Boy From Texas Seeks Girl From Ipanema
Written: Oct 16 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Casual, upscale, bohemian atmosphere
Cons: More expensive than Copacabana
The Bottom Line: Ipanema. Even the name has a mystique to it. Visiting the place is really the ONLY way to understand its mood, style, and magnificence.
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| mrkstvns's Full Review: Ipanema |
Every beach has its own feel, and if there ever was one beach that proved that axiom, it would have to be Ipanema. Ipanema is cool. It's stylish. It's modern. It's old school. It's the beat generation. It's Generation X, Y, and Z. Ipanema is a cool refreshingly sweet caipirinha in the morning, and it is the seduction of the bossa nova sound oozing out of cozy sidewalk clubs. Ipanema is the beach. It is the neighborhood. It is an attitude.
The Ipanema Attitude...
Ipanema is a place that you can understand in one of two ways: first, you could go there and soak up the atmosphere, paying particular attention to the seductive mannerisms of the bevy of bewitching beauties, or second, you can listen to Tom Jobim's famous hit song, Girl from Ipanema.
In my opinion though, the English version that Astrud Gilberto parlayed into a Grammy for the best song of 1964 only ALMOST managed to bring the essence of Ipanama to the ears of American audiences. I say "almost" because while the music is right and the voice is right, the translated lyrics of the hit version lost much of the poetic seduction that it embodied when it was first penned two years earlier by Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Morais as they sat in the Velloso Bar, sipping cool draft beers and marveling at the wonderous world that could have such gloriously sensuous creatures in it as the girls walking by the cafe on their way to the beach...
Rio is a sensuous place, and Ipanema the smoothest and softest and most decadently seductive place in Rio. To capture that mood, you have to sway and slide a little bit. You have to flirt with subtle abandon. A true poet, like Vinicius de Morais could capture it. Match up a poet's ear for the mood of language with a songwriters ear for the mood of music, and maybe, just maybe you can do it.
Here's how the song went in the version that Astrud sang....
Tall and tan and young and lovely
The girl from Ipanema goes walking
And when she passes, each one she passes goes - ah
When she walks, she's like a samba
That swings so cool and sways so gentle
That when she passes, each one she passes goes - ooh (Ooh)
But I watch her so sadly
How can I tell her I love her
Yes I would give my heart gladly
But each day, when she walks to the sea
She looks straight ahead, not at me
Tall, (and) tan, (and) young, (and) lovely
The girl from Ipanema goes walking
And when she passes, I smile - but she doesn't see (doesn't see)
(She just doesn't see, she never sees me,...)
Now, to see where I'm coming from, take a look at a more literal translation of Vinicius's original Portugese lyrics (which I shamelessly ripped off from the web at: http://www.etc.ch/~jason/Lyrics/garota_de_ipanema.html).
Do you see the softer, more sensuous tone? Hum the song....do you see how Astrud's lyrics just seem a bit too direct and trite? That's what I'm talkin' 'bout. Sensuality that you can almost feel through the music. THAT is the feeling of Ipanema!
Olha que coisa mais linda, (Look at this thing, most lovely)
mais cheia de graça (most graceful)
É ela menina (It's her, the girl )
que vem que passa (that comes, that passes)
Num doce balanço (with a sweet swinging)
caminho do mar (walking to the sea )
Moça do corpo dourado (Girl of the body tanned)
do sol de Ipanema (by the sun of Ipanema)
O seu balançado (Your swaying)
é mais que um poema (is more than a poem )
É a coisa mais linda (It's a thing more beautiful )
que eu já vi passar (than I have ever seen pass by )
Ah, porque estou tão sozinho (Ah, why am I so alone )
Ah, porque tudo e tão triste (Ah, why is everthing so sad )
Ah, a beleza que existe (The beauty that exists )
A beleza que não é só minha (The beauty that is not mine alone )
que também passa sozinha (that also passes by on its own )
Ah, se ela soubesse (Ah, if she only knew )
que quando ela passa (that when she passes )
O mundo sorrindo (the world smiles )
se enche de graça (fills itself with grace)
E fica mais lindo (and remains more beautiful )
por causa do amor (because of love )
Forty years since the ears of the world were on Ipanema....forty years. But its funny, you can go there today, and chill out with a chilly beer in the same bar watching the same street with the same kind of beautiful young women walking to the same beach. And it all seems so natural and so seductive. Like no other beach on earth...
The Neighborhood...
When talking beaches, I'd usually want to cut right to the chase and talk about the waterfront, but with Ipanema, the coolest aspect of the area isn't necessarily the beach, but rather the side streets and the plazas and the landmarks that dot the entire spit of land that is Ipanema.
Walking the green, tree-lined streets, one gets a sense of being in another time zone --- a time zone where the clocks run about 50 years behind Greenwich Mean Time. There's the art deco buildings, and the mature towering trees. There's the iron-gated balconies. And the plazas. There's the curious reverence for Rio's favorite songwriter, Tom Jobim, and their perpetual poet laureate, Vinicius de Morais.
Of course the best place to experience the mood of Ipanema is from a table in the sidewalk cafe, Garota de Ipanema. This is the place where Jobim and Vinicius first penned their famous song, The Girl from Ipanema, as they sat at a table one morning, drinking beers, and just watching the sensuous young cariocas sashaying along the street. Of course the cafe had a different name back then (it was called the Velloso Bar), but the name was later changed to capitalize on the famous.
