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Certainly I have no quibbles with the service. The concierges and the desk clerks were all kind and helpful, consistently making me restaurant recommendations and reservations. The business center was well-equipped as well for all my needs. Even the bell hops were terrific, making sure I always left and arrived with a smile (even though I knew I was overpaying on their car service).

Room service was fine but overpriced, and the breakfast buffet was absurd -- who can eat US$25 worth of food at 8am? The lobby was dark, and the lobby bar was not condusive to mingling. You cannot sit at the bar, but rather must sit at a table and wait for waiter service. When travelling alone on business, it is very hard to meet other singlets this way. (The lobby bar is the single most important aspect of a hotel for me when I travel on business.)

During my stay, many of the guests were there for a corporte conference (which are normal for this hotel the desk clerk told me). Thus, it may be wise to reserve far in advance to avoid being booked out. The guests were perhaps half Americans and half Brazilians, with some Japanese, too.

My room was clean and comfortable, with a minibar and a desk with dataport. I had a view of the avenue and Trianon Park, which is right next to the hotel and a fine place for a walk (it is very shady and quiet). The hotel is in the Jardims area, which means you are near fantastic shopping and restaurants as well as a few cinemas. You can walk around this area at night, and by yourself during the day.

My room was clean and neat, with plenty of space for me to spread out all my sales materials and meeting presentations. If I had wished, I could have bought food and cooked myself lunch and dinner, but wasn't staying long enough to take advantage. The flats offer many amenities hotels do. I had a dataport for dialing-up, laundry service was available, as was room service, a small gym, and a minibar. However, when I needed them to mail a package for me, the front desk could not assist me, and the English of the desk clerks was not as strong as in the luxury hotels. (But the clerks were kind and helpful otherwise.) I think I was an anomaly in the flats, as everyone else there was Brazilian (and assumed I was as well). This was not a problem for me, but could be for a less confident traveler. If you are traveling with your family, or are traveling for business on your own dime, these residence flats are the way to go.

We were there for lunch, and the place was hopping. We waited about 10 minutes for a table, and when we left an hour later very few tables were without diners. The walls were filled with terrific South American art, mostly paintings, that added to the vibrancy and interest of the place. There is a small bar area in the front of the restaurant where you could have cocktails after work. It's conveniently located only four blocks from Avenida Paulista and half a block from Rua da Consolacao (walking distance to the Sheraton, the Renaissance and others). mestico.com.br

It was perfect for me, because not only was the waiter going for low-visibility (which meant he never bothered me), but there were always a few tables empty, so I could sit as long as I liked and read my book without feeling like I had to scoot.

The restaurant had those wine jugs with the straw baskets woven on the bottom as decoration, with the red and white checked tablecloths. You know what I'm talking about. The menu kept with the theme - big, family style portions of heavy pasta dishes, huge meatballs, generous servings of entrees. The food wasn't anything to rave about, but it was a good deal for what it was: nothing fancy and close by, where I could order wine by the glass and let my pasta digest for a while before ordering a canoli and espresso for dessert.

It's housed in a renovated and adapted building that's situated next to an only-somewhat sketchy park. The renovation perfectly combines the classic architecture of the facade with a contemporary layout. The building is practially sliced in half by a huge atrium that runs through the entire height of the museum. This not only allows the curators to separate collections, but it also adds much natural light and visual interest to the space.

The Pinacoteca acquires only Brazilian art, and for me this made it the perfect entree into the culture, mindset and history of the Brazilian people. The first floor holds the temporary exhibits. When I was there, I saw a colorful exhibit on the history of native handcrafts (from utensils to toys to carnival masks) and a show of the emblem alphabet of Rubem Valentim, from Luz. This was cool, as Valentim created this graphic alphabet to give a voice to indigenous tribes and the disenfranchised of the cities.

On other floors are the permanent galleries, which trace art from Brazil's colonization through to the present. A thoughtful visitor can learn a lot about Brazilian iconography and history while moving through these rooms. Some of my favorite artists, painting mostly realistic landscapes, were Rebolo (1903-80), Almeida Junior (1850-1899), and the still lifes of Pedro Alexandrino (1856-1942).

The contemporary art and sculptures are showed on the ground floor. It was clear that they were finishing the renovations on this part, as well as continuing to develop their collection here. Even so, this was the most interesting part, as it was quite fanciful. There is also a nice cafe where you can get coffee, sandwiches and desserts at the bar and then bring it to your table. It's not too big so it doesn't get noisy. I even sat there and read for a while.

Being at the pinacoteca gave me a case of saudade. It was amazing. Walking through the museum, I began to feel that wistful sadness creep over me, a sense of regret mingled with hope, as if I was looking at my history and understanding the good and bad times that brought me to where I was in that moment. I could comprehend (without being able to explain) how Brazilians could be joyful about life and living even in the face of their nation's difficulties.

I do not know if everyone who visits the Pinacoteca do Estado will have the same visceral connection to the art that I did. But, I highly recommend you all go just in case you do.

The branch at Conjunto Nacional is actually three separate spaces within the same shopping center. Each space specializes in something: technical books, literature, and so on. Based on my experience browsing international bookstores (and this experience is extensive), I can say that Livraria Cultura has the most carefully-chosen selection of books for sale I've ever seen. There is something for everyone without the selection being dumbed down. If you are looking for something to read while traveling, Livraria Cultura will without a doubt have a book for you.

Conjunto Nacional tel 3285 4033.
Shopping Villa Lobo tel 3024 3599.
livcultura.com.br

Not only does it have a nationalistic flair (naming itself after manioc, a potato-like tuber that is part of the local cuisine), but there are plenty of tables where groups may sit, the snack menu is fantastic (selections range from the greasy to the light), the drinks are yum, and it's in a great neighborhood close to many other restaurants and bars. I think you can even order dinner if you wish.

Apart from the excellent conversation I had with my friends, the thing I remember the most about this restaurant is the leafy decoration. Were they bamboos or just giant potted ficas? I can't recall, but that's just a recommendation for the strength of Quinta do Mandioca's caipirinhas!

telephone 3064 4999

Author Jorge Amado is a cross between Charles Dickens and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. In the history of national literature, Amado is to Brazil what Manzoni is to Italy. His novel Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon is essentially a love story (everyone loves Gabriela), but Amado artfully demonstrates the class (and gender, and generational) struggles of an industrializing city in Bahia. The culture and history of Brazil is lovingly and insightfully presented in a plot that winds and weaves through the politics, love, jealousies and successes of the characters who fill this evocative novel. Interestingly, I could see the problems of contemporary Brazil in this novel, even though it was written in 1958 and is set from the 1920's thru the 40's.

Brazil, by John Updike, is the novel that brought Brazil into my imagination. The book brings the reader along with the two lovers through the entire country of Brazil, vividly depicting an immature nation filled with magic. Updike retells Bedier's The Romance of Tristao and Iseult with such passion and vibrancy that to this day I think my perceptions of Brazil are filtered through my memory of this novel. When I go to Rio and lay on the beaches in Copacabana, I cannot help but imagine the scene where Tristao first meets Isabel. Read this book, and many scenes will stay with you, too.