São Paulo’s Baixo Augusta district is booming, and the New York Times is on it, thanks to Seth Kugel

Ever since New York journalist Seth Kugel moved to São Paulo, a few months ago, the already excellent coverage by The New York Times of the city went up yet another notch. Yesterday’s NYT has a story by Seth that is very hot.

Only now are Brazilian publications waking up to what’s happening in the so-called Baixo Augusta – a once-seedy part of Augusta street and surrounding blocks which is seeing boom times – yet The New York Times is already on it. Nice. Seth’s piece maps it all out.

As Seth points out, “The default night life areas in São Paulo’s southwest zone — Itaim Bibi, for the clean-cut moneyed crowd and Vila Madalena, where a (slightly) more bohemian set mobs the open-air bars — are still going strong. But a revival is under way closer to the city center, and more specifically, the “bad” side of Avenida Paulista, the active artery that separates downtown from upscale neighborhoods in the city’s southwest zone.That’s especially true along Rua Augusta and the two parallel avenues that flank it, Rua Bela Cintra and Rua Frei Caneca — an area that is increasingly being referred to as Baixo Augusta.”

As usual, the piece comes with an interactive map and gorgeous photography by Lalo de Almeida.


Spot on, Seth!

I went recently to Z Carniceria, one of the places Seth mentions, and loved the look of it. As the name suggests, it occupies and old butcher's. In renovating it, the owners uncovered old tiled walls and hooks where the meat used to hang from, which they've kept. The result is a bit spooky/Hannibal Lecter-like, but decidedly cool. Here are some pictures:

Z Carniceria
Rua Augusta, 934, tel. 55-11-2936-0934

Other places mentioned in The New York Times's piece on the Baixo Augusta:

Astronete Rua Matias Aires, 183-B; 55-11-3151-4568

¡Exquisito!: Rua Bela Cintra, 532; 55-11-3151-4530

Geni: Rua Bela Cintra, 539; tel. 55-11-3129-9952

Mestiço Rua Fernando de Albuquerque, 277; tel. 55-11-3256-3165

Vegas Rua Augusta, 765; tel. 55-11-3231-3705;

Volt Rua Haddock Lobo, 40; tel. 55-11-2936-4041

A Loca Rua Frei Caneca, 916; tel. 55-11-3159-8889

O Pedaço de Pizza Rua Augusta, 1463; tel. 55-11-3285-2117

Sonique Rua Bela Cintra, 461; 55-11-2628-8707