In the past decade, my life has gone from urban to rural. Ten years ago, I’d never have imagined myself spending most of my time outdoors in the hot sun. Also changed is my wardrobe. Shorts and flip-flops are the order of the day, but St. Tropez this is not.
I’m out in the swamps a lot with my camera, sweltering under the tropical foliage, trying to capture the perfect picture of an alligator, or I’m on a wobbly boat at twilight trying to steady myself as an osprey flies by with a prize mullet in its claws.
Glamour has taken a backseat to necessity here. I carry a pocketknife rather than a powder compact. One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the need for a glamorous everyday fragrance. Fragrance for everyday glamour is different than perfume for evening-out glamour or the one for seductive glamour. The scents of everyday glamour are a personal reminder that special scent can be a part of your day regardless of how you spend it.
My go-to fragrance for everyday glamour is Chanel No 5 Eau Premiere. This brilliant addition to the classic No 5 line-up retains the style of the original but adds bright lemon notes to the top and overall sheerness to the famous core bouquet. It’s still just as chic as the original, but is much less powdery.
Orange blossom and neroli are perfect florals to wear for glamour. For everyday use, Tom Ford’s new Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Eau Fraiche Body Splash is like a chilled cocktail of iced neroli. It’s one to keep in the refrigerator and to use with abandon.
With all the new releases featuring so-called “clean” musks, don’t overlook the elegantly clean and chic L’Artisan Mûre et Musc (also available in an Extrême version). A spray or two of Mûre et Musc is like donning a crisp white shirt that is tailored to perfection—it’s a non-demanding and unobtrusive glamour that’s just right for everyday use.
Weekend à Deauville by Parfums de Nicolaï is a unisex “green” fragrance with herbal zip. It carries an unassuming pastoral glamour in its combination of petitgrain, florals, and leather. Week-end a Deauville’s basil and tarragon place it in the same family as Estée Lauder Azurée.
Modest glamour that is ideal for the most mundane of tasks can be found in one of my favorite carnation scents, Etro Dianthus. Peppery but sweet clove note spices up Atlas cedarwood in the base. This is a skin scent that will remind you, if not anyone else, of personal allure.
Scents for everyday glamour needn’t be confined to a bottle of fragrance. Sometimes, body products will do the trick!
Recently, I’ve fallen hard for L’Artisan Parfumeur La Chasse Aux Papillons Dry Body Oils. This delightful product slips on like a second skin and stays there, sending up delicate gusts of linden that are the epitome of understated elegance.
Luca Turin once wrote about the convenience of perfumed soap for travel; it was a no-fuss way of wearing a little bit of scent. He mentioned, I think, Mitsouko soap (if only it were to return!). To that classic chypre scent I will add the marvelous soap of Diptyque Tam Dao. It’s ultra-creamy and it leaves a lovely trace of that famous rosewood/cypress/sandalwood scent playing across the skin. In fact, using a luxurious scented soap might be the most glamorous thing you can do in your everyday routine! Others to try are from Annick Goutal, Atelier Cologne (these are highly scented), and Eau d’Italie.
Which scents spell everyday glamour for you and how do you wear them?
Painting: Mary Cassatt. Young Woman Reading. 1876. Oil on canvas. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA, via wiki-images.
87 Comments
Julie: Thank you for the lovely reccomendations. As a native Floridian, chilling Tom Ford’s neroli sounds like heaven during the humid inland summer days. Love the artwork of Cedar Key. It is one of my favorite old fishing villiages. Brought back fun memories of crabbing off the dock. January 4, 2013 at 7:21am
Suzanna: Julie–Finally someone who understands inland Florida during the summer! Here I thought I was moored here without anyone’s truly getting it :–) !
Glad you know Cedar Key as well. I often photograph it. Was just out there last week.
Iced neroli is my favorite summer skin quencher. January 4, 2013 at 9:37am
rosarita: My spouse is from LA which to us means Louisiana, so I’m well acquainted with hot and humid swamp life, which I love in small doses. Every time we visit I don’t wear fragrance to avoid being eaten alive by mosquitoes. Living in a more temperate climate, my everyday glamour scent is Bois de Soie, or Black Orchid Voile de Fleur. Glad to see mention of Etro Dianthus, such a beautiful scent. January 4, 2013 at 8:10am
Suzanna: Rosarita, I have on Dianthus today. It rarely gets any love on the blogs. It has such a curiouso human element to it from the cedar.
