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Brasilia
Federal District
- Brazil
Modernistic
Brasilia is one of the most modern cities I know in Brazil. Unlike many, it has been carefully planned and became the capital of Brazil in 1960, when developmentist president Juscelino Kubitschek decided to encourage the transfer of the capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia.
The city is quite bizarre in many ways and it really has some unique architectonic components. If you appreciate architecture I strongly recommend you visit Brasilia, not only due to the buildings but also because it's a rather peculiar city from an urban planning standpoint.
Nevertheless, in my opinion the city is excessively cold and lifeless. To begin with, people seldom go anywhere on foot. Absolutely everything requires a car and it's very rare to see anyone walking on the streets. Don't even dream of going to Brasilia without arranging a car rental first! To make matters worse, taxis are expensive (at least in Reais) and buses are not this frequent.
There are some impressive highways, which fork in secondary avenues and then in streets that end in a "super block". Those are 500x500m blocks, with residential buildings that measure 100 meters in length and are never taller than 6 floors, since this is the legal height limitation for the city. This causes Brasilia's structure to be really flat and allows huge open sky areas.
The city is also peculiar for its many underground, below surface-level areas, for instance: the Cathedral, the Lucio Costa Space and the JK Memorial.
The so-called Pilot Plan was the first planned area in the city, inspired in the shape of an airplane. It comprehends longitudinally the Monumental Axis, where all the public functions are located, and cross-sectionally (ie. in the wings of the airplane) all of the residential buildings. In the intersection of both axes one can find the only skyscrapers in the city and also the bus terminal (a quite unpleasant site, by the way, full of vagrants and ambulant sellers).
Brasilia accounts for the highest income per capita in Brazil, even though there are virtually no industries and companies are scarce. The capital's main activity takes place through the public function.
During the construction of Brasilia, an enormous artificial lake was created in an area where several rivers flowed together. I can imagine how costly and effort-consuming it might have been. Actually, alongside Lake Paranoá you can now find the most expensive lands in Brasilia, including the presidential residence itself. Interestingly enough, an important investment was recently made on the same lake, this time to construct a bridge (with an outstanding design for certain) so that cars could cross over it...
Brasilia's Pilot Plan was declared a humanity heritage site, therefore the first buildings that were constructed over 40 years ago (located in the wings of the airplane) cannot be modified or demolished. It's curious to notice, though, that the first buildings now look somehow precarious and for that reason many people moved to new districts close to the original wings, although these wings still had room for more buildings. In this sense, the original idea seems to be somehow distorted.
The city is also famous for being divided into clearly-defined sectors. Different activities cannot be mixed in the same sector, ie. the residential area is exclusively residential and no shops are allowed, doesn't matter how small they are. At first, this idea seems quite interesting, but after experiencing it I simply believe it was a bad option, because such segregation entails a lifestyle that is completely abnormal. People don't outline their minds to that extent. The consequence is that even for a simple convenience purchase you will probably have to do some kilometers first.
Where to go:
You could go to a shopping mall, maybe after that to another mall and if you still have time... oh! yes, go to a shopping mall. Movies, bookstores, nightclubs, supermarkets, absolutely everything is located in the malls.
The cultural agenda is very poor in Brasilia, and the same happens for eating out and entertainment. The city is about only 45 years old and this clearly reflects the lack of options, particularly when compared to magisterial cities as Rio de Janeiro or Buenos Aires.
On a privileged location you will find "the Tower", lying over the Monumental Axis and facing all the ministries and the house of government. In spite of the location, the tower has a terrible design and, besides, below it there is a hippie fair were you can find all kinds of trinkets. To make matters even worse, during Christmas it becomes a pseudo Christmas tree that is really cheesy.
I heard that you can take an elevator and enjoy a nice view of the city from above, but unfortunately whenever I tried to go up the elevator was closed.
The City Park is a quite pleasant area, and although there are only a few activities to perform there - ie. going to some restaurant or bar - the park is well preserved and has beautiful plant species.
People in the city usually go there to jog or to ride their bicycles (yes, as you can imagine, the bicycle goes into the car all the way from home and is only used once people get to the park).
Weather: From November to February it rains almost every day. For that reason, the south hemisphere summer is not a good season to travel. During the rest of the year, the city is very dry. Air humidity can reach levels as low as 15% in September, producing mucous to dry up slightly and difficulty in breathing. Some people even see their noses bleed due to the dry climate.
The best: Architecture is one-of-a-kind and buildings by Oscar Niemeyer are absolutely a must. Two top buildings in my list are the Itamaraty Palace and the Cathedral.
Traveler's nightmare: No doubt, the worst thing in the city is that its life takes place through the shopping malls. People leave the garage of their buildings, try to fit into the parking lot of a shopping and then go back home.
I quite dislike Brasilia's lifestyle, because in general terms people seem to be so interested in how you look and what you have.
Friday through Sunday (at least during summer) the city becomes a virtual desert since the politicians return to their home cities in order to spend the weekend.
The cultural agenda is very poor and during Sundays virtually no shops open their doors.
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