Video: Praça São Salvador and Urca

Hi reader,

I hope that you had a good weekend. Mine was mixed. Last Wednesday night on the way back from the gym, I bought meat on a stick from a sidewalk vendor. It tasted fine – really good, actually – but it really trashed my insides, so I hung close to home most of the weekend.

However, by yesterday (Sunday) I was back in trim (Sean’s laughing), and my friend George suggested we go listen to music at the Praça São Salvador, where every Sunday morning you can find live music. I’m not actually sure which bairro (section of town) the praça (square) sits in. I think it’s in Flamengo, but very near Laranjeiras, and the closest metro station is Largo do Machado.

Anyway, Saturday had been really windy, plus overcast and rainy off and on, so all Rio had been housebound and was in need of some sun and fun. Yesterday the weather was sunny, but still too chilly for the beach, so music on the square seemed the perfect suggestion. George, Marcio, and I headed for the metro.

When we arrived, things were in full swing. The size of the group playing at the praça varies, tending to swell as the day proceeds and other musicians arrive. But this is not a group of rank amateurs. Many are professionals who just enjoy playing for an appreciative audience on a Sunday.

Since the event is well-known among locals, I found several videos of it on YouTube. Here are a couple I liked that give you a feel for this very Brazilian happening:

Chorinho na Praca Sao Salvador

Chorinho da Sao Salvador

The music was enjoyable, but after a couple of beers, George pronounced that the selection of women was not what it should be. He suggested Urca, and upon learning that Marcio – who is new to Rio – hadn’t visited there yet, the check was paid, a taxi hailed, and off we went.

Urca sits at the foot of Sugarloaf Mountain. But while many tourists pass quickly through it heading to and from Sugarloaf, few take the time to explore it, which is a shame.

Urca is quite upscale. Because of its location at the foot of Sugarloaf, and perhaps also because the national military academy resides here, there are no favelas (shantytowns) here. It is one of the safest parts of Rio to stroll there. To get here, you can take a bus, but it’s a short cab ride from Botafogo or the north end of Copacabana.

A Saturday or Sunday afternoon is a great time to visit. You’ll find the locals, and a few, but not too many, visitors, perched on and congregating around the sea wall. You can see many of the same parts of town as from above on Sugarloaf, but from a different perspective.Yachts are tethered in Guanabara Bay. You have views of Botafogo and Flamengo, Downtown, and the bridge leading to Niteroi. Planes land at and take off from Santos Dumont Airport.

Up on Sugarloaf, you can take a helicopter ride. Here’s what the Urca and the surrounding area look like from on high:

Rio de Janeiro from the air

And here’s a view from a motorbike. OK, mostly you get to see Laura, but you can see some of Urca as you zip along with her.

Finally, here’s a still shot from the sea wall that Marcio took as the afternoon encroached on evening.

So now you know a couple of new spots to check out when you finally visit Rio.

But watch out for the meat on a stick.

Have a great week. Talk to you soon.

John

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