Viva Lifestyles

Viva Lifestyles Viva! Lifestyles We are an entertainment magazine covering the lifestyles of New Yorkers as well as tourists visiting the city.

We focus on theater shows, movies, city sites, restaurants and other events taking place here. Not to mention we love food, so we also publish food recipes occasionally.

12/28/2025

Hi and a huge, warm welcome to all the CIEE Fellows joining the São Paulo Semester Intern + Study Abroad program! You’re about to dive into one of the most dynamic, complex, and exciting cities in the world—São Paulo, a true global powerhouse where business, culture, innovation, and everyday life collide in the best possible way. This city will challenge you, inspire you, and expand your worldview fast, whether you’re navigating its buzzing neighborhoods, working alongside local professionals, or engaging deeply with Brazil’s social, economic, and cultural realities. Get ready for intense learning, meaningful connections, unforgettable food, and moments that will genuinely shape how you see Latin America and your role in it. This semester isn’t just about studying or interning abroad—it’s about growth, curiosity, empathy, and leadership in a region full of energy and potential. Welcome to São Paulo, welcome to Brazil, and welcome to an experience that can truly be life-changing. 🌎✨

12/28/2025

Six hours in São Paulo is just enough time to feel the city’s pulse—and that’s exactly what this tour delivered. From the moment we stepped into the streets, SP revealed itself as bold, layered, and alive with contrast. The city doesn’t try to impress you quietly; it invites you in through movement, color, sound, and stories. For those of you coming from the U.S. with CIEE’s in Latin America, this kind of immersion is where learning stops being abstract and starts becoming real.

One of the most striking stops was a gentrified community that has transformed itself into an open-air gallery. Art spills directly onto the streets—murals, handmade crafts, prints, and performances—sold by local artists who are actively shaping the neighborhood’s new identity. It’s a space where creativity becomes both resistance and opportunity, raising important questions about economic access, visibility, and who truly benefits from “revitalization.” Walking through it, you don’t just observe change; you feel its tension and its potential.

From there, the tour shifted continents without ever leaving the city. Liberdade, home to the largest Japanese population outside of Japan, feels like a cultural bridge built block by block. Lanterns hang overhead, the smell of street food fills the air, and shops carry everything from manga to traditional sweets. It’s a powerful reminder that São Paulo is not one story but many—shaped by migration, memory, and cultural preservation. For anyone interested in global identity and diaspora, Liberdade is a living classroom.

We ended at the MAC Museum, where contemporary art and sweeping views of the city come together. The museum offers a moment to pause, reflect, and see São Paulo from above—literally and figuratively. After hours of walking through lived experiences, MAC reframes the city through art, space, and perspective. For future fellows, this tour isn’t just sightseeing; it’s an invitation to engage deeply, ask better questions, and understand Latin America through its people, cultures, and constant reinvention.

12/25/2025

WELCOME TO SÃO PAULO 💖💖

Big shoutout to our CIEE fellow students coming from the USA for Leading Change in Latin America (Spring 2026) — a huge welcome to you! 🙌

I’m originally from Rio, lived in Manhattan for 25 years, and now my New York husband and I are experiencing São Paulo for the first time. We arrived a week early, and we’re honestly loving it.

São Paulo is the largest city in the Western Hemisphere and the economic hub of a continent of 400 million people — with a level of talent, creativity, and “human capital” that will seriously blow your mind.

As Brazilians, we’re excited to help however we can as you settle in — from culture and customs to those little everyday things that make you feel at home faster.

We’re also just a few steps from CIEE, and we’d love to welcome you for social moments and business conversations. And if we can, we’ll happily share some home cooking too — because community hits different around a table.

Leading Change has the potential to be truly life-changing. It invites us to see Latin America not as an abstract idea, but as a living, breathing force shaping the future.

Brazil is poised for powerful growth over the next two decades, and being here now—learning, listening, and engaging with respect—places us in a unique position to grow alongside it.

