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Things to do in (and around) Rio
Daniel Mossé, General Chair of the RTSS conference this year and a native of Brazil, offers these tips for what to see and do while staying in Rio de Janeiro:
- See the Corcovado, which is the big statue of the Christ, overlooking the city. It is a great view. Also, and it is a good idea NOT to do it alone. Get someone to go with you, or ask a local to take you there by car.
- Go to a samba school. This is like a big all-night party. You go to an enormous arena, like a high school gymnasium, only ten times bigger. There is a percussion section which plays mind-numbing music non-stop. Dance, drink and meet people. It is a blast. Recommendations: Concha Verde at the top of the Sugar Loaf (Pao de Azucar), or Plataforma Uma.
- Visit Jardim Botanico - the botanical gardens of Rio de Janeiro. Huge and sprawling. As the name says, lots of plants - and only 1.5 miles from the hotel.
- Saara: many
pedestrian-only areas crisscross Centro.
The most famous of these is known as Saara, a giant street bazaar crammed with discount stores. In the last century, Saara attracted an influx of immigrants from the Middle East, and if you're in search of authentic Lebanese cuisine, this is the place to go.
- Go to the beach. They are all over the place. Barra da Tijuca is the most beautiful of all easily accessible beaches. One hour away, going south, there are other beaches, like Prainha (means "little beach" in Portuguese). Sao Conrado is also a beautiful place, where youngsters---they must be---practice jumping and flying delta wings (hand glidders) of a 3000 ft cliff, on Sat and Sun. Copacabana's beach is also spectacular.
- After the beach, go to one of the cafes on the beach side and have a beer (choppe, pronounced shoh-pee) and some snacks (kibe, coxinha de galinha, frango a passarinho, pastel).
- Another great restaurant: "476" in the small fishing village of Pedra de Guaratiba. It's about 40 minutes south of Rio de Janeiro. Have lunch there. Order moqueca). It's a dish of shrimp or fish in palm oil, coconut with rice cream and coridander. It's an African dish that is unforgettable.
- Museum of Modern Art, just 3 miles from the hotel.
- Go to the opera - called Teatro Municipal. A great place to go to a concert, if you like it. A snack at the Confeitaria COLOMBO, a tea-house downtown, is a sensation nobody should skip.
- Night life:
- Canecao (near Copacabana and Rio Sul Shopping Mall) is the best of the music shows. One can get a table or a seat: drinks and food can be ordered while watching the show.
- Neighboring Copacabana has wonderful clubs, but it is a loud, dirty and frequently dangerous area.
- Recommended jazz places in Rio: People's Jazz Bar, JazzMania, Un-Deux-Troix.
- Go to a record store and get some music. Some recommendations: Rhythmic (with words); Ivan Lins, Milton Nascimento, Chico Buarque, Simone, Gilberto Gil, Caetono Velozo, Djavan. Instrumental; Hermeto Pascoal, Egberto Gismonti.
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