Sudeste do Brasil: São Paulo

Sudeste do Brasil: São Paulo

São Paulo, Brazil

São Paulo

General Information -

São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil and the 12th most populous on Earth. Its population alone facilitates in making it the largest economy by GDP in Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere. Being an economic powerhouse, the city attracts a lot of people immigrating from around the world. In 2016, inhabitants of the city were native to over 200 different countries. São Paulo also hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the IV Pan American Games.

Places

Parque do Ibirapuera

The Parque do Ibirapuera reminds me of New York's Central Park because it is an urban park that comprises 158 hectares in the middle of the city. It is one of the most visited park in the world with 14.4 million visits in 2017. The park was opened on August 21st 1954 for the 400th anniversary of the city. It has beautiful gardens and offers a beautiful view of some of the largest skyscrapers in all of Brazil. 

Ubatuba

Ubatuba is on the southeast coast of the city and is a very important tourist city. It features more than 100 beaches and even a few islands. It is home to a large recreational surfing population and is even known as the "Surf Capital of Brazil". The city is generally known for its amazing views, incredible beaches and an enormous biodiversity of birds. There are nearly 565 species of birds that have been identified (What a much better number than the thousands of pigeons we have in Arizona).

Sao Paulo Museum of Art

Built in 1968, this concrete and glass structure houses some of the most internationally recognized collections of European art and considered one of the best museums in all of Latin America. It also features Brazilian art and drawings. The entire collection of more than 8,000 pieces is collectively known as Brazil's Institute of History and Art. However, if you look at the picture above you can see the museum's unique design. The building itself is a landmark in of itself and represents modern Brazilian architecture. Notable art work includes Portrait of a Young Man with a Gold Chain (Rembrandt), Resurrection of Christ (Raphael), and Pink and Blue (Renoir).

Guaruja

This town is frequently considered the "Pearl of the Atlantic". This may be because it is a popular tourist destination for those living in Brazil's most populous neighboring city. It is less than an hour away from BLAH. Why does everyone flock to Guarujá? This is a popular vacation spot due to its famous beaches including Guaiúba, Tombo, Astúrias, Pitangueiras and Enseada. Its a very small municipality however contributes a lot to Brazil's GDP due to these famous beaches and vacation spots.

SP Cathedral

Its full name is the Catedral da Sé de São Paulo. It is a Roman Catholic church that has seen many reconstructions in its long history. Its most recent look dates back to 1954 where it was built in a Neo-Gothic style. However, a church stood in its place beginning in 1616. It was later demolished and built in a Baroque style by 1764 (picture on right) and remained until 1911 when construction started on its most recent construction.

Music

Chorinho (Adoniran Barbosa)

Also known as "choro", chorinho is a popular Brazilian instrumental music genre. It originated during the 1800s in Rio de Janeiro. After listening to it, it can be considered very fast, happy, and light rhythms. Choro was originally played by a flute, guitar, and a cavaquinho. However, the mandolin, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, and trombone are also used. It is special because it is one of the first genres that came to be known as "brazilian"

Forró Universitário

Forró Universitário originated in São Paulo. This sub genre was formed in the 90s by students which mixed elements of Forró with rock, punk rock and Reggae. It is a favorite for college students and even has an accompanying dance that originates from Forró dancing. It started at various university parties but later spread to the rest of Brazil.

Pop Rock (Rita Lee)

Rita lee was a famous Brazilian Pop Rock singer. She has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide and is known for being an animal rights activist and dedicated vegetarian. She was originally in Os Mutantes but ended up leaving and going solo in 1972. 

Rap (Racionais MC)

Racionais MC is a Brazillian hip hop group that started in São Paulo. It was formed in 1988 with Mano Brown, Ice Blue, Edi Rock, and DJ KL Jay. They sang about social justice through gang imagery and was unconventional due to the serious topics they sang about. This might be because all of the members came from favelas around the city of São Paulo. They are considered the most influential Brazilian rap group.

Amusement

Business

As explained earlier and in the video, São Paulo is the business capital of Brazil and arguably of Latin America, as well. Here are some statistics to prove my point. São Paulo as a whole comprises one third of the Gross Domestic Product of Brazil. It is the 10th richest city on the planet. If it were a country itself, it would have an economy close to the size of Poland or Belgium. In fact, it has an economy the size of Mexico. It is incredible! Many international companies that do business in Brazil base their headquarters in São Paulo (nearly 63%).

Why is São Paulo such an attractive business hotspot? It might be because it is the 12th most populous city in the world and has over 12 million inhabitants with almost 20 million if you included close surrounding cities. Not to mention, these inhabitants are incredibly diverse with over 200 countries represented in the population. This makes Brazil attractive to many international audiences. Lastly, it has an extensive and efficient transportation system with very few natural disasters.

Helicopter taxi

Despite having an extensive ground transportation system, there is still a need to ditch the traffic on the ground floor. Room offers on-demand helicopter taxis in the same way Uber offers car service. At peak hour, traffic can be backed up as much as 576 kilometers (358 miles). Why not take a helicopter taxi? It is not incredibly expensive with a 20 mile trip only taking nine minutes and costing $150. Not too bad for a quick ride across the city.

Food

Pizza

São Paulo is known for its pizza. However, it makes sense when you consider that nearly 6 million residents, almost half, have Italian descent. 4,500 pizzerias produce a million pizzas each day. It is rumored to have better pizza than Naples itself.

Bars

Of all the reasons to fall a little in love with São Paulo, its vibrant nightlife is one of the best. The SP night is blessed with a sophisticated, wide-ranging selection of styles and genres – and a relaxed, fun-loving crowd, so when nights out here are good, they’re some of the best you can have anywhere.

VIDEO