Yep, LA is plenty swampy, too. January 4, 2013 at 9:38am
Sassa: My daughter went to school in Pensacola, Fla,and when you mention LA, it means ‘lower Alabama’, just down the road.
My everyday glamour is Caleche. So prim and buttoned down. January 4, 2013 at 2:27pm
Suzanna: Caleche is a classic glamour (not glam) scent, as you say prim and proper and I think very suitable for bringing retro glamour to any situation. January 4, 2013 at 8:19pm
Debbie: I’m not sure I comprehend…. every day I wear pretty much anything I own. However, if I’m going to an appointment or being around non-fragrance people, Ambre Narguile works well.
If I were out on a swamp, the first thing I’d want to ensure would be that my fragrance didn’t attract bugs. Following that, I’m thinking Bel Respiro.
That is a breathtaking painting. It’s a painting, correct? Or is there an actual place that’s so beautiful and actually photographed? January 4, 2013 at 9:16am
Suzanna: Debbie, this is a photograph that I post-processed in Photoshop.
The idea of perfumes for everyday glamour occurred to me when I was out hiking a swamp trail and wanted a lift from a sparkling scent, but so many of my more formal scents seemed “wrong” for this environment. January 4, 2013 at 9:40am
Heather: I want to try the La Chasse oil now! I didn’t even know they made one, so thank you for mentioning that. I love body oils and other fragranced body products in general on days when I don’t want (or need) a full-on fragrance. Malle used to do Lys Med in an oil which I have and adore and hope they’ll do again, and Caudalie’s Divine oil is highly fragranced and I wish they’d do a matching perfume or body spray. January 4, 2013 at 9:44am
Suzanna: Heather, I didn’t know they made La Chasse body oil either, until I scrolled through Barney’s Web site one day looking for new body products–voila! Instant purchase.
Doesn’t Caudalie have three lightweight fragrances? I thought I saw these in Sephora and they were all quite pleasant and sheer. January 4, 2013 at 10:00am
Patt: Suzanna, I have the LAP dry oils in Premier Figuier and Mure et Musc (now deeply discounted at Fragrance.Net). Since you like the Mure et Musc mentioned above in your article, I thought you might like to know you could get the dry oil for about $30. I haven’t tried the La Chasse dry oil, but plan to once I go through the other two!
Stunning photograph. January 4, 2013 at 11:25am
Suzanna: What’s that sound? Why, it’s the Enable Siren going off in all directions! Thanks for the info about the oils, Patt, and let me say this is a Class A Enable. Brava! January 4, 2013 at 11:28am
Patt: 🙂 January 4, 2013 at 11:41am
Patt: I should make it clear that only the Mure et Musc oil is discounted. Perhaps it is being discontinued? January 4, 2013 at 11:43am
Suzanna: I bought some–there was also a coupon. January 4, 2013 at 8:20pm
Patt: Yippee! My first enable 🙂 January 5, 2013 at 10:25am
nikki: Lovely article, Suzanna! I second perfumed soaps, such a wonderful little luxury! I am not doing too great in hot and humid weather, but I found that Hove Perfumery of New Orleans has scents I find comforting and appropriate for that kind of environment… January 4, 2013 at 9:49am
Suzanna: Hove is a great rec, Nikki, so thanks for mentioning them. I haven’t shopped there in years, but at one point I did try a number of their scents. What are your favorites? January 4, 2013 at 10:03am
Ksenija: Chanel No5 is also my quick ‘lift’ of casual glamour for the day. Besides that, I always use butter soaps that I make myself, and sometimes massage bars are also a good option for travel. January 4, 2013 at 9:58am
Suzanna: Ksenija, I used to buy massage bars by bulk–and then one day stopped using them for reasons unknown. But they are a great idea for portability. January 4, 2013 at 10:02am
Ksenija: Suzanna, if you have some basic materials, you cam make them yourself fairly easy! That’s the beauty of them. January 4, 2013 at 10:24am
Victoria: I always wanted to try it, but I’m scared of working with lye at home. January 4, 2013 at 11:59am
Daisy: I love this idea of everyday glamour. For me, I like using Caudalie’s Huile Divine after my shower. It’s a new discovery this year and I am already on my second bottle! January 4, 2013 at 10:42am
Suzanna: Daisy, Huile Divin seems to have taken off here and I am glad to hear that you are on your second bottle! I love both this and Nuxe. January 4, 2013 at 11:23am
Andrea: I grew up in Los Angeles and my friend’s incredibly chic mother wore Jean Nate during the hot summer months.
