By now I’m pretty comfortable with wandering the streets of São Paulo. In my wandering I find some interesting things.
Left is an abandoned mansion on Paulista left empty by one of the coffee bourgeoisie of the city — possibly during the depression when coffee exportation lagged and Brazil’s economy declined. Prior to this, Avenida Paulista was one of the most expensive places to live in Latin America — a place where coffee barons could flaunt their wealth through elaborate mansions.
The streets are lined with butcher shops. Brazilians love their meat and it seems to be in every manner of food. Picanha, sausage, pork — it’s some of the best I’ve ever tasted.
Coco water is common and cheap… not to be mistake with coke. The two sound almost identical when ordering so you need to be clear. Juice bars like the one below are everywhere as are coco vendors.
Street performers work the streets outside the Teatro Municipal — a lively place with lots of people. The theatre was another of the Brazilian bourgeoisie’s contribution to the city. Completed in 1911, it has become one of the city’s more significant landmarks.
Finally, in some cases the graffiti in São Paulo is simply beautiful. I stumbled upon works of art in and around Chinatown. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference between what was planned and what was added by graffiti artists.
