I’ve been intentional about seeing more of Brazil, and inevitably, that led me to its capital, Brasília. No Brazilian I know has ever said, “You’ve got to visit Brasília.” And I get why — this city isn’t like anywhere else in Brazil. It’s orderly where others are chaotic, planned where others are organic. Built from scratch in 1960, Brasília was designed to be a symbol of modernity and unity, a capital in the country’s heart meant to pull power and people inland from the coast. Its airplane-shaped layout, the Plano Piloto, was supposed to represent efficiency. Government offices line the fuselage, neighborhoods fill the wings. But the city’s modernist ideals came with a tradeoff: Brasília is built for cars, not people. I stayed in Asa Sul, a district with a nice mix of cafes and apartments. My gym was a 25-minute walk away, but I loved it. Shaded sidewalks, big trees, and almost no one else walking. Each morning, I’d stop for breakfast on the way, grab a coffee coming back, and settle in to work from my apartment. By the end of the first week, the walk had become a ritual, meditative, even. Music, thoughts, or just quiet autopilot. […]
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