Sao Paulo is ugly but sexy

Klaus Wowereit, the former Major of Berlin said that "Berlin ist arm, aber sexy" (Berlin is poor but sexy). Paraphrasing Wowereit, I would said that Sao Paulo is an ugly sexy city. Ugly because it is a concrete jungle with a incoherent layout with many hideous rundown buildings and a crazy transportation system that could test the nerves of experienced travelers. Sexy because it is one of the most interesting and fascinating cities that you could visit as long as you have an open mind to observe the beauty behind this human made chaos. 

I traveled to Sao Paulo in 2013 for a conference and I stayed there for eight days which I enjoyed to the fullest. This a destination for the very experienced travelers. The first thing you will notice it is that the Guarulhos Airport seems to be stuck in the 80's. It feels like time traveling. Finding your luggage is an odyssey. Once you are out,  you might experience a traffic jam of epic proportions depending of the hour of your arrival. Don't leave the airport without eating a delicious pao de queijo and a Guarana Antartica; these would give you the strength you need to reach to the city center 

The main street in Sao Paulo is "Avenida Paulista"; it reminds me New York. You will see many interesting buildings and helicopters. The rich people of Sao Paulo do not drive fancy cars they fly to avoid traffic; it is quite an spectacle. The area is very walkable and has many places to visit. The main attraction is the Museum of Modern Art of Sao Paulo (MASP). In my opinion, the best museum of European Art in Latin America. It has wonderful collection of Modigliani paintings and the building itself is a work of art. I recommend to eat your lunch there, the museum's restaurant has a delicious buffet. You can also go to the near Jardins, an upper class neighborhood, where you can have lunch or buy at exclusive stores if you can afford it. 

Sao Paulo is the cultural capital of Brazil. There are many museums in addition to the MASP. One of my favorites is the Pinacoteca do Estado when you could discover great Brazilian painters.When I visited this museum I was delighted with Antonio Henrique Amaral, an excellent painter with a thought-provoking work. Near the Ibrapuera park you will find the Bienal  Pavilion (with temporal exhibitions) and the MAM (modern Art, for those with special tastes) . Apparently there is also the Museum of Contemporary Art (I did not visit this one) also close to Ibrapuera. The Ibrapuera is one of the most interesting city parks of Brazil with some buildings designed by Oscar Niemeyer. There are also private and public art foundations : Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, FIESP, Sao Paulo Cultural Center, Institute Tomie Ohtake among many others. You will need more than a week to see everything. However, if you want to enjoy Art for free you need to go to Boca do Batman. Sao Paulo has one of the coolest graffitti scenes in Latin America, and probably in the world.  

Bienal Pavilon

Graffiti Boca do Batman

It is not a secret that Sampa is a foodies'paradise. It has a large proportion of the best restaurants of Brazil. However, these are for the rich. I found that the local eateries, where the employees go for lunch break, serve delicious food at very affordable prices. You need to try the salgadinhos, these little appetizers made from pork, cheese or chicken are quite tasty. Italian food is another good option in Sao Paulo. Apparently, there were many migrants from Italy at the end of the 19th  century leaving a large culinary legacy (Sao Paulo's pizza is quite good).  For breakfast, try tapioca, a kind of crepe made from yucca, and of course, you need to eat fruit while in Brazil. Fogo de Chao is a restaurant chain that I recommend; it is one of these experiences that you will never forget. One final advice: go to the market and ask for a mortadela sandwich, but make sure that you are very hungry before ordering.

There are many additional interesting things to see and do in Sao Paulo, like Libertade (Japanese town), la livraria cultura, la Sala Sao Paulo, the nightlife, the huge shopping centers among others that deserve their own review but I will leave these for you to discover. Regarding the issue of security, I never felt unsafe in Sao Paulo but you need to be aware of your surroundings and use common sense. Be careful, specially at night, there are some areas that you should never visit after the sunset and always use a radio taxi. Sao Paulo is an underrated destination soon to be discovered. The city just needs to fix some issues regarding transportation and safety.