Behind Sao Paulo’s Grungy Exterior
“Well there aren’t many things to see in Sao Paulo,” I would hear over and over again when when I asked my fellow flight attendants what to do and see in Brazil’s largest city, “but you can go to the Havaiana’s store and do some shopping. Or you can hang out by the hotel pool.”
So for someone who has a particularly strong aversion to shopping and cannot imagine hanging around the hotel when visiting a brand new city, Sao Paulo didn’t seem—at least on the surface—to be a particularly full of things to see.
What, Exactly, is there to See and Do in Sao Paulo?
Internet searches for things to see and do in Sao Paulo didn’t give me many ideas either. Even the employees working the hotel’s concierge desk echoed the voices and opinions of my fellow flight attendants. There is a historic district in the center, I was told, but it is not a particularly good place to visit. And besides, there isn’t exactly anything there.
Yet, as often as I was told that Sao Paulo didn’t have much to offer tourists, I couldn’t find it in me to accept that Brazil’s largest city was devoid of places to visit.
So, as soon as I changed out of my uniform and into comfortable walking shoes, I took a map from the hotel and began heading toward the city center. I decided to explore Sao Paulo on foot and try to uncover some of the city’s gems on my own.
Admire Sao Paulo’s Cathedrals
I began my tour of the city by walking the length of Avenida Paulista toward the Church of Consolacao—a beautiful cathedral with a particularly stunning interior.
As I studied my map in order to determine my route to the historic center from the Church of Consolacao, a Polish woman approached me and asked for directions. She wanted to visit the city center too, but had no map or sense of orientation. She asked if she could join me and I agreed.
The two of us walked together toward the famous Cathedral da Se in relative silence, stopping for pictures every so often.“Amaaaaaaazing” my Polish friend would say, ever time we passed by a crumbling colonial building, a colorful mural or a flowering tree. “This is just amaaaaazing.”
With the help of my new companion’s enthusiasm, I began to look behind the brash exterior of the world’s third largest city. Behind the layer of grime, I could see beautiful architecture waiting to be restored. Sao Paulo is home to a surprising number of colonial gems, including statues and plazas, an ornately decorated opera house and the grandiose Cathedral da Se.
I found myself slowly falling for the chaotic and congested city.
Learn about the Different Cultures that Live in Sao Paulo
While Sao Paulo lacks the picturesque beauty of so many other great cities, it makes up for its lack of eye-catching charm with its dynamic cultural milieu.
Sao Paulo has a large population of Italian, Japanese, German, Spanish and Portuguese immigrants, as well as a significant number of descendants from African slaves. It has the kind of eclectic and diverse mix of people that one would expect to find in cities like New York or Dubai. More than 100 ethnic groups–hailing from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East–are represented within the city limits. In fact, Sao Paulo is home to the world’s second largest Japanese population outside of Japan and contains more Italian descendants than Rome.
And everything from the city’s architecture to its cuisine reflects Sao Paulo’s position as a cultural crossroads. From its fine Italian restaurants to its reggae street performers and from its ethnic neighborhoods to its modern skyscrapers, Sao Paulo is a blend of North and South, East and West.
Like many other large cities, Sao Paulo suffers from extreme wealth inequality. The city’s busy streets flood with businessmen in crisp suits and ties, while beggars and panhandlers line the sidewalks and fill the city parks. As a result of the inequality, Sao Paulo has been known as a hotbed of petty crime. Perhaps that is part of the reason flight attendants and even the concierge desk were so wary of suggesting things to do and see within the city’s core.
Yet I found that, with a vigilant eye and awareness of one’s surroundings, Sao Paulo can be an exciting city to explore. It is a dynamic and vibrant tangle of concrete, where people are just doing what they can to eke out a living and survive.
Stroll through Ibirapuera Park
The following morning, before my flight back to New York, I escaped the concrete chaos of Sao Paulo and wandered down the hill from my hotel to Ibirapuera Park–one of South America’s largest urban green spaces.
Ibirapuera Park is one of Brazil’s greatest landmarks. The park is replete with things to see and do–from admiring the iconic Bandieras Monument, to strolling down a secluded path, to picnicking in the park.
For about an hour, I meandered through groves of banyan trees, around lakes with fountains and past grassy fields. I saw families and lovers biking along the paths, children playing soccer and badminton, and even a few people doing tai chi.
Ibirapuera Park was a far cry from the rest of Sao Paulo and, had it not been for the towering skyscrapers still visible in the distance, I would have felt as though I had escaped the city altogether.
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Truth is, the flight attendants were partially right.
Sao Paulo is not a glamorous city. Nor does it have the classic beauty of places like Paris, Venice or Cape Town. Instead, Sao Paulo is grimy and sometimes dirty. It is old and crumbling and chaotic. I can see why Sao Paulo does not necessarily entice visitors to fall in love at first sight.
Sao Paulo may not be at the top of every travelers agenda, but it is surely worth a few days’ visit on a trip to Brazil. For, behind the layer of grime, a beautiful, crumbling city is waiting to be explored.
I’m glad that I was able to visit Sao Paulo on layover, since I would not likely have chosen to visit the city on my own.
And now, if fellow flight attendants ever approaches me looking for suggestions on what to see or do in South America’s largest city, I’ll be sure they know that lounging by the pool and buying flip flops are not their only options.