I discovered Annick Goutal’s Eau du Sud one during a sizzling summer in Provence and I find Bulgari’s Au The Vert soothing in hot steamy weather. January 4, 2013 at 11:27am
Suzanna: Those are great choices, Andrea. (Sorry it took so long for me to get back to you. I was away doing photography!).
I used to wear Jean Nate in the muggy summer when I was a teenager. Everyone did, or so it seemed.
Eau de Sud is brilliant and I agree about Au The Vert. I disliked tea notes originally and now find their dryness very appealing. January 7, 2013 at 4:54pm
Cornelia Blimber: Suzanna, if one of your marvellous pictures will be of an alligator, please post it! fascinating animals.
Dianthus is one of my favorites too, but not in hot weather. My anti- hotweather perfume is Eau de Rochas, or Shalimar L’Initial. great article, as ever! January 4, 2013 at 11:27am
Suzanna: Cornelia, I have many pictures of alligators. I’ve stopped taking them as much as I did, however, because I was this summer trapped between two ten-foot alligators and a return to my car on a trail that went out and back with no other way of exiting. I was hissed at as a warning and I ended up calling the sheriff to come get me. I waited over an hour in extreme heat for this lift! (And have not been so casual since.)
In any event, I agree that Dianthus can be difficult in summer. There is a certain quality that cedar can take on in the heat that is too much for mr! January 4, 2013 at 8:23pm
Cornelia Blimber: What an exciting story!! And yet you go again into a wobbling boat, trying to capture the perfect picture of an alligator!
You are are hero, Suzanna. January 5, 2013 at 10:33am
Cornelia Blimber: You are a hero, I mean. January 5, 2013 at 12:00pm
Suzanna: Cornelia, I took a photo today of an alligator, just for you. Please send your email and I will forward it to you! It was a nice eight foot alligator that I found in a canal near where they used to launch the Space Shuttles :–) January 5, 2013 at 9:57pm
Cornelia Blimber: Thank you, great! e-mail: January 6, 2013 at 6:38am
Victoria: Cornelia, I copied your email for Suzanna. For privacy sake, I’ve made the address invisible.
I myself want to see that alligator photo! 🙂 January 6, 2013 at 6:55am
Cornelia Blimber: Thank you, Victoria! January 6, 2013 at 10:04am
Karen Strickholm: For scented soaps, I love the soaps from Rance, a perfumer in France I believe. There is one that is very unisex, has lovely scent of vetiver that lingers. Sorry I don’t have the name at hand, but I buy them in a brown patterned box, six bars in the box, from Palmetto on Montana Street in Los Angeles, in the Santa Monica area. I mention that because I’ve never seen it sold anywhere else — that’s why I always buy a whole box! January 4, 2013 at 11:54am
Suzanna: I have heard of Rance soaps from a friend, but have not seen them. Great rec, thanks for mentioning them! January 4, 2013 at 8:25pm
Kay: Love this article, it reminds me of my youth on a farm on the Great Plains. My mom was a great fragrance lover and taught me that as long as the frag gave you a lift you should wear it, no matter what the occasion. For example before setting out on a cattle drive we would dab ourselves with Chanel no. 5, to put us in a happy state of mind. We were glamourous to ourselves and it helped us exude confidence and happines! January 4, 2013 at 12:22pm
Sassa: Chanel no 5 to prepare for a cattle drive! Where’s Brad Pitt when someone has a great image like that? Now THAT’S a million dollar campaign concept. January 4, 2013 at 2:32pm
Mough: In fact, my mom and dad, who owned a cattle ranch while I was growing up in Wyoming referred to Chanel No. 5 as Corral No. 5, as a joke. It still makes me smile… January 4, 2013 at 7:42pm
Suzanna: What a great story, Kay! I can picture your cattle drive, all the while with No. 5 wafting around (I love the smell of cattle, btw) with the various other smells–cattle, horse sweat, leather, dung, etc. I find this imagine quite appealing! January 4, 2013 at 8:27pm
Annikky: Suzanna, your rural life sounds seriously cool. Why did you move, if you don’t mind me asking? The photo is stunning, as always.
Our climate here is very different, there are maybe a couple of weeks every year where one would need or want to wear anything seriously cooling. But when I crave something glamorous yet easy, I feel that almost all Chanel exclusifs (EdT versions) work well. Taking a shower with REN’s Rose Otto body also adds some luxury to an otherwise mundane day.
