A long-awaited reunion in Brazil far exceeds expectations

Reunions are frequently stressful affairs. What seemed like a good idea a month ago starts to fill you with dread as the date approaches. What is the right setting? Keep it open-ended so you can wrap things up swiftly should the conversation stall but also let things linger if you find that it’s just like old times? Or maybe a hard stop is better for both? And what if they look nothing like you remembered? Perhaps it’s worth rehearsing a few scenarios in case you’re completely shocked by their appearance.

All these thoughts and more were racing through my mind when I boarded TAP flight 89 on Monday. After a 10-year gap, how would it feel? Would it be a bit clunky? Or would we pick up exactly where we left off? In nine hours, I would start to find out. My reunion was with São Paulo itself – and all the people and places, scents and sounds I remembered. Here are a few impressions, both old and new:

1.
Terminal BTG Pactual
You can have a very soft landing if you arrive at GRU on the right airline or as a top customer of Brazilian financial services group BTG Pactual. Alongside the main terminal, the bank has built a sleek hub that allows you to make it from the aircraft door to your armoured wheels into town in less than 10 minutes. Outbound, you are dropped off, escorted to the dining room or private salon, then driven straight to the door of your aircraft. The reunion got off to a very good start.

2.
The Fasano Jardins
It’s alarming how warm memories can fade across a decade but thankfully everything can jolt back to life in an instant. The original Fasano has not changed, and is as cosy and sexy as I remembered. We’ll return here in a moment.

3.
Spot
São Paulo’s take on the brasserie (and there are a few) demands Unesco recognition. Spot mixes a little Portuguese, lots of Italian, a splash of Lebanese and some Japanese and German on the menu, creating the perfect formula for a late-night dinner on the eve of your arrival or for any other night of the week. Then there’s the crowd: chic oldies, young architects and a single or two.

4.
The Fasano Tennis Club
A new addition to the ever-expanding group and definitely a new global benchmark for urban country clubs. While much is completed, there are still a few more courts to go and the waiting list is long.

5.
Pulso
A new-ish part of the city’s streetscape and hotel scene, this homegrown beauty is worth a visit for its integration into the neighbourhood, its landscaping and its modernist art collection. A new one is also on the horizon.

6.
Iguatemi
The grande dame of Brazil’s malls is about to get even better with a rooftop extension that will include new restaurants and a retail surprise to shake up São Paulo’s already super-competitive luxury shopping-centre scene. The group does an excellent job of mixing the likes of Hermès with local Brazilian retailers and everyday services. Lunch at Rodeio was a culinary and social highlight.

7.
Luciana Brito Galeria
Wow! A modernist architectural gem (designed by Rino Levi) in a jungle setting with a collection of Brazilian and international artists. I left thinking about what life in such a compound might feel like.

8.
Le Freak
One of São Paulo’s newest downtown dining hotspots offers the best French 75 I’ve ever tasted, good Uruguayan wines and a very chic, privé dining nook on the mezzanine. No surprise, the menu is meaty.

9.
Galeria Metrópole
Across the street from Le Freak, this multi-level, open-air shopping centre offers up many cues about good urban planning, right-sized retail and building something solid and open to the elements. Packed with vintage shops, design firms, restaurants old and new and the odd travel agent, the galleria is part of downtown São Paulo’s tidy-up. That said, it’s still rather edgy in the park next door.

10.
Emporio Santa Luzia
Could this be the best grocery shop in the Americas? The world? The shop just turned 100 and is a social, cultural and commercial institution.

And finally: Ricardo, Isay – I missed you both! You were looking more handsome than ever and hopefully we’ll meet again within 10 weeks, not 10 years. Yes, dear reader, you’ll be hearing a bit more from São Paulo on page, on air and on screen.

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