Category: São Paulo

A Brief Encounter: My Night at Sala São Paulo

allsetconcierge4 Comments
front of the Sala São Paulo concert hall at night
Sala São Paulo, photo courtesy of Tuca Vieira/Fundação Osesp

Stepping out of the taxi and onto the platform that led into Sala São Paulo, the city’s musical landmark, I caught my breath. Struck by its architectural ancestry looming against the dark sky, I leaned back to glance at the intricacies of its stained glass windows and wrought-iron gates. Initially built as a transportation hub for the region’s coffee industry, which laid the foundation for the state’s wealth, the Júlio Prestes railway station eventually became the home of Latin America’s best concert hall. Inaugurated in 1999 and winning the prestigious prize of honor from the United States Institute for Theatre Technology shortly thereafter in 2000, Sala São Paulo continues to welcome the best composers, performers, and musical talent from all over the world.

Read More »
Women networking

Phenomenal Women: Inspiring Women I’ve Met While Traveling

allsetconcierge2 Comments

What I love about traveling, and miss after being stuck at home during a year of pandemic, is meeting other travelers and gleaning gems of inspiration from their stories. In honor of International Women’s Day, this post is an homage to five inspiring women I have met while traveling. They are all phenomenal women in their own way, and hopefully, their stories will motivate you to create opportunities in your own communities around the world!

Read More »
brazilian-coffee-plantations

Coffee Culture: The History of Fazenda Tozan

allsetconcierge2 Comments

Tozan10
High above the fields at Fazenda Tozan

Novelas and coffee: two things that make up the fabric of many Brazilian evenings. So in 2008, when a novela aired to commemorate the centennial of Japanese immigration to Brazil, it was another case of “art imitates life”. The novela, Haru e Natsu, told the story of a Japanese family that came to Brazil in the early 1900s to work on the coffee plantations that were in need of labor to replace the work force since slavery ended just a few years earlier.Read More »