Sao Paulo Weekend

Moving on up

After a good time on Thursday singing our hearts out in our very own karaoke box Laura and I tried for a repeat good time and went out with Frankie, an intern here from South Africa, Miguel, an intern from Spain, and Miguel’s friend from Sao Paulo. We went to a club called Jockey which had both a live band and then some popular American music we could dance to. Miguel’s friend taught me how to samba and I also got a little fame when I invited myself onto the stage. I danced up there for a little while and then when the singer gave me a microphone so I could sing along I sang “Meu no falo Portuguese” into it. “Meu no falo Portuguese” happens to be my most used phrase and translates to “I don’t speak Portuguese.” Needless to say, I was a hit.

Taken in our very own lobby

I promised a Brazilian bonanza this weekend and it did not end Friday night (or as you may look at it, early Saturday morning). On Saturday Laura and I got up and headed over to the nice part of town around Paulista Avenue (or the Michigan Avenue of Sao Paulo). We couldn’t afford really any store except one- Havaianas. Havaianas, although once the ugly shoe that one wears when cleaning the bathroom, have found worldwide recognition as the top flip flop brand in the world. Havaianas are made in Brazil and their concept store is in Sao Paulo so Laura and I made the pilgrimage to buy average quality flip flops for above average prices. We spent a lot of time browsing and deciding which pairs made the best souvenirs.

After wandering past stores we couldn’t afford we decided to head to a lunch we could barely afford- Fogo de Chao. As I have mentioned before, I was dubious about going to Fogo de Chao because we have one on LaSalle Street in Chicago, but all the Brazilians I have talked to said it was the best in Brazil so Fogo de Chao was the place to have our Brazilian lunch. As Laura and I arrived with our Havaiana bags we were greeted by a waiter who pulled out our chairs and were ready to treat us to a four star lunch. We just took our time eating as much meat as possible, occasionally turning our cards to red to stop the waiters from bringing more meat in order to digest the vegetarian’s nightmare. While eating Miguel and his friend showed up and joined us in our feast.

Laura and I planned on going to the Sao Paulo futebol game at 6:30 that night and Miguel and his friend were also game, so we headed over to Morumbi Stadium. Sao Paulo was playing a team from out of state called Atletico, and because it was not a huge rivalry we were informed that there was less of a chance of getting caught in a fight. The security to get into the stadium was tight though. We actually got patted down, making it harder to get into Morumbi Stadium than boarding a flight.

The game was a good time, although it was kind of chilly and I was still tired from the night before. The best part about being there was watching the fans and how into they got. They had all these organized cheers, something that I can’t say is found a lot in the United States, and I don’t think there was one person at the game who wasn’t wearing their team’s colors. Unfortunately the game tied at 2-2 (Laura and I were cheering for Sao Paulo) but we still got to experience the Brazilian passion.

Laura and I were wiped out by the end of the second half, so we hopped into a cab in order to arrive at our hotel and take a nap before going out that night. Jessica’s buddy’s girlfriend was having a birthday party so we decided to attend that after trying to catch up on some sleep. The party was at a bar called Dublin of all things. We had to wait in line a while to get in but once we were there we had a great time. Everyone at the party was so kind to us and the band there played a good mix of songs along with a DJ so we could dance away so of the thousands of calories consumed during lunch. Also, it was nice to get a taste of my Dublin roots (although I think the only thing Irish there were the three street signs hung on the wall). Laura and I took a cab home around 1:30 (Jess had left earlier to catch a bus to Rio) so we could rest up for another packed day on Sunday.

Sunday I got invited to spend the day with Laura, her buddy Gabriela, and her HR person Rita. Our first stop was Embu, a smaller town outside of Sao Paulo that has a great craft fair. It was nice to get out of the city and get a view of the beautiful countryside of Brazil. I didn’t buy a lot there, but I enjoyed my time strolling along the winding streets.

For lunch they had planned to take us to Fogo de Chao, but when we told them we had gone the afternoon before they changed the plans. Instead of going to the nicest restaurant in Sao Paulo we went to the second nicest. The Italian place we went to is located on the top floor of the tallest building in Sao Paulo and although the food was average, the views were amazing. We relaxed and took our time eating while viewing Sao Paulo spread out below us. After lunch we also took our fill of pictures from the top of the building (where Gabriela and her fiancé got engaged).

All in all, a great Sao Paulo weekend. After going to a futebol game and actually spending a full weekend in Sao Paulo I think I can call myself a local.