Put 22 million people in a place and see what happens. Urban fizz pop bang.
Spot the pool party - throughout the city it's riddled with semi-secret rooftop bars, galleries, pools and lounges, some for those in the know, others as a public forum for all
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The Japanese community in the city is 700,000 strong:
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I loved this solid block of art deco, one still being restored, other awaiting it. The mission building on the right is a complex 500 years old:
The mix of architecture in the reviving Old downtown is crazy -the old and new at every turn, on every street reminded me a lot of London's The City financial district or Lower Manhattan -but bigger. It just went on for miles in every direction.
I've never seen more art deco than in SP, many merging seamlessly into moderne or neo classical in equal measure. Half the time it's effectively disguised.
I found it hard to realise that such a city exists and hardly anyone knows it, so large an area completely off the radar. This CBD has been dormant for a while, but fast reviving -very Berlin a la noughties apparently in terms of the bloom in art and culture, parties and speakeasies, still at easy prices.
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Everywhere is being restored, some slower than others:
if you look very, very carefully, the majority of these buildings are art deco:
The density of the city is staggering
Even the dated styles were good quality -while here I developed an appreciation for all things Eighties, pomo and luxe
70s architecture was also high end, with a lot of detail and finish. The building at right used traditional materials and Brazilian styled wooden shutters to create a randomised geometric effect, functional yet aesthetic
Neither have I seen so many murals, let alone giant, skyscraping ones, they're pretty much on every block. the art has an art deco quality, reflecting the building
Vultures were everywhere -this was on the busiest street, Avenida Paulista, while Yuri is the best host, and sweetest boy
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