Travels of THB: Day 2: Rio

Day 2: Rio

JR piece across from Botafogo beach

Weather: Breezy at the beach, a bit of humidity, from mid 60s to low 70s

QOTD:

Tony always tended bar
Across the crowded floor, they worked from eight til four
They were young and they had each other
Who could ask for more?

Department of Amplification:

- Yesterday we did something like 13-14K steps.

(

- We ate dinner at Americana’s

regular milk (phew)

regular breakfast (Grape Nuts hiding under apple)

Breakfast norm for THB: Grape Nuts and a very good apple on top, and a piece of Firebrand sprouted rye toast. And, the milk is really milk!

7 day pass: good for how long?

No crowds yet (it's a holiday)

Not like BART

Early morning exchange with Rick: turns out that my phone ringer works, the phone was on, and I answered it. A miracle! Then immediately THB asks him to call DA, don’t want to use up those newly-found minutes too fast. DA and THB opt to head out on the town instead of waiting for the torch to go within a few blocks of the apartment. As were leaving, we run into Rick: he was out buying supplies for his mother-in-law.

THB gets really deep

Ed. Note: DB reported that there was a protest today that interrupted the torch run. It’s always true: THB pays very little attention to the O’s other than the events he’s attending. You (all of you) will know way more than THB does about what is going on (like who will win the Golf medals). On the other hand, THB will be really deep in a few select areas. Then THB condenses that deep experience into a few trite sentences and oddball pictures. That’s what you loyal followers are paying for: a very eclectic view of a meaningless experience.

We take our new metro cards and head down to General Osirio station at 9:30am. No problema: we fly through the turnstiles. Ooops, that is THB flies through, DA needs help. Not sure if new card didn’t work or if DA forgot to push through when he got the green light. We’ll have to find out tomorrow, that first ride of the morning was the only one we took on the metro.

The Museu do Amanha: Museum of tomorrow

So big THB can't really get it in one pic

Long lines waiting to pay to get in

Lone vehicle cleaning the harbor, slowly, very slowly

THB took this pic without realizing that this plane would be featured in Opening Ceremony...

Regular police were way outnumbered by military guys holding AK-47s (?) that THB did not want to take pics of

It’s a newly minted National Holiday: Opening Ceremonies are tonight and when we get to the Central District there are more guys with guns than tourists. Way more guys with guns than tourists. THB has carefully plotted out the stops today and DA is using his phone and guile to lead us around.

Goldsworthy was/is in this building

now a drinking location?

Colonial church, also closed up

Light rail running on holiday

Not frequently enough, huge crowd waiting to get on

Another stop for DA and THB

The Dentist?

Also in Opening Ceremony

Up near our lunch spot in Santa Teresa

Good thing DA has new knees

The short version: from the metro exit, we walk to the Calatrava Museu do Amanha (Tomorrow) where lines to get in are long and thus we don’t go in; walk to the Goldsworthy piece Domo de Argila (closed or gone); Uber to the Centro Cultural Sao Francisco da Penitencia Edificio (closed, it’s a National Holiday for the churches, too); walk to the Edificio Palacio Gustavo Capanema (closed; it doesn’t matter if open or not because we’re there to see the mural on the outside); walk a long way (uphill) to Tereze (open) in the Hotel Santa Teresa for a long upscale lunch; walk a long way (downhill and flat) to see JR has a great installation on top of an abandoned building; taxi back to the apartment, arriving at 4:30pm.

The white things are giant bleached Cheetos

Very pretty burrata

Ceviche duo

Lamb two ways

Macaquinho in tree next to Tereze

Just missed riding down the hill in old style trolley car

Butafogo beach

Sugarloaf is between Butafogo and Copacabana

Even though much of what THB had planned wasn’t totally visited (i.e., closed), the views in and around the city, up close and distant, we’re worth every step and “heehaw” (as the local currency is pronounced). We traversed a lot of hoods, all safe.

THB showers up, and DA has driven us out for more steps, more miles, more G&Ts, and a light dinner.

Dinner is local, at Astors, just across the road from Ipanema beach (about 10 blocks from the apartment).

With our walk to/from dinner its enough that DA sets a new personal daily best: 27K steps and 13 miles. Even with THB’s ability to round up (let alone keep up), it’s pretty impressive.

G&Ts (always start with the most impressive part of the meal), oysters for DA and moules with frites for THB.

Where Rainha Elizabeth meets Ipanema beach

Ginger G&T

Now to watch the opening ceremonies. Hey, it’s in Portuguese! Damn! Now we can watch the OC without sound. Wait, some of the places/things we saw today are in the OC!

More of the day in pictures (and of course those annoying captions):