SÃO PAULO BY A PAULISTANA

*Be positive, life reciprocates.

We have the privilege of having family, not blood family, but family from the heart in São Paulo. They are good-hearted beings who welcomed us with open arms, who fed our bodies and souls and made their home, our home. My dears, once again our Thank You, you really are unique!

They showed us that São Paulo, after all, may not only be a pile of concrete, on the contrary, it is a vibrant city, with immense life and culture, a city that never sleeps, and where something is always happening!

It was precisely one of these friends, an Angel from São Paulo, born and raised to whom we proposed this task, this challenge, which she embraced immediately!

Here goes, without further ado....

SÃO PAULO BY A PAULISTANA

When you are invited by your favorite blog to talk about your hometown there is no way to decline this invitation, just devote yourself to doing your best!

São Paulo in the eyes of a paulistana...

I was born, raised and still live today in this megalopolis, every day I discover a little more of São Paulo, because this city does not stop, does not sleep and recreates itself at all times.

Millions of inhabitants and a jungle of stone, perhaps this is the first impression when hearing about SP, but underneath so much concrete there is a universe to see, hear and feel.

Get ready, we'll walk a lot...

To begin the contact with the city, let's start with its zero milestone and its place of birth: Praça da Sé - downtown São Paulo, right in the middle of the square, a small monument indicates this landmark! Do not be alarmed by the amount of people and activities in the surroundings, allow yourself to look around... Probably your eyes will take you to contemplate a beautiful church, The Sé Cathedral: a cathedral in Gothic style with incredible acoustics and lots of history. Observe a little more, very close to the Cathedral, we have the Palace of Justice, an imposing building, inspired by the Roman Court. Continuing our observation, we have a building with lots of black columns: the Cultural Center of Caixa Econômica Federal, if you have a spare time, it is worth the visit, you can always find here a good exhibition and a great museum.

Praça da Sé and Sé Cathedral

Sé Cathedral

Palace of Justice

Architectural detail of the Cultural Center of Caixa Econômica Federal

Following Rua Boa Vista, a few steps from Caixa Cultural, we arrive at "Pateo do Collegio", simply the birthplace of the city. Stop a minute and go to the bell that is in front of the Pateo, this bell is the Landmark Monument of Peace, you can ring it in a symbolic act for PEACE.

Pateo do Collegio

If you are on lunchtime and start getting a little hungry, go to the São Bento and XV de Novembro streets, you have great lunch options in restaurants located in historic buildings (suggestions: Salve Jorge, Boteco Central and Casa de Francisca).

Now that we have rested and regain our energy, let us walk...

If you are a fan of shopping and have lots of energy, head down to 25 de Março Street, Latin America's largest, somewhat crowded, somewhat chaotic popular shopping mall.

If you want to continue on a quieter circuit, follow the Tea Viaduct and find the Theatro Municipal, inspired by the Paris Opera, this building draws attention to the internal and external architecture and is one of the most important musical stages of the city.

View from the Tea Viaduct

Theatro Municipal

Next to the Theatro Municipal we have the City Hall of São Paulo and the Shopping Light.

Prefeitura do Município de São Paulo

Following 24 de Maio Street we'll find the famous Av. Ipiranga, at number 200 we will see one of Oscar Niemayer's works, the Copan Building. In S shape and with more than 1000 apartments, Copan opens to the public twice a day (10h a.m. and 3h30 p.m.) for free. From the top of its 32 floors, it is possible to see much of the city of São Paulo.

Copan Building

São Paulo from the Copan

From the Copan, you can go up Consolação Street towards the most trendy avenue of São Paulo, Paulista Avenue. As the walk is really very long, I advise you to take a bus, taxi or car by application, in just 10 minutes the Paulista will present it self.

Paulista Avenue

Paulista Ave. was once the home of wealthy São Paulo farmers, later, as getting more and more urban, it became the financial heart of the city with the headquarters of several banks and financiers. Gradually this avenue has incorporated a lot of diversity: we have 4 malls, countless shops, several banks including the Central Bank of Brazil, a park (Trianon Park), several cultural spaces among them MASP, a modern building designed by the Italian Lina Bo Bardi which seems to float, because its columns are placed on the sides of the building.

MASP - Museum of Art of São Paulo

In this iconic avenue, you will find many food and beverage options, for every taste and every wallet. Take a few hours to explore Paulista and the surroundings, you will see old mansions and towering buildings coexisting in the same scenario; executives and hippies, people of all race, ethnicity, gender, religion, all together and mixed.

Get lost or find yourself, but enjoy this avenue that is the face of São Paulo!!!

A.S.