I used to have occasion to visit South America routinely on business and would often travel to Såo Paulo, known as an "alpha global" city. With a population of over ten million in its urban area alone and more than twenty million in its metro area, the municipality of Såo Paulo is not only the most populous city in Brazil, the Americas, the Western and Southern Hemispheres, but it’s also the world’s fourth largest city in terms of population. My carrier of choice was United Airlines and I was fortunate to be a Global Services member. For those of you not familiar with Global Services, this is United’s top tier elite status that doesn’t have published criteria. It’s for those who spend a good deal of money with the airline, so you’d generally only be invited if you booked a great many full fare First or Business Class tickets. While the most valuable Global Services benefits include expanded award availability and access to top-notch phone and airport agents, Global Services status got me top priority for everything from cleared upgrades far in advance of travel to priority waitlist on standby flights. I mention this because it really came in handy many times, but I fondly recall one trip to South America that would have been ruined without it.
Most of my journeys originated at the Baltimore Washington International (BWI) Thurgood Marshall Airport. I was a regular visitor to the United Red Carpet Club there and, over time, got to know the club agents fairly well. (The United Red Carpet Club name and the Continental Airlines Presidents Club name were phased out after the airlines merged. They are now collectively known as United Clubs.) Some believe spending money or mileage on an airport club is a waste, but it paid dividends for people like me who flew more than 100,000 miles with the airline every year. I definitely made good use of the clubs and, since I’m obsessed with aviation, I frequently arrived several hours early for my flights. Such was the case one afternoon when I was headed to Chicago O’Hare with an onward connection to São Paulo. As I presented my credentials at the club entrance, the customer service representative said, “Mr. Rhodes, your flight is going to be cancelled, but I’ve secured a First Class seat for you on our next flight which departs in ten minutes. But you’ve got to leave right now.” I rushed out, heading to the gate and while I never got to enjoy the Baltimore club’s amenities that afternoon, I arrived in Chicago with plenty of time to spare, giving me an opportunity for a leisurely visit to the International First Lounge next to Gate C18. (it’s now the location for the United Polaris Lounge.)
From O’Hare, United was flying a Boeing B777-200 aircraft to South America which departed around 9:00 PM. The ten hour and fifteen minute flight passed quickly with good service along with a good meal and several hours rest in a lie-flat First Class seat on this overnight flight. São
Paulo is two hours ahead of Chicago and we landed at the Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) on time at 9:30 local the following morning. I was booked into the Grand Hyatt São Paulo Hotel and the journey time by taxi was about two hours covering a distance of just over twenty-seven miles. Traffic is typically very heavy during the morning hours in this highly-populated city and we passed miles and miles of skyscrapers towering above en route with seemingly no end in sight.
Located in the heart of the Berrini Business District close to many of the city’s top restaurants, shopping centers and attractions, this 5-star hotel offers a full-service spa, two swimming pools, a gym and views of the Estaiada Bridge. This beautiful and futuristic-looking bridge is over 450 feet tall and spans the Pinheiros River. Rooms at the Grand Hyatt are stylish, spacious and contemporary, featuring extensive work areas and cutting-edge technology. The bathroom was spacious with an invigorating rain shower and deep soaking tub. The Grand Hyatt houses several restaurants which serve Japanese and Brazilian cuisine. I was checked into a 441-square foot King bedded room with Grand Club access. Here, I found the staff to be very friendly and responsive and appreciated the private concierge, continental breakfast, evening cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, along with complimentary dry cleaning or laundry. The lounge was a “home away from home” and added considerably to the comfort of my stay in the city.
