The Traveling Martens

Sao Paulo, Brasil

We took an overnight flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil and woke up as we started to near the city. We were flying over the edges of the city and started to see groups of skyscrapers the size of Manhatten. As we kept flying, these groups became more frequent until it was all just one enormous stretch of skyscrapers as far as we could see. We knew Sao Paulo was one of the largest cities in the world, but it's hard to imagine what it actually looks like until you see it from the air and it's like 10 New Yorks in one.

Our first stop was to meet our friend Laura, who lives in our building in Miami, and her Mom who she was visiting in Brazil. We went to several museums and started exploring the city. We went to dinner that night at Hotel Unique, which is an upscale hotel with a restaurant and bar on the rooftop that overlooks the city and parks nearby. It must be one of the best views in Sao Paulo and was a great place for dinner and caipirinhas- the famous Brazilian drink made with cachaca (like rum), sugar and lime. Caipirinhas are served everywhere in Brazil. Ironically, we met some people at the table next to us at dinner who lived in our same condo building in Miami.

Although Sao Paulo is a huge city, there aren't many large retail companies. There are what feels like a million little shops. It was nice to not see a Wal-Mart or Starbucks. We went shopping for the necessities- Havaianas, which is a Brazilian brand of flip-flops, and are the most comfortable ones made.

Feijoada in one of Sao Paulo's nicest restaurants

Our hotel was the Melia Jardim Europa and was a great place in the "European Garden" area of Sao Paulo which has some of the nicest neighborhoods and homes in the city. We got picked up in a friend's bullet-proof car to head to lunch at Figueira Rubaiyat (www.rubaiyat.com.br and select figueira), which was amazing. It was probably the nicest restaurant we went to and is a patio built around a giant tree with a glass enclosure built around the tree. We were lucky enough to be there on a Sunday, which is when the feijoada is served. Feijoada is a traditional buffet of different kinds of meats, beans, rice and other dishes. There is also a cheese ball in Brazil that is like bread dough with cheese in it and is served along with meats. It is impossible to describe, but fantastic. We sat there all afternoon (literally) with a group of friends, eating and drinking. From there, we went to another neighborhood bar and restaurant (Mercearia Sao Roque) which is a casual place with outdoor seating. It was packed with people, but we managed to get a table and once again, ate and drink for hours until the sun went down. A great Sunday tradition, just eat and drink with friends all day!