Welcome to São Paulo. May this experience broaden our perspective, deepen our connections, and mark the beginning of something extraordinary. 💞✨

12/22/2025

NYC winter mood vs. Rio summer energy… wait till you see the switch 🌞🌴

Seasonal Affective Disorder, often shortened to SAD, quietly affects millions of people during the darker months of the year. In cities like New York, winter can feel especially heavy: shorter days, colder temperatures, gray skies, and a fast-paced routine that rarely slows down. Even the most energetic people can feel their mood dip as sunlight fades and daily life becomes more about endurance than inspiration.

For our American team, this winter felt like the right moment to listen to our bodies and our minds. Rather than pushing through another season of cold sidewalks and bundled layers, we made a conscious decision to change the environment around us. Sometimes, the most powerful form of self-care is not forcing yourself to adapt, but choosing a setting that supports your natural rhythm.

That choice led us south — to Rio de Janeiro, where it’s summer now, and life unfolds under the sun. Here, days begin with light, warmth, and open skies. The city invites movement, social connection, and time outdoors, all of which are known to positively affect mood and mental well-being. The contrast with a Northern Hemisphere winter is immediate and impossible to ignore.

What surprised us most was how quickly the shift made itself visible. Smiles came easier. Energy returned without effort. Our team members’ moods lifted naturally, not because of a packed schedule or forced positivity, but because the environment itself encouraged joy. Rio’s summer doesn’t demand happiness — it simply creates the conditions for it.

Beyond the climate, there is something deeply human about being surrounded by a culture that values presence, community, and shared experiences. Whether it’s walking along the beach in the evening, hearing music spill into the streets, or watching the city gather outdoors, Rio reminds you that joy can be collective. That sense of connection plays a powerful role in counteracting the isolation many feel during winter months.

This season, we’re choosing light — literally and figuratively. Leaving New York’s winter behind is not an escape from reality, but a thoughtful response to it. By spending the season in Rio, our team is prioritizing well-being, creativity, and balance. And as we experience this local summer firsthand, we’re reminded that sometimes, changing your latitude can change your outlook on life.

💕🌞🌴

12/14/2025

When Rio Turns Into Hogwarts: Allen Hubby’s Tears at the Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading

We walked into the Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading (Portuguese: Real Gabinete Português de Leitura) and Allen Hubby just… stopped. Then came the line that turned the whole visit into a core RLAL memory: “I’ve wanted to see this place all my life.” And yeah—he cried. Not in a dramatic way. In a real way. Like the room had been living in his imagination for decades, and Rio finally made it tangible. 

The vibe hits you instantly: carved stone, towering bookcases, warm wood, and a kind of golden glow that makes your brain go, wait… am I on a film set? This is the library people keep comparing to a Harry Potter scene—not because it’s trying, but because it genuinely looks like magic got a building permit in downtown Rio. 

But the magic isn’t just aesthetic. The institution itself goes way back: it was founded in 1837 by 43 Portuguese immigrants (political refugees) who wanted a cultural home in what was then the capital of the Brazilian Empire. That detail matters—because this place wasn’t created by “the elite” for show. It was created by a community that wanted to preserve language, literature, and identity. 

And speaking of capitals… Rio’s role in Portuguese history is wild. In 1808, as Napoleon’s forces threatened Portugal, the Portuguese royal court fled across the Atlantic—turning Rio into the center of power in a way almost no one expects when they first learn the story. 

That shift changed Brazil’s status too. In 1815, Brazil was elevated from colony to Kingdom of Brazil, forming the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves—with Rio de Janeiro as the capital (until 1821). So when you’re standing in the Cabinet, you’re not just in a pretty room—you’re inside the aftershock of an entire empire relocating and reshaping the Atlantic world. 

Now the building itself? The current headquarters was erected 1880–1887, designed by Portuguese architect Rafael da Silva e Castro, in Neo-Manueline style (that ornate, late-gothic-meets-maritime-Portuguese aesthetic). Even the ceremony is iconic: Emperor Pedro II laid the cornerstone in 1880, and Princess Isabel inaugurated it in 1887. 