Following my business meetings, I had some time to explore this fascinating metropolis. Along with my associates, I taxied into the city’s historic heart, Centro, to the Mercado Municipal de São Paulo, or Mercadão (“Big Market”), which is filled with stacks of bacalhau (dried cod) and heaps of tropical fruit. The market building is known both for its size (over 135,000 square feet) and for the enormous stained glass windows that adorn its facade. The vaulted hall is bookended by these stained-glass windows which depict idyllic agricultural scenes. Designed by Russian artist Sorgenicht Conrad Filho, the panels are reminiscent of famous Brazilian churches, since Filho designed the stained glass for over three hundred of them, including those of the nearby neo-Gothic cathedral. The market’s star attraction is a jaw stretching mortadella sandwich, made from nearly a half a pound of Italian Mortadella Sausage, Provolone Cheese, Sourdough Bread, mayonnaise and Dijon Mustard. It's as much a symbol of São Paulo as the cheesesteak is of Philadelphia. I ordered mine with an açaí smoothie and a coxinha de frango, or drumstick-shaped chicken croquette. They were all delicious but very filling!
After all that, it was time for a walk and a respite from the busy and crowded city. So, we decided to take a thirty-minute cab ride for the five mile trip to São Paulo’s Ibirapuera Park. This is an urban park comprising over 390 acres, about half the size of New York’s Central Park but impressive nonetheless. It’s the most visited park in South America, and was the first metropolitan park in the city, designed along the lines of other great English landscape gardens built in the Twentieth Century in major cities around the globe. The park was inaugurated on August 21, 1954 for the 400th anniversary of the city of São Paulo with buildings designed by architect João Felipe Pereira and landscaped by Otávio Mendes. The construction of several pavilions in the park was originally considered controversial, but locals have come to accept and appreciate the park housing some of São Paulo’s most interesting and popular museums, including the Museum of Modern Art.
This museum occupies one of several low-rise, yet sprawling buildings designed by prolific Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, considered to be one of the key figures in the development of modern architecture. Dominating the museum atrium for over two decades is one of the iconic, eerily lifelike, six foot tall, bronze mama-spiders by artist Louise Bourgeois created as a tribute to her mother. The museum’s permanent collection of over 5,500 pieces includes paintings and sketches by Brazilian and international artists produced after 1945. We particularly liked the Dancing Museum (Museu Dançante) project in which about forty works from the permanent collection, including paintings, sculptures, and photographs related to dance, were displayed alongside interpretive dance sessions performed by members of the São Paulo Dance Company. What an unexpected treat that was! São Paulo is often likened to Nw York City and, although Brazil’s financial capital can most certainly hold its own in the global pantheon of big, dynamic metropolises, we found the city can indeed be compared to the Big Apple when it comes to accessible, interesting, high-quality museums. If it’s only to get out of the tropical rain or the urban smog, there’s much to be said for having an engaging, educational experience in South America’s biggest city.
In recognition of the city’s being home to one of the largest Japanese neighborhoods in the world, a Japanese Pavilion is part of the park. It was built jointly by the Japanese government and the Japanese-Brazilian community and donated to the city of Sao Paulo in 1954. The building’s material was shipped from Japan. Its structure is a replica of the Katsura Palace in Kyoto and was built based on traditional Japanese architecture in the Shoin style, used in homes and the homes of the samurai aristocracy. The main building contains an exhibition hall with Japanese art, samurai clothing, pottery, sculptures and a tea room. Next to the pavilion is a Japanese-style garden with abundant plants, ornamental trees, and volcanic rock transported from the Far East There’s also a koi pond, whose inhabitants thrive on being fed by the visitors who come to the park.
With positive feelings from our visit to the pavilion, we took an early meal at the Aya Japanese Cuisine Restaurant on Avenue Pedroso de Morais before my late-evening United Airlines departure for the US. It was a trendy yet cozy spot offering both traditional and unique Japanese dishes and was the perfect close to my productive and pleasant visit. My return flight departed GRU at 9:45, arriving in Chicago at 5:20 the following morning after a ten hour and thirty-five minute journey. I caught the first flight out to BWI and returned home safely mid-morning.
Until next time…safe travels.
The description of the mortadella sandwich sounded enormous - and then you had sides! Maybe Man vs Food has a new Champion?...