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Brazil's other hot spot (13077)

13077Advocate Travel2004-07-13

Brazil's other hot spot

One of the
world's largest
pride parades

Looking for someplace more adventurous and less obvious than Rio? Check out Sao Paulo, the home of one of the world's largest gay pride parades and one of the hottest spots in Brazil for gay nightlife

Michael T. Luongo

The streets, the pace, the height of the buildings--all of these combined to make me think of New York on my first visit to Sao Paulo.

Even the way Paulistas, as the locals are known, speak Portuguese--fast as they drop syllables they deem unnecessary--tells you this is a city with too much to do and too little time to get it done. It's a real contrast to laid-back Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian city most visitors know best. Still, to my delight, the locals find the time to talk to strangers, as tourists are fewer here than in its sunny sister city.

Friends of mine who grew up in Rio always call it culturally confining--hard to believe as it is, considering we think of it as a liberal paradise, at least for tourists. But Sao Paulo is the opposite--it's where Brazilians and immigrants from around the world come to get ahead, make themselves known, achieve something. You feel this sense with every interaction.

Rio and Sao Paulo are as different as night and day, and Sao Paulo is something no visitor to Brazil should ever miss, or they will never understand this country.

Sao Paulo's size--more than 18 million people--and its role as Latin America's premier business center entail that the city has great restaurants, superb cultural outlets, and a whole lot of busy people looking for something to do when they get out of work.

City highlights

Since all of the pictures I'd ever seen of Sao Paulo were aerial shots of an endless cityscape of 1970s high-rises, it was hard to imagine there might be beauty here. But at street level, and with its many remaining historical buildings, Sao Paulo is full of hidden treasures.

Circulo Italiano, also known as Teraco Italiano, is one of the city's tallest buildings with a lookout restaurant. It's a good starting point to see the vastness of Sao Paulo. Nearby, the Praca da Repu;blica is like a small jungle in the midst of the city, its trees overgrown and hanging over small canals. It's run-down and grimy but full of life, with people trying to escape the city any way they can.

You'll find groups of men cruising women or men (depending on their tastes) and hippie street vendors selling handicrafts. A beautiful classical building overlooks the park, and in front of this there's a tourist kiosk, a useful stopping point for maps and ideas about more to see. It's open seven days, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Two pedestrianized streets lead from the park, Rua Barao de Itapetininga and Rua Dom Jose de Barros. They are full of crowded shops as well as the usual Bible thumpers and assorted nuts you always find where people gather. This was once where all the fashionable shops were--but those have all moved into the malls and shops in suburbia where the wealthy now live, like the Morumbi shopping center.

Still, the human scale and busy nature of the area make it a joy, and the most interesting thing to see here are the human billboards. Old men and women are paid to plaster their bodies with the latest job offerings. Crowds gather around them, taking notes, handing out resumes. It's an interesting spectacle.

It's also just a quick walk to the Municipal Theater, styled after the Paris Opera. The building sits on a hill overlooking a park, and the steps and fountains that cascade from it are often full of young lovers finding quick moments of romance on their lunch breaks. You can take tours of the building on Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon or 1 p.m., but they are not always in English. Still, the beauty of the building, full of bronze, marble, gilded plaster, and stained glass, speaks for itself.

A true Sao Paulo gem is the excellent but small Museum of Art of Sao Paulo, better known as MASP. The building is funky and interesting all on its own. Inside you'll find works of art by all the European masters--Van Gogh, Renoir, El Greco, Hals, and many others. Paulista Avenue, where the museum sits, is best known for the hotels, banks, and fancy restaurants that surround it. It's a great area to explore, especially if you want to experience where busy office workers congregate.

Besides the buildings, it's the people that are a highlight of course, and Sao Paulo is home to the largest Japanese community outside of Japan--more than 1.5 million in the state of Sao Paulo. While most of the immigrants have spread throughout the city, their traditional neighborhood is Liberdade, but there they have begun to be replaced by Koreans and other immigrants. The neighborhood has a strong Chinatown feel to it, even down to the shops.

Italians, estimated to number several million, also are among the largest immigrant groups in the city yet are not as visible as the others since they share many physical traits with the city's Portuguese-descended majority. Bela Vista is the city's Little Italy, well-known for its restaurants.

Very little of the old colonial city is left, but a real treasure is the Jesuit church of Ancheta downtown, on the street Quinze de Novembro (15th of November). While the building is from the 1700s, the site dates to 1554 and the founding of the city. As in the Spanish colonies, the Jesuits were eventually thrown out of Brazil for trying to prevent abuses against the Indian population.

While Sao Paulo is known for its modern architecture--and often denigrated for it--interesting old buildings remain all over the town. I'd suggest a wander with a good map, during the daylight, to find these little old oases of history all over the city.

Gay life in Sao Paulo


Revelers at the 2004 pride parade

One of the world's largest cities, Sao Paulo sports one of the world's largest gay pride celebrations. The 2003 gay pride march had nearly 1 million participants and viewers--this is a huge change from the small numbers who came only a few years ago, a sign of the ongoing progress in gay rights and visibility here. The route of the parade follows Avenida Paulista, the city's most important thoroughfare, and wraps down Ipiranga Avenue towards Praca da Repu;blica. The parade is in mid June--this year it was June 13--and it's always fun (www.paradasp.org.br).

