Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro
June 30th 2009 12:31
Just over the hill from Copacabana, at Ipanema, the broad golden sands, the rolling waves, the beach volleyball nets, the black and white wave patterned pavements, the kiosks on the promenade, the lifeguard stations, the tent cafes, the deckchairs, the sun umbrellas, the seaside luxury apartments and the avenues of palm trees continue. So does the society of sunseekers, surfers, joggers, volleyballers, buyers and sellers. It’s the same coastline and the same beach culture.
But for all that, Ipanema is quite a different place. It was a chic, rather exclusive and relatively quiet beachside suburb until Vinicius de Morais wrote his legendary song, The Girl from Ipanema, and made it the Bossa Nova capital of Rio and the world.
The street where, each day, the girl from Ipanema took her walk to sea is now Rua Vinicius de Morais. The café where Vinicius watched, sighed and purportedly penned the song is now a shrine. Its original name has long been forgotten. Today, it’s Garota da Ipanema. The lyrics and music are inscribed on the wall. Nearby is a framed newspaper article showing the once “young and lovely” garota, as a middle-aged aspirant for the local council. The café teems with tourists. But it’s still clearly a neighbourhood haunt, where locals meet or wander casually through, often in bikinis and speedos, on their walk to the sea. Just up the road from the cafe is the Vinicius show bar, one of Rio's most famous clubs, also known as "the Bossa Nova Temple"
Although Vinicius’ girl from Ipanema has grown old, her tall and tanned “grand-daughters” stroll down the streets of Ipanema to the sea in their hundreds. So do their lovely brothers. Over the years Posto 9 or Lifeguard Station 9 has become the meeting place for Rio’s gay community. A rainbow flag flies nearby and at holiday and festival times, like Carnaval, this spot on the sands of Ipanema becomes a gay (in both senses of the word) international village.
But for all that, Ipanema is quite a different place. It was a chic, rather exclusive and relatively quiet beachside suburb until Vinicius de Morais wrote his legendary song, The Girl from Ipanema, and made it the Bossa Nova capital of Rio and the world.
Inside La Garota da Ipanema
The street where, each day, the girl from Ipanema took her walk to sea is now Rua Vinicius de Morais. The café where Vinicius watched, sighed and purportedly penned the song is now a shrine. Its original name has long been forgotten. Today, it’s Garota da Ipanema. The lyrics and music are inscribed on the wall. Nearby is a framed newspaper article showing the once “young and lovely” garota, as a middle-aged aspirant for the local council. The café teems with tourists. But it’s still clearly a neighbourhood haunt, where locals meet or wander casually through, often in bikinis and speedos, on their walk to the sea. Just up the road from the cafe is the Vinicius show bar, one of Rio's most famous clubs, also known as "the Bossa Nova Temple"
Although Vinicius’ girl from Ipanema has grown old, her tall and tanned “grand-daughters” stroll down the streets of Ipanema to the sea in their hundreds. So do their lovely brothers. Over the years Posto 9 or Lifeguard Station 9 has become the meeting place for Rio’s gay community. A rainbow flag flies nearby and at holiday and festival times, like Carnaval, this spot on the sands of Ipanema becomes a gay (in both senses of the word) international village.
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