Luz Station is a railway station in the Sao Paulo neighborhood of Luz that has trains that go to…read moreother cities and the subway as well. It is a very old station and architecturally, it is beautiful. There is a clock tower attached to it and it reminded me of the old train stations you see in Europe. I recommend stopping by if you're in the neighborhood just to appreciate it. However, I did have the misfortune to check out this station during rush hour. It was completely packed with crowds of people standing shoulder to shoulder.

My guide book said that this building was modelled after the Houses of Parliament, and I suppose…read morethere is a passing resemblance. It's more impressive outside than in, as inside it's basically a big empty station area with low-level tracks, but it's a convenient short cut to walk through the station to get to the park, and if you're lucky you'll be greeted by one or two locals trying to pick out a tune on a decidedly out-of-tune upright piano right in the middle of the concourse. Surreal!

The easiest/cheapest way to get to SP from the airport (and vice versa), the bus service has…read moreseveral lines but the only one that I have used so far is the one that begins and ends at Maksoud Plaza. For around 45 reals (they advertise 42, but I was once charged 50, once 45 and a couple times it was actually 42) you get a very clean, comfortable bus, with free wifi (that actually works!!) and transportation to the area of the city that you need to be in. For some reason, GRU does not have a metro stop and so this is my preferred method of escaping the airport. (Just be aware that if you are on an international arrival, you will need to go to one of the other terminals to buy your ticket as they seem to only arrive at and leave from the domestic terminals for some reason.)