That said, I don’t hesitate to bring out the big guns in the middle of the day either. I have always enjoyed glamour that is slightly out of context: red lips in the morning, evening gowns in the country house, Shalimar parfum (not that I own it…) with t-shirt and jeans. January 4, 2013 at 1:18pm
Austenfan: I can so relate to ” glamour out of context”.
I once washed my car wearing Amouage Gold!
I don’t do make-up though but I can see the red lips in the morning. January 4, 2013 at 2:04pm
Annikky: Way to go :)! January 4, 2013 at 2:10pm
Annikky: *body wash January 4, 2013 at 2:08pm
Suzanna: Annikky, a friend of mine always calls the Exclusifs “body sprays,” and I can relate to that. I wear all of the ones I like in the summer, including the heavier hitters like Cuir de Russie and Bois des Iles.
Love that REN shower gel, too, and need to buy more. It smells fantastic and purely of rose otto.
Regarding Florida, my parents moored themselves here in their old age, first at the beach and later here in Northern Florida (inland). My brother and I both live here after living, working, and extensively traveling in many different places for 20 years. January 4, 2013 at 8:31pm
Poodle: Most days I think the only thing glamorous about me is my perfume. January 4, 2013 at 1:48pm
Emily: Ha! Same here, Poodle. January 4, 2013 at 2:26pm
maja: 🙂 Exactly! January 4, 2013 at 4:38pm
Suzanna: I’m :–) at this. I am wearing Sira des Indes with an outfit I had on in the rain while looking for migrating birds this afternoon here in Viera where I am spending the weekend. This outfit is black leggings, duck boots, a t-shirt that says “Beaufort, South Carolina” on it and over this a sweatshirt that says, “AMELIA ISLAND, FLORIDA USA.”
So I can relate. January 4, 2013 at 8:33pm
Poodle: 🙂 I’m sure you are looking very Vogue in those duck boots. January 5, 2013 at 7:36am
Victoria: I keep imagining you with some gorgeous red lipstick and a beautiful perfume, and I agree with Poodle, the image in my mind is very Vogue. 🙂 January 5, 2013 at 9:26am
solanace: yep. January 7, 2013 at 4:09am
Sarah: I wear Calvin Klein’s men’s deodorant – it’s light and musky and you only get the occasional whiff – combined with Chanel 19 poudre perfume or Rive Gauche for a bit of daytime glamour.
Aside, the blogs you and Victoria write are absolutely gorgeous! Just reading them makes me feel more glamorous. January 4, 2013 at 2:17pm
Sarah: I meant to say Calvin Klein’s Obsession for men’s deodorant. The other’s are a bit boyish for ladies. January 4, 2013 at 2:18pm
Suzanna: Why, thank you for saying that, Sarah! I am certain Victoria will be as happy as I am to know that the blog makes you feel glamorous.
Great rec on that deodorant! Never would have known about that if you hadn’t shared that tip. Thanks! January 4, 2013 at 8:35pm
Emily: Cristalle EDT always does the trick for me. No. 19 is good, too. There’s something in the Chanels that always makes me mind my posture. January 4, 2013 at 2:29pm
Suzanna: Emily, both EdT and EdP of Cristalle are great and I have both. They are sharp and brainy and I feel both elegant and smart wearing them. I could see myself as a totally different person wearing them, someone who never wilts in the heat, wears white blouses without sweating, and has serious glasses that are also sexy. January 4, 2013 at 8:37pm
Blithie: I wear Dior Dune for everyday glamour. It isn’t cloying in the heat or thin in the cold. My office is very casual so wear Carriere to match. It’s polished without being too dressed up. January 4, 2013 at 2:59pm
Suzanna: Great options, Blithie! I think Dune doesn’t often get the love it deserves.
“Polished without being dressed up” sums up the aesthetic I address here. January 4, 2013 at 8:38pm
schlimmelmann: My daily routine outfit is made of black and dark blue. Accessories are rarely welcome but my perfumes always go baroque and oriental. That’s why I enjoy so much wearing Santal de Mysore or Sables with sneakers, jeans and oversize pullovers. I use to put some Mitouko EDP on during the autumn/winter days I stay home and relax.
Spring and summer mostly belong to Iris Silver Mist or M/Mink. Days in which heat is unbearable I have a drop of Santa Maria Novella’s Violetta or Premier Jour.
I’ll keep in mind your advice about having some scented soap for traveling around hot places: I can’t do without perfume, but I have to confess that mosquitos get on my nerves sometimes. Thank you! January 4, 2013 at 3:07pm
Suzanna: GREAT color palette, and one that I follow also, with addition of dark charcoal and maybe dark brown.
For the record, I wear Mitsouko EdP all year long, regardless of weather.
Some years ago, I caught a whiff of Mitsouko on an elegant woman with a silver-white bob, dressed in a style one might see in Sedona–jean shirt, jeans, cowboy boots, silver/turquoise jewelry. So elegant! January 4, 2013 at 8:41pm
Le Critique de Parfum: I truly adore Neroli Portofino, I hope it remains untouched.
The N°5 is a little lazy though (teasing you Suzanna 🙂 January 4, 2013 at 3:25pm
Suzanna: I’m totally lazy, and often predictable in my choices. There is a reason things are classics, and I bring them up in the hopes that younger women won’t pass them by. I adore Eau Premiere and it will always be in my cabinet! January 4, 2013 at 8:43pm
Dominic: From my collection i can use Chanels as everyday glamour, No 19, No5 EDT or Eau Premiere, they all work great. I spoil myself with Angel quite often, with Womanity, Insolence EDP – that one works surprisingly well even in hot weather. Actually i wear anything I have if I’m in the mood for it or it’s perfect for particular time of the year, e.g. Samsara for winter. In the near future I’m gonna gain Cristalle EDT and Diorella And these would be more than perfect for anytime and anywhere. January 4, 2013 at 4:48pm
Suzanna: I love your mix of classic and modern glamor fragrances. Have forgotten about Insolence and will need to sneak a spray soon.
You will probably run through the Cristalle EdT. I do, each summer. January 4, 2013 at 8:45pm
Merlin: i’m an urbanite, so I wear most of my frags whenever I feel like it – but I have to say, were I to go hiking, through the swamps, or anywhere else, I would probably not use no.5, in any of its versions! I would probably go for L’occitaine’s Vert – simple and airy… or maybe a citrus to cut through the heat. The one Chanel I might wear, were I to want something a bit more sophisticated to pep me up would be Cristalle eau Verte. But maybe if I spent most of my days in the outdoors, I would be more relaxed there and my scent options would widen… January 4, 2013 at 6:03pm
Suzanna: I was an urbanite and in my head I still am, hence my wearing certain fragrances in more primitive environments.
I also until very recently would always wear the wrong shoes–urban ones that caused serious outdoorswomen to snicker. January 4, 2013 at 8:47pm
Ariadne: In the warmer months I switch to the EDT version of Bal A Versailles. It is zestier than the bombshell EDP.
Speaking of soaps….I have always loved Myrugia’s Maja soap more than the perfume. When it gets really sultry don’t forget to hold your inner wrists under a running faucet. Coolness at a major pulse point helps to distribute it quickly throughout the whole body. January 4, 2013 at 6:45pm
Suzanna: Thanks for that tip, Ariadne! I can just tell summer is approaching. This has been a warm and muggy winter with a tornado last week in the middle of the night. Summer is at hand, I am afraid.
I can almost, but not quite, wear BaV. I forget which my last bottle was, so will seek out EdT.
Maja soap is a wonderful product that is fairly easy to find, and per your rec is well worth seeking out. January 4, 2013 at 8:50pm
Nicole: Lovely post, Suzanna, and some great recommendations. I am a native Gainesville girl, so I definitely understand inland Florida in the summer — and spring (early summer) and fall (late summer). 🙂
Although I live in a land-locked state now (sigh), L’Artisan Seville a l’Aube really spoke to me and reminds me of home. Probably the orange flower and beeswax notes. I think it is lovely.
Wonderful photo of Cedar Key. Captures the beauty of the area perfectly. January 4, 2013 at 11:33pm
Suzanna: Well, Nicole, I live in Gainesville (actually, the county), and I work freelance with the mag there. I suppose you know La Chua Trail? And Ginnie Springs and the Santa Fe River and so on! How nice to meet someone else who knows this vicinity. January 5, 2013 at 10:00pm
Juraj: But it seems taht you change from urban to rural didn’t change you. I am reading Bois for some time now.. 🙂 You still have the style. 🙂
My go-to fragrance to feel glamurous everyday is Guerlain Homme and Byredo Baudelaire!
Juraj
BL’eauOG January 5, 2013 at 1:32pm
Suzanna: This is an interesting thing, Juraj. This move in fact crystallized and made more intense the craving (and purchase) of luxury items, among them perfumes. I have loads of lipsticks in reds and berries and pinks, various skin potions and lotions, and a closet of the flip-flops, which is the Florida state shoe.
I want to try Baudelaire and must get a sample. January 5, 2013 at 10:02pm
Julie: Great to hear I’m not alone in Fla. Here in the boondocks side of Manatee Co, I grab 4711 when it gets too hot, or Eau de Rochas for fancy. SSS Incense Pure for understated elegance in the heat. And you’re right about the weather, this winter has been really disappointing. Summer starts next week. January 6, 2013 at 8:38am
Suzanna: Julie, :–)
Yes, summer does start next week. I am in Alachua Co. and I can already feel the summer mugginess coming in. There were a couple of cold nights where the weather flip-flopped, and now I’m wearing flip-flops (and not buying some boots I saw at the mall).
Eau de Rochas is fantastic and thank you for bringing it up. I am going to grab a bottle for this imminent summer.
(BTW, I occasionally do photography down in Manatee County!) January 8, 2013 at 8:00am
Lynne Marie: I have the opposite problem here in the north. This time of year the bookstore gets frigid and I need a shot of glamour to combat my chattering teeth. My two favorite daytime glamour scents are Tonka Imperiale – makes me feel elegant even in jeans and a fleece- or Orchidee Vanille. They make me feel smooth, warm and untouched by the vagaries of weather. January 6, 2013 at 9:50am
Suzanna: Lynne Marie, those are lovely choices for the opposite situation. Both of these are favorites of mine, along with Bois d’Armenie. January 8, 2013 at 8:02am
J: “Glamour has taken a backseat to necessity here.”
But you can still be a Warrior Queen drenched in scent. x January 6, 2013 at 4:51pm
Suzanna: Thank you for that, J. That wil cover a multitude of skin problems, no-see-ums, humidity, drenched hair, sweat, and probably cellulite for all I know. January 7, 2013 at 4:39pm
solanace: Hi Suzanna,
Thank’s for writing this post.
This subject is close to my heart. I live in the rainforest, and my city is Violent, with a capital V. I can’t dress up, unless I want to get kidnapped or something. Perfume is my escape, and since the weather is shitty year round, I wear the heavy hitters year round as well – probably for the desperation of some co-workers, but that’s life… Amouage Gold, Shalimar, L’Heure Bleue, my ole black Armani… Those are my everyday glam friends. (fresh stuff tend to smell like BO on my skin, what can a girl do??) January 7, 2013 at 4:18am
Suzanna: Solanace, I love your everyday glam friends. I had no idea you lived in such a place and I am sorry you have such unrest there. Glad that you have your perfumes as things of beauty. January 7, 2013 at 4:37pm
solanace: I must admit I hate not being able to take a walk by night with my husband, as we used to do in Paris… They don’t even have snakes, it’s not fair! But our neigbours are great, my students are a breath of fresh air and I even get to have a big garden full of native trees and fragrant stuff, so I can’t really complain. And you know, the city is so ugly it is somehow photogenic, and interesting in a post-apocaliptic sort of way. 😉 January 7, 2013 at 5:37pm
Suzanna: Which city is it? I am intrigued! January 7, 2013 at 9:00pm
solanace: Sao Paulo periphery. More specifically, the ABC region, where president Lula formely worked in the car industry. I feel bad complaining about my city, but it sure has some serious urbanistic problems (that river!), and perfume provides such a great escape, that’s what I wanted to convey. January 9, 2013 at 1:08am
Suzanna: Thanks for the info, Solanace. I know next to nothing about this city and I now will study up on it! January 9, 2013 at 7:40am
solanace: Thank you for the interest, Suzanna. Sao Paulo is an ugly, gray, polluted and unplanned mess, even in its ‘beaux quartiers’, and much more so in the working class suburbs (google ‘maua sao paulo’ and you can see what I mean). But it is also a very interesting place, as a few young adventurous turists have been discovering lately. We have a vibrant artistic scene, really nice people (maybe because there is no other way to survive here), great food and a few delicious retreats in the middle of the concrete – not to mention the great beaches close by, such as Ubatuba. Unfortunatelly, Brazil’s richest state has been governed by pricks for way too long, and as a consequence violence has escalated here (not in the rest of Brazil, though) in the last few years – we’ve been having like 10 murders every night, which is almost a civil war! January 9, 2013 at 8:43am
Suzanna: Solanace, this is fascinating and I will indeed learn more about this city. Your comments go to show how little we might know of the world, or of the world of people we interact with on blogs and forums. You’ve really opened my eyes. Thank you. January 9, 2013 at 10:01am