You know, when visiting a foreign country, there are always a certain number of things you should avoid, even if your friends don't say so. For São Paulo things are not different and, after 7 years living here, I'd like to share with you a few secrets I've learned:
Drinking a coffee at Starbucks (better known as "starsucks"):
Despite its incredible market efficiency, Starbucks is very much probably one of the worst options for having a coffee in the most important city of coffee in the world. Yes, you hear me right, São Paulo has been the biggest producer and exporter of coffee in the world for the entire last century, and we are still killing it.
You want to drink a good coffee in town? Go to places like Floresta, at the entrance of the Copan Building, or Coffee Lab at Pinheiros Neighborhood. Go, try, and let me know, or… send me a message, and I'll recommend you a few more according to where you are located!
Thinking that "Uber" is the best way to go around:
São Paulo is definitely one of the most congested cities in the world, however, for someone like me, coming from Naples, it looks still kind of fine. By the way, waiting for ubers, stacking in traffic, it is not the best for someone that wants to visit a new city. And what about safety? Well, I feel much safer in general when I use public transportation. The only way for you to understand this is to try, so what I'm saying is, use our subway!
If you never try, you'll never know. And if you don't trust me, check this video below, made by 2 Canadian folks:
So, for know, these are the things that come to my mind, but I'll get back here periodically to add more things you should never do when visiting São Paulo!