Estrela Da Lapa: Cool, Calm and Collected
Lapa is Rio's East Village except there's much more to do at night and much less to do during the day. A warren of old houses from the colonial days now rundown and unkempt, the neighborhood is filled with artist studios and botecos. By night, the area is flooded with young carioca hipsters and STD after STD-worth of trannie hookers. One of the nicer places in the area is called Estrela Da Lapa. The multi-level club is less crowded and more relaxed than most. The clientele tends to be more upscale and older though one of the nice things about going out in Brazil is that there is always a sort of demographic heterogeneity one doesn't see in New York. On the first floor, elegant pairs of older couples swept across the black-and-white marble tiles while a sambista sang low-key samba on stage. Others couples sat around tables munching pasteis and other bar snacks. The second floor was all tables and the topmost floor, from which one could look down on the stage and blur of dancing couples, has a couple of couches. When we went, the place was comfortable quiet as the band was unknown (note to self: hate flautists) but when the acts are bigger, the floor is invisible beneath the shuffling steps of hundreds of dancers.
Previously: The Adventures of X-Tudo, Books glorious Books, Revolution Number 9 at Ipanema, Sex Ed at Samba School, The the Girl from Ipanema Serves Steak and As She Serves It..., Botanical Gardens
