Acaba de ser publicada a nova edição da revista Silverkris, da Singapore Airlines, que inclui uma enorme matéria minha sobre o Rio. Pra ser sincera, me deu um trabalhão pra pesquisar e escrever, mas finalmente, saiu!
Êêê! Até que enfim!
Lógico que o texto teve que ser uma coisa meio assim "pra gringo ver", dando todo o be-a-bá que pode até soar meio nerd pros ouvidos de um carioca, mas... fazer o quê, né? Eles queriam assim.... :)
Pelo menos, deu pra incluir muitas novidades que nem mesmo muitos brasileiros sabem. Um trechinho:
"In the hospitality sector alone, at least 10 new hotels are in the pipeline, many by international players like Hyatt and Accor. Already, by the end of next year, two important hotels will open – Windsor Atlantica and Gloria Palace – quieting the claims that Rio doesn’t have the solid offer of high-end accommodations expected of such a world-famous destination.
The city’s infrastructure is also undergoing a massive upgrading. Estimated to cost US$1.5 billion, Porto Maravilha (www.portomaravilha.com.br) promises to bring new life to the derelict warehouses of Rio’s port area within a few years. A huge area will be transformed into public spaces, with leafy promenades, bike paths and parks, all at water’s edge. Spanish ‘starchitect’ Santiago Calatrava has been tasked to design the port’s major future attraction, the Museu do Amanha (Museum of Tomorrow), while the area will also be home to an aquarium, residential and commercial buildings and Brazil’s central bank.
Meanwhile, several other city improvements have already been completed. The most high-profile public work is arguably the recently refurbished Municipal Theatre (www.theatromunicipal.rj.gov.br), which re-opened in all its gilded glory (219,000 sheets of gold leaf were used by the team of 350 restorers). Restoring the pomp and sheen of the 1909 multi-domed marvel, inspired by the Opera de Paris, required US$30 million and two-and-a-half years of work. Even public transit has been given a boost: Ipanema, one of the city’s richest neighbourhoods, finally has a subway station to call its own, with a panoramic elevator to boot."
