São Paulo
“An urban patchwork seen from the sky…”
From the plane, you can see private streets, houses, and towers scattered everywhere. A contrasting mix that shapes the city’s landscape.
“The origin of cheese bread…”
The first shop at the airport is Pão de Queijo. That’s when you realize where Starbucks got their little cheese breads from. These existed long before them.
“A more orderly first impression…”
Stepping out of the airport, the dense vegetation and well-maintained infrastructure stand out. Roads and buildings, especially between the airport and downtown, look far more polished than in Mexico City.
“A structured arrival…”
At the airport, there’s a designated Uber station, adding to the sense of organization. In the taxi, the driver asks us to buckle up in the back—police are strict about it. The cars are fairly new and quite stylish.












“A surprising urban detail…”
On the streets, small tubular metal structures hold trash bags in place, preventing them from being scattered by the wind or rain. A simple yet effective system, something you don’t often see elsewhere.
“Well-designed social centers…”
The CESC, social centers accessible with a membership card, bring multiple services together under one roof. Depending on the floor, you’ll find a documentation center, a dentist, a gym, and badminton courts. This particular one even had a climbing wall on the 6th floor and a rooftop pool. You need patience to access it, but Paulistas have plenty.
“An enclave of the Empire of the Rising Sun…”
The Japanese district, born from immigration after World War II, is massive. It’s home to one of the largest Japanese communities in the world. Walking through, you see faces blending Japanese and Brazilian features, a fusion reflected in the neighborhood’s atmosphere.












“Here, ice-cold beer is sacred…”
Here, beer is always ice-cold. It’s often sold in large bottles, placed in insulated holders to keep it chilled. We were even told that if it’s not cold enough, Brazilians prefer to wait for it to cool down rather than drink it lukewarm.
“Pixadores, between art and defiance…”
The Pixadores practice pixo, a graffiti style with sharp, angular lines inspired by hard rock logos and, according to them, ancient alphabets. They tag the most visible facades, taking risks to earn recognition in their community. The higher the risk, the greater the respect.
“Surveillance everywhere…”
Cameras are everywhere, even in neighborhoods monitored by private security companies. Some of them can be accessed through paid apps, offering real-time surveillance.
“A touch of Gotham…”
A New York of the South, a Gotham City vibe. Hyper-modern, a chaotic mix of styles and eras stacked together.
“Back to the big city…”
Stepping out of the airport, after an escape outside the city, you immediately notice people wearing AirPods Pro or Max. A small but telling detail.
“Change of pace…”
Coming back here feels like returning to the capital after a coastal city: people in a hurry, bad weather… but also less risk of getting your phone stolen, haha. Except here, it’s not the North, it’s the South.
“A two-person system…”
On the bus, there’s the driver, but also another person in the middle collecting fares and letting passengers through a turnstile.
“Trash bins under lock and key…”
In the city center, metal trash enclosures are locked to prevent the homeless from rummaging through them.












“Samba circle at Santa Cecilia…”
Every Friday night, Santa Cecilia Square comes alive with a roda de samba. White, Black—everyone gathers around the musicians, singing and dancing together in sync.
“Samba schools at the Sambadrome…”
The top samba schools rehearse weekly at the Sambadrome, a long avenue lined with grandstands. There are two in Brazil—one in São Paulo and the larger one in Rio. One of the oldest troupes, Vai-Vai, has 5,000 members. It takes them an hour to parade from one end to the other. As soon as they exit, the next school enters from the same side.
“No messing with the cops…”
Here, you don’t joke with the police. And you definitely don’t try to bribe them.
“Sunday in São Paulo…”
A classic urban outing: walk along Minhocão, an elevated peripheral road cutting through the city center between tall buildings, then head to the Centro market for a pastel de carne seca com abóbora (dried beef with pumpkin pastry), washed down with coconut or sugarcane juice. An urban delight.
“A striking contrast at the Pinacoteca…”
At 5:30 PM, in front of the train station, a flood of workers crowds the platforms, standing at the edge of the tracks, unfazed, in an orderly calm. The station is spotless—not a piece of trash in sight. With its brick and metal architecture, the renovated old station evokes an Old World capital in the age of steam engines. And just outside, homeless people, prostitutes, and police share the same street. The contrast is jarring, everything pressed together.
“Carnival is made for hooking up…”
Here, the atmosphere is already relaxed, frustration-free. Carnival is just the peak of it: partying, dancing… “Carnival is made for hooking up,” someone tells us the night before we leave.