Barra da Tijuca
Barra has the longest beach strip in the city, as well as the fastest-growing residential and commercial centers. It looks more like suburban US than anything Brazilian, with high-rise modern condos and apartment buildings. It has several huge shopping malls and scores of restaurants and night clubs, many of which are branches of established spots in Copacabana and Ipanema. It was the site of the 2007 Pan-Am Games. Many new sports venues have been built.
Av. Sernambetiba is the beachfront street. Several luxury hotels have opened here, but it is not overrun by development.
Av. das Américas, several blocks inland, houses the malls and restaurants. It is a whirl of activity all day and well into the night. The malls stay open late and have movie theaters, so they have become Barra’s social centers.
Tijuca Forest & Corcovado
Mountain Rio’s most famous landmark, the Christ the Redeemer statue, stands at the top of Corcovado in Tijuca Forest. They are both within Tijuca National Park, Brazil’s only national park in an urban setting. This is the entrance to Corcovado if you are driving.
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