The original lyrics and music are immortalized on the cafe's wall, and of course, they'd be happy to sell you a Garota de Ipanema T-shirt with the music silk-screened across the front for a mere R30 --- such a bargain! While I personally think the food is a bit on the expensive side, Garota de Ipanema is a place where everyone should eat (or at least drink cold chopp in the morning) at least once in their life.
When you come out of Garota de Ipanema, go left out the door and down Rua Vinicius de Morais. It's a very cool street to just walk along and soak up atmosphere. It reminds me of walking the side streets off Dupont Circle in Washington D.C. and bumping into cool looking places like the old Heurich Mansion and wondering what stories the brown stones could tell...
The streets of Ipanema are unquestionably calmer and quieter than the hectic, bustling pace of Copacabana, just a few blocks away. While I prefer the beach on Copacabana, I prefer the streets of Ipanema for a relaxing urban stroll.
Peace Plaza (Praca da Paz) is a tranquil patch of mellow greenery off the beaten path, and its surrounded by good restaurants and bars, shops, and more. The best
Ipanema has a well-deserved reputation as being the stylish heart of Rio --- the neighborhood where the trendy go to be, well, trendy. Ipanema has something of a reputation for having far more than its fair share of stunningly gorgeous women, most of whom dress as if they were in a fashion show (at least in the evenings, during the days, "proper attire" is a bikini --- or less if you wish). No matter what the time though, it's a good place to be. Ipanema is trendy and stylish, but its also friendly and relaxed and it marches to the suave slick beat of a bossa nova...
The Beach...
Oh yeah. The beach! It's awesome...no doubt about it.
Just in case you didn't know it, Ipanema is also one of the finest beaches in the world, and one of the most famous places in Rio de Janiero. It's a great beach too....probably a good 2 miles long with lots of space, a wonderful wavey patterned tile sidewalk running the entire length, and plenty of good people watching opportunities, or just good stretches of sand to spread out a towel and do some tan maintenance.
In my review of Copacabana, I mentioned the huge number of volleyball and soccer fields set up (some in definitely non-temporary manner). You find that on Ipanema too. Nowhere near as many, but there is definitely a big beach sport presence here.
In my opinion, I prefer the walking and hanging out on Copacabana to Ipanema. Copacabana is the bigger beach, it's also got the wider and more attractive sidewalk with far more sidewalk cafe cabanas set up. Ipanema has 'em, no doubt, but maybe 1/3 the number you find on Copacabana. Consequently, finding a cafe cabana with tables available can sometimes be an exercise in futility.
Ipanema has a reputation for being the cleanest and safest beach in Rio, and it might well be so (certainly beer and cocos cost more on Ipanema than they do a few blocks away on the Copacabana). Personally, I don't think Copacabana is any less clean, and I never once felt threatened in the least there, so I guess its all a matter of degree.
The Arpoador end of Ipanama (near Fort Copacabana) is where the surfers hang out. The waves can break pretty fiercely out towards the point, and the reliably rough surf keeps a certain crowd happy. The trendy and the upscale tend to hang out along the stretch between Arpoador and about the midway point down the beach. The area near Rua Farme de Amoedo has a reputation for being the gay section, so even if "the girl from Ipanema" doesn't do much for you, there's a place in Ipanema that might swing more your way...
Places to Eat in Ipanema...
Good food abounds, and while you'll probably want to do at least a lunch at Garota de Ipanema (Rua Vinicius de Moraes 49), there are better tables for dinner. The infamous Casa da Feijoada serves the national dish of Saturday seven days a week (Rua Prudente de Moraes 10). Ipanema is famous for its ice creams, and a culinary traveler shouldn't miss a chance to stop in for some sorvettes. I don't know who has the best sorvette in Ipanema, but I do know that the place called Babuskas over near Leblon serves a sinfully rich confection! Carnivores will find churrascarias everywhere in Rio, and one of the most upscale chains is a place called Porcao (they claim to have locations all over in Brazil, plus one in Miami).
Places to Sleep in Ipanema...
While neighboring Copacabana is chock-a-block hotels, Ipanema has a more subdued feel to it, and considerably fewer hotels. Most of the hotels are in a block or two from the beach and there are really only two major tourist hotels that are oceanfront on Ipanema: the Caesar Park and the Praia Ipanema. Caesar Park is usually regarded as the best (which of course means "most expensive") hotel in Ipanema. The Praia Ipanema, located near the Bar 20 end of Ipanema, is usually a bit less expensive, though it is still a very good hotel.
One other interesting choice for the more modest traveler would be the Arpoador Inn, located at the foot of Ipanema Beach, near Fort Copacabana. Of course any of the Copacabana hotels could also be good choices even if you really preferred the beach atmosphere of Ipanema (especially the Sofitel --- which is an easy 4 or 5 block walk to Ipanema).
My recommendation? Shop around, and keep in mind that the Mercure Arpoador (run by Accor Hotels) seems to have some of the most affordable rates around, though you're about 3 blocks from the beach (either Ipanema or Copacabana).
Bottom Line...
Ipanema is cool. It's stylish, and it's sophisticated. It's clean, safe, bohemian, artsy, and tolerant. It has an attitude like no other beach in the world. It has good restaurants, fewer hotels than you might expect, an upscale funkiness, and oh yeah, one heck of a nice beach.
If you want to know more about Ipanema, check out the source of total Ipanema info: www.ipanema.com
Until next time, see you on the beach. Look for the gringo with a cool glass of beer in one hand, and a permanent smile on his face!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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