanswered) I with the champagne all to myself. I caught the occasional white ghost streaming by on the avenue late to a party, as it is customary for all Brazilians to wear white on Reveillon (New Years Eve). Out of the 18 million people here I felt like 17 million of them were at the beach jumping waves. Not only do you wear white, but also you are to jump 7 waves at midnight, light candles in the sand and offer flowers to the sea to bring good luck for the subsequent year. I am sure it is a beautiful sight and right when I was wondering if we shouldn't have made coastal plans... it all began.

The firework show(s) started around 11pm and the city became apparent through a lens of color and light and all those people I thought had fled for the ocean clearly had only been hiding. The rooftops were packed and the music from parties around the city turned up their volume and multiple melodies drifted in the air. I have seen fireworks on islands, the grandest of shows in NY, Boston and D.C but I have never seen a sight like this before. We had the perfect vantage point, an almost 270 degree panorama of virtually every neighborhood in the city. From as far as the eye could witness, organized shows blasted on the horizon simultaneously with smaller household shows from as close as across the street. I tried counting at one point but there must have been over 200 different shows, probably more. It was strangely like what Baghdad must have been like post 9-11 or as if lightening was striking a million locations at once. The light pollution and haze from a cloudy day made it difficult for my camera to focus so I quit trying to capture it tangibly and let my mind take it all in as one of the best memories I will ever have in this city, this I know. From the penthouses to the flavelas it was a democratic spectacle for all to enjoy.

2010 was the year of “transitions;” Alex graduated business school, I left my job, we got married, said goodbye 5 times to family and friends as we waited and finally finally became expats. The word for 2011 will be “acclimation,” as we are finally settled, bringing in the New Year with an address in a city full of wonder and uncertainty.

progression of the evening....

plane in the sky getting ready to land at congonhas

panorama of our breathtaking view

Youtube videos I took of the firework explosion....