Outside, the façade is a flex: it’s inspired by Lisbon’s Jerónimos Monastery, and it arrives loaded with symbolism—statues of figures like Pedro Álvares Cabral, Luís de Camões, Prince Henry the Navigator, and Vasco da Gama looking down like, “Yes, we did come with history.” 

Inside, the drama turns intimate. The carved book galleries rise upward like a cathedral of pages, and the light from the skylight and chandelier makes everything feel alive—like the books aren’t sleeping; they’re waiting. It’s one of those spaces where you start whispering without meaning to, because the room commands respect.

And it’s not just a gorgeous shell. The Cabinet’s collection is serious: around 350,000 items, and it’s widely described as the largest collection of Portuguese literature outside Portugal—open to the public, with rare works and a real presence in Rio’s literary life. 

By the time we left, Allen had that second emotional wave—the one where he said he fell in love with Rio. Because Rio does that: it doesn’t just impress you; it gets under your skin. So here’s our final little RLAL mic-drop: Did the producers—David Heyman and David Barron—get their inspiration in the Marvelous City? 

Matheus & Marcos are the kind of guys who light up every place they go. 🕺🕺 They grew up in Salvador, training calistheni...
12/11/2025

Matheus & Marcos are the kind of guys who light up every place they go. 🕺🕺 They grew up in Salvador, training calisthenics wherever they could find a bar or a wall, and this past summer they joined our RLAL team in Rio as part of the original crew. Between recording, training and exploring the city, they turned a simple backyard setup into a mini outdoor gym, showing how strength, discipline and joy can transform any space. They’re not influencers created in a studio; they’re real kids from the neighborhood who decided to master their own bodies and inspire others to do the same.

In this new video, the Twins are speaking directly to our community for the first time, asking for your help. Our next milestone is clear: we need to reach 3,000 followers by December 15th so Rio Like A Local can qualify to become a GetYourGuide affiliate. That partnership will help us keep bringing talents like Matheus & Marcos back to Rio, create more videos, and support young Brazilians who represent the real energy of this country.

We want to hear from you: What kind of content do you want more from the Twins—workout tutorials, daily routines, or fun challenges exploring Rio and Salvador? And if you came to Rio tomorrow, would you join them for a calisthenics session, or would you be filming everything and cheering from the side? Your answers help shape how this project grows.

If you believe in what we’re building, please follow, like, share, and invite at least one friend to follow us today. Every single follow gets us closer to 3K, to the GetYourGuide partnership, and to more opportunities for our original team—including Matheus & Marcos. From all of us at RLAL, thank you so much for your support, your follow, and your love. 💖🙏

12/11/2025

Matheus & Marcos are the kind of guys who light up every place they go. 🕺🕺 They grew up in Salvador, training calisthenics wherever they could find a bar or a wall, and this past summer they joined our RLAL team in Rio as part of the original crew. Between recording, training and exploring the city, they turned a simple backyard setup into a mini outdoor gym, showing how strength, discipline and joy can transform any space. They’re not influencers created in a studio; they’re real kids from the neighborhood who decided to master their own bodies and inspire others to do the same.

In this new video, the Twins are speaking directly to our community for the first time, asking for your help. Our next milestone is clear: we need to reach 3,000 followers by December 15th so Rio Like A Local can qualify to become a GetYourGuide affiliate. That partnership will help us keep bringing talents like Matheus & Marcos back to Rio, create more videos, and support young Brazilians who represent the real energy of this country.

We want to hear from you: What kind of content do you want more from the Twins—workout tutorials, daily routines, or fun challenges exploring Rio and Salvador? And if you came to Rio tomorrow, would you join them for a calisthenics session, or would you be filming everything and cheering from the side? Your answers help shape how this project grows.

