Don’t try to pigeonhole this place. Part art gallery, part design store, part restaurant, part co-working space, we could go on…but basically it’s exploding with ideas and energy. From product launches to music sessions, there’s always something going on at Cartel 011. Founded in 2009 with the intention of transforming the urban environment, it’s a case of so far, so bloody brilliant.

Victor Brecheret’s 16 meter high sculpture in front of the Ibirapuera Park is a tribute to the Bandeirantes Paulistas whose explorations into unmapped territory in search of precious metals in the 17th and 18th centuries widened the then tiny borders of Brazil. The landmark was inaugurated on January 25, 1953 to help mark the 399th anniversary of the founding of São Paulo.

Come here on Sundays to watch the “Fountain Presentation” take place in front of the monument, as images and colors are projected onto the water fountain, accompanied by music.

Surrounded by Av. Paulista’s massive buildings, this mansion is aptly named “The House of Roses.” Literal from the outset—the seemingly ever-blossoming rose garden wraps around the entire building—the true blooms are what sits on the institute’s shelves: the country’s first public poetry library.

As if this claim-to-intellectual-fame was not enough, the institute hosts a year-round series of cultural events from exhibitions to writing courses and lectures, promoting a love for all things literary.

It’s a pleasant place to escape the hustle of the thoroughfare—stop by for a garden stroll, or pick up a book and read some poetry on the mansion’s porch or in the backyard cafe.