A recent addition to the gay urban landscape is the Victor and Victoria Mall (55-11-3337-2395; dial 011 before the phone number when calling from the United States), which opened on Rua Rego Freitas 52 last July, around the time of gay pride. Hardly upscale, it's best for satisfying your needs if you're an aspiring drag queen or a tweaking club kid in need of emergency party gear. You'll also find a pleasant, Spartanly furnished cafe in the back, ideal for chats with young locals. Still, the fact that the mall exists--really a collection of stalls in a long warehouse-style building--makes it worth the visit.

Here I met Dodo of Dodo Gifts, who dresses up in fascinating drag while tending her shop. Next door her friend Marco Costa sells T-shirts he decorates by hand. The owner who started it all is Henrique Buenoprado, based on an idea by his business partner Victoria Cury, after whom the mall was named.

Buenoprado is hoping the mall will serve to anchor the district and work as a revival force for an area some say has been on the decline.

"I want to make it bigger and expand," he said, and part of his plan is to open an information kiosk both for tourists and locals to know about services. While the stores might not suit all tastes, they serve as an important incubator for local talent, providing the opportunity to show products they couldn't at higher-rent venues. Buenoprado was most proud of the shop Farho Leather, where all the products are handmade by the designers--some are club clothes; others are purses utilitarian but funky

After the mall it was on to bars for my friends and me. Next door to Victor and Victoria was the drag-heavy and club-kiddie spot Planet G, which was a quick, fun visit for us (Rego Freitas 56; 55-11-3333-1627). Then we hit Blue Space for a Cinderella drag spectacle. It's a former theater-turned-club, with different levels and spaces, each with its own mood. Lots of shirtless men dance without a care, yet it remains girl-friendly (Rua Brigadeiro Galvao 723; 55-11-3666-1616; www.bluespace.com.br).


Blue Space boys

A total change of pace was Vermont Bear, one of three Vermonts in Sao Paulo, each with its own theme. Bear is a rustic, tight place, giving the sense of partying in an overgrown log cabin. And of course, it's full of big, hairy men (Avenida Doctor Viera de Carvalho 63; 55-11-3333-6190).

Then it was on to UltraLounge, which I just loved. Red, red, red, decorated in flocked gold velvet wallpaper, red upholstery, and gilded mirrors all about. It looks like a cross between a brothel and a place a Sicilian grandmother would feel at home in. The music was great, but more than that, gorgeous men haunted every corner and filled the dance floor (Rua da Consolacao 3114; 55-11-3875-0189).

Hotels

In the Morumbi district, the Morumbi Hilton, the newest and largest hotel in Sao Paulo, has 485 rooms, many with spectacular views. The hotel is beautiful and near lots of shopping but is a long cab ride from most of the gay venues. Rooms range from $149 to $400 a night (Avenida das Nacoes Unidas 12901; 55-11-6845-0000; www.hilton.com).

Another was the Downtown Hilton, conveniently located near many of the gay bars. At 32 years old it shows its age but is a funky building. Make sure to see the city from the sky lounge and its circular windows. Across the way you'll also see one of Oscar Niemeyer's most famous buildings. Rooms range from $55 to $150 a night (Ipiranga Avenue 165; 55-11-3156-4300; www.hilton.com).

The Marriott is another choice, new and sleek. The location puts you in the heart of the business district and near many great restaurants, MASP, and other cultural institutions (Alameda Santos 2233; 55-11-3069-2233; www.marriott.com). Rooms range from $295 to $500 a night.

A bargain choice is the locally owned Bourbon Hotel in a charming neoclassical building. The location is also excellent for the gay bars; in fact, it is surrounded by them. Breakfast and many amenities are included. Rooms range from $40 to $65 a night (Avenida Doctor Vieira de Carvalho 99; 55-11-3337-2000; www.bourbon.com.br).

Restaurants

I didn't have as much chance to sample eateries, but I did get to Churrascaria Vento Haragano, where meat is king and the waiters and waitresses are gorgeous and accommodating. Slabs of meat come out on prongs, and it's all you can eat (Avenida Reboucas 1001; 55-11-3083-4265).

I also sampled the gay-friendly Mestico. There's a great variety to eat here, and it's very inexpensive (Rua Fernando de Albuquerque 277; 55-11-3256-3165; www.mestico.com.br).

Crime

I often think fears of crime in South America are laughably exaggerated, especially when I think of the violent 1970s and '80s New York I grew up with. However, crime in Sao Paulo is very real.

Take, for example, my own walk through downtown. Across from Praca da Repu;blica the police pulled out guns and surrounded a parked car, only to let everyone go once everything checked out. Ten minutes later a businessman ran frantically to a police officer to explain he had just been robbed. The officer didn't seem to care at all. All of this occurred around 2:30 in the afternoon on busy streets.

Depending on where I wandered, I also noticed people eyeing my camera. Still, at night I felt safe walking almost everywhere, even alone. My advice? Be careful, not stupid; stay aware of your surroundings. Avoid jewelry and keep money in more than one pocket. If you get a sense of a bad situation, just leave or grab a taxi.

Getting there

There are many ways to get to Brazil, and for this trip I used TAM Brazilian Airlines, connecting via Miami for a direct flight to Sao Paulo. Interestingly, middle seats in coach are made oversize, with the philosophy that if you're between two people, you ought to at least be comfortable. Varig and TAM are in the process of merging, and they share mileage with American Airlines (888-2-FLY-TAM).

Resources

When in the clubs, pick up a gay map or a copy of Abalo, the gay newspaper. You can also check it out ahead of time on the Web at https://www.abalo.com.br.

Another good Web site is https://www.bareserestaurantes.com.br, which serves as a mainstream guide for the city.

Brazil Pride: For further gay travel information about Brazil, check out https://www.brazilpride.com

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