1. The endlessness that only São Paulo has
Every time we Paulistas show someone the view from our city, they say: ‘Wowwww, where does it end?’ When you go to the top of the tallest building in NYC, you can see the end of it. In Berlin? The same. In São Paulo, though? Hell no, it never ends.
Photo: Rafael Matsunaga
2. But you can escape the city’s massiveness with just a bus ride to Ibira
Photo: alexanpaulo
And within just a few steps of entering Ibirapuera, your mind is released from all that heaviness of the city’s concrete.
3. How crazy the crowd is during live shows, every damn time
Photo: fotostrasse.com
This is why bands like Iron Maiden, Motorhead and Rolling Stones tell the world how they love Brazilians.
4. Pastel
There is no life without pastel, only sadness.
5. And of course, the caldo de cana that goes with the pastel
Photo: Ederson Peka
Suger cane juice: it’s amazing and we love it.
6. Benespão
Obviously, it’s our most iconic building.
7. Tomar uma gelada on a hot summer day
Photo: fotostrasse.com
We love to go to the bars, we love to sit on the street, and we love to drink our cold-ass Brahma, or Skol, or Itaipava. We’d love it even more if the beer was good, but after a few glasses, who cares?
8. Crossing the street, whenever we want to
Please, São Paulo is too busy and fast to waste time waiting for the green light.
9. The best breakfast ever: pingado and pão na chapa
We’ll always miss going to the padaria every morning and paying like 3 reais for a pingado with pão na chapa on the side.
10. All of the international street parties
Because we’re basically a country built by immigrants, we have a ton of different street fests. My favorite will always be Achiropita, celebrated every August in the Bela Vista Italian neighbourhood.
11. Liberdade
All Paulistas know it, and all Paulistas love it. Liberdade is the go-to place for perfect Asian food, cheap Japanese memorabilia and amazing gardens.
12. Going to Minhocão on Sundays
13. All the in-your-face street art
Photo: michael_swan
The voice of our city screams wherever we go.
14. The Copan
Once you see it, you know where you are.
15. All the revitalization that’s happening right now in São Paulo
São Paulo is grey? Yes! It is filled with ugly buildings? Yes! But we love it. And we love all the bike lanes we have now and the old, abandoned buildings that are being improved. Places that were once left to rot, are now open and filled with life. 