Sugar Loaf’n

Today we packed the whole crew into a taxi and went to Sugar Loaf, the famous mountain in Rio known for its cable cars, known in Portuguese as Pão de Açucar.

This was the first time the kids had gone. I think they loved it.We left the apartment a little after 15:00 so made it in plenty of time for the much sought after sunset. We even hung around long enough for me to take some long exposures. The white spec in front of the clouds below is Corcovado, the famous statue of Christ. I’ve been to Pão de Açucar more times than I can count and can honestly say it never disappoints.After dropping the kids off at the apartment (with their nanny, of course) B and I went to our old neighborhood in Leblon. We stopped by and said hello to Carlos, the doorman of the building where we lived. We then walked to Alvaros. This unpretentious little neighborhood restaurant is still “take’n names” after 46 years. We had their famous pasteís and then split a shrimp dish with rice. I swear on my degree from Harvard that the shrimp were the size of Chihuahuas. (By the way, getting drunk in Harvard Square was the closest I ever got to Harvard.) The draft beer in this place (“chopp”) is inhumanly cold and unbelievably delicious. If you ever find yourself in Leblon, you must go to Alvaros.

One of the things I love about Brazil is that being a waiter is still a profession, not just a way to earn extra money for hyperactive college students like in the States. We left that neighborhood 9 years ago but a waiter there recognized us the instant we walked through the door and proceeded to treat us like royalty. That’s service.

Being there reminded me of something else I love about Rio. B and I would go to Alvaros very often on Sunday afternoons. Crammed into this tiny place you would see old couples coming back from mass, overdressed tourists and people fresh from the beach in little more than bathing suits. Somehow all these styles were perfectly accommodated and blended seamlessly. It’s been 3 years since I’ve been to Rio and in the mean time I’ve spent a lot of time in world class cities. I must say Rio is as charming and energetic as any other city I know.