Thursday, December 23, 2010

Leblon

The twin neighborhoods bairros of Leblon and Ipanema are home to tree-lined streets full of open-air restaurants, colorful boutiques and multistory galerias (shopping centers). Bordered by a lagoon to the north and the famous praia of Ipanema to the south, this upscale area is a favored address for Rio's young and wealthy and commands some of the highest land prices in Latin America.

Meu irmão e eu, searching to satisfy a sushi* craving

*Brazil boasts an impressive number of top-notch sushi restaurants due to the large population of Japanese immigrants and their descendants, particularly in São Paulo. (We ended up choosing Nik Sushi, a quiet spot on Rua Garcia D'Ávila.)

Street signs in Leblon
Av. Ataúlfo de Paiva

After lunch, we had cafézinhos at Armazém do Café, a traditional coffee house on Rua Rita Ludolf. Here's a picture of the irmão:

Ele fala português também!

...followed by an exploration of some of the boutiques on Av. Ataúlfo de Paiva.

Pai e mãe

We then refueled with juices and foccacia sandwiches at Juice Company, a stylish two-story juice lounge serving over 60 different juice concoctions.

O irmão outra vez

And finally, just two blocks to the south, the praia and the Atlantic Ocean: