there are some good results on sao paulo search in discussions and news.
here is a personal favorite result;
http://archinect.com/news/article.php?id=63367_0_24_0_C

oh great, thanks :)

there was also an in depth discussion thread on this very tpic which contained
a lot of good info - search for it and you'll be glad

I spent about 5 months in Sao Paulo last year. Go! It is an amazing city, it will totally rock your world. People there are extremely accessible- try to link up with students at one of the architecture schools (MASP) or my personal choice, Escola da Cidade. You don't HAVE to speak Portuguese but it will make your life a lot easier if you do. A good percentage of younger people speak english, but the normal joe on the street most likely won't. I learned the language before I went, if you do that it will make the experience even better.
For me, the attraction to the city was the mess of it all. And the people. Their view on life (and even architecture) is very refreshing, if not a bit oldskool.

boa sorte na viagem! i speak semi fluent portuguese and know the city pretty well (nothing like a brazilian latin lover to speed up the learning process) so holler if you have any more questions.

fANTASTIC, great advice.. I'll start learning the language straight away ;)


Cheers

awesome. i'll be there this summer as well. i can't wait!

yes, just don't get kidnapped, and check out some mendes da rocha.

but before mendez, do yourself a favor and don't miss out on Villanova Artigas or Lina bo Bardi!

mendes da rocha, villanova artigas, lina bo bardi, and good ol' niemeyer have some great works through out sao paulo;

just a quick note, the school in sao paulo someone mentioned earlier is USP ( FAU - USP) - school bldg by villanova artigas; MASP is the museum by lina bo bardi;

as orhan mentioned earlier, there have been a few threads on sao paulo / rio full of great advise ... don't forget, Rio is a relatively short trip (used to be about 4.5 hours by car, depending on traffic...

stompbx hit the nail in the head...the most interesting thing about Sao Paulo is the city itself and the people...i love sao paulo...its relentless presence, and unexcusable realism is poetic...it's astonishingly beautiful and heartbreakingly ugly at the same time...i try to visit every couple of years...not for the typical tourist though...