If you believe in what we’re building, please follow, like, share, and invite at least one friend to follow us today. Every single follow gets us closer to 3K, to the GetYourGuide partnership, and to more opportunities for our original team—including Matheus & Marcos. From all of us at RLAL, thank you so much for your support, your follow, and your love. 💖🙏

We’re building something special 💫If you love Rio, travel, culture, food, and learning languages, come be part of our VI...
12/11/2025

We’re building something special 💫
If you love Rio, travel, culture, food, and learning languages, come be part of our VIVA! Lifestyles family. Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn and help us reach 3,000 friends in our community. Your support helps us promote sustainable tourism and showcase the real Brazil to the world. 🇧🇷✨

12/10/2025

Rio Like A Local was born from a simple idea: Brazil deserves to be seen the way Brazilians live it. Our platform shares real stories, real neighborhoods, and real people—from beach mornings in Rio to busy café afternoons in São Paulo. We want visitors to go beyond the postcard shots and actually understand the culture, humor, music, food, and daily life that make Brazil unforgettable. Every video, photo, and caption is a little invitation into our world.

A big part of our mission is sustainable tourism. That means encouraging travelers to support small local businesses, respect the environment, and learn basic Portuguese phrases so they can connect with people instead of just consuming the city. When you choose a family-owned restaurant over a giant chain, or a local guide over a random tour bus, you’re helping money stay in the community. We want Brazil’s beauty to be enjoyed without exploiting its people, nature, or traditions.

We’re also here to give visibility to Brazilian lifestyles, in the plural. Brazil is not just beaches and carnival; it’s students, artists, entrepreneurs, street vendors, parents, q***r communities, athletes, and so many others building their lives every day. By showing these different realities with respect and affection, we’re building a community where locals feel proud and visitors feel welcomed. Our dream is that followers don’t just “watch” Brazil—they feel like they belong here.

And this is exactly why we’re pushing to reach 3,000 followers right now. That number isn’t just vanity; it’s proof of community. With 3k, our content reaches more timelines, which gives more visibility to Brazilian creators and small businesses we feature. It also helps us get partnerships, discounts, and opportunities that we can pass on to our followers—like better deals on tours, study abroad programs, and local experiences. Every single follow is a vote saying, “Yes, this matters. We want a more conscious, joyful, and inclusive way to experience Brazil.” 🌎🇧🇷✨

https://www.tiktok.com/

https://www.instagram.com/rio_like_a_local

https://www.youtube.com/

https://www.facebook.com/VivaLifestyles/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/viva-lifestyles-289a04397/

11/25/2025

Same View, New Season

This video first went up on July 4th and somehow 12K of you stopped scrolling to travel here with me for 26 seconds. So here we go again: same view, new season, same invitation—come experience Rio like a local. 🇧🇷

There’s something about this bay that feels like a reset button: the waves, the mountains in the distance, bikes sliding by… it’s calm but somehow electric at the same time. This is the side of Rio you only see when you actually slow down and look.

Drop a 🌊 if this is on your 2026 (or sooner 👀) travel list, and tell me which month you’d love to be here. Morning person or sunset person—what’s your time of day for this view?

Share this with your future travel buddy, save it for later, and follow along—there’s a lot more Rio coming your way, and I want you in the front row for it. 💫

11/22/2025

Pablo Sales Debuts on RLAL

Pablo Sales has finally arrived on RLAL, and we know so many of you have been waiting for this moment! 🥳 With millions of followers and a larger-than-life personality, Pablo is bringing his energy, humor, and real-talk perspective straight to our community.

From the beaches to the parks and rooftops of Rio, Pablo knows exactly where to go, what to do, and how to enjoy the city like a true insider. We’re thrilled to welcome him to the RLAL family, and we want you to make this debut unforgettable—hit that follow, drop a like, and flood the comments with love, questions, and emojis for Pablo.

And now for the real tease: what does Pablo do when he’s feeling a bit… unmotivated? 👀 Even someone as vibrant as he is has off days—but instead of hiding it, he’s opening up and sharing his own way of turning things around. Does he head to the beach? Call his besties? Dance it out? We’re all dying to know!

You’ll have to watch his first video to find out his secret ritual for getting his spark back. 🔥 Don’t miss it—press play, show him some love in the comments, and let’s give Pablo de Sales the warmest RLAL welcome ever!
RLAL VivaLifestyles RioDeJaneiro VisitRio MotivationBoost

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