ALFAIA RESTAURANT, RIO

AMAZING GRILLED OCTOPUS

GREAT HALF BOTTLES OF RED

Alfaia is a great little hole in the wall place. 

I felt out of place arriving solo, with lousy Portuguese language abilities.

But I'd seen great reviews, this was footsteps from my hotel and I did not want a tourist trap dining experience.

The owner-host was warm. 

The waiters amazing.

The Octopus came with grilled onions, tomatoes, potatoes, olives -- yum. 

The selection of half bottles of Portuguese reds was amazing.

Total cost, with nice tip, about 30 bucks. 

Would have gladly paid double that for such fresh seafood prepared so expertly

http://www.restaurantealfaia.com.br/wp/

MIAMI’S CALLE OCHO IS A HIGHWAY TODAY

BUT CAN IT BE A MAIN STREET INSTEAD? 


Florida transportation officials embark on a two-year, $2 million study of the fabled street


The street was converted into a three-lane thruway for downtown commuters in the 1950s

But city officials and local residents want it restored to its original Main Street layout

THANKS TO ANDRES VIGLUCCI AT THE MIAMI HERALD FOR WRITING A FABULOUS STORY ABOUT THIS KEY ISSUE IN MIAMI

Click to read the entire Herald Story

Click here to learn more and sign the petition for MyCalle8

THE HIPPIE FAIR

EVERY SUNDAY IN IPANEMA

A group of hippies started a Sunday market in Ipanema in 1968 and the traditional fair continues with over 700 stalls set up at the Feira Hippie de Ipanema.

Occurring on Sundays only, it is a great place to find authentic Brazilian folk and contemporary art, jewelry, clothing and lots of food.

Plenty of tourists flock to the fair that is extremely popular today - don't miss out!

If you are looking for souvenirs then the fair is the best place to find a good bargain.

Ceramic figurines, embroidery, lace, gemstones – are just afew examples of the great folk arts and crafts you will find at the Ipanema Hippie Fair.

Come rain or sun shine, the fair must go on every Sunday from 9am to 5pm.

The Hippie Fair is held every Sunday at Praça General Osório, a square that takes up an entire city block that is bordered by Rua Prudente de Morais and Rua Visconde de Pirajá.

--Courtesy of Viator

FEIRA DE SÃO CRISTÓVÃO

THE PLACE IN RIO FOR FOOD, MUSIC AND GOODS FROM THE NORTH

From Lonely Planet:

This enormous fair (32,000 sq meters with over 600 stalls) is not to be missed.

It showcases the culture from the northeast, with barracas (food stalls) selling Bahian dishes as well as beer and cachaça (cane liquor), which flows in great abundance here.

The best time to go is on the weekend, when you can catch live bands playing forró, plus samba groups and comedy troupes, MPB (Música Popular Brasileria) and rodas de capoeira (capoeira circles).

The vibrant scene runs nonstop from Friday morning through to Sunday evening.

In addition to food and drink, you can browse music CDs (forró , of course), hammocks and a wide assortment of handicrafts

GUANABARA BAY

 
BEAUTIFUL, PICTURESQUE AND POLLUTED

Ilha da Boa Viagem -- Island of Good Travel/Safe Voyage -- is much smaller than, but pound-for-pound almost as beautiful as the famed Sugar Loaf.

Home of both a battery that used to protect Guanabara Bay and the Capela de Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem, it is the stuff of dreams perched atop the blue waters.

A bridge links it to Niteroi on the mainland.

Though our Portuguese is pretty lousy, we understood a sign we saw in late January to say the buildings are being restored for visitors.

It is about a five minute walk downhill from the Museum of Contemporary Art -- the space ship designed by the late Brazilian modernist master Oscar Nieymeyer.

CEMITÉRIO DE SÃO JOÃO BATISTA

 (SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST'S CEMETERY)

This huge city of the dead in Botafogo is the final resting place of at least nine presidents of Brazil and a host of celebrities.

Carmen Miranda, the colorful singer and dancer rests here along with pioneering aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont and important mineral geologist Orville Adelbert Derby.

Antonio Carlos "Tom" Jobim, composer of the legendary "Girl from Ipanema" and his collaborator, Vinicius de Moraes, also a significant Brazilian poet and diplomat in addition to being a composer, also rest in peace here.