3-6 months in Sao Paulo - Suggestions/Advice
 

I will spend 3-6 months in Sao Paulo for business in the near future.
I was told it's not a safe city :( People got kidnapped, robbed at gun point and so forth.
Being a female, Im worried I will be hotel bounded outside of work hours.

Any suggestions? Advice?

Being someone from the NW, Im used to clean and orderly environment. My gut feeling is, I'll like it there. Very vibrant, alive and colorful.

Great overall safe if careful in good areas...

http://www.saexplorers.org/destinati...zil/infosheets

Sao Paulo is a huge city. If your hotel is around Jardins or Moema area probably you won't have problems and there's plenty of restaurants, bars, shopping, museums, etc. Sao Paulo can be a lot of fun if you take some basic precautions.

I'm not sure what your hotel preferences are but the Marriott Suites at Rua Professor Filadelfo Azevedo is where I'd recommend for long stays: each room is a small apartment with separate bedroom and living room, a bar-type kitchen with a microwave, pots, pans and everything else you could need (except an oven). Self-service laundry etc. The best thing is it's a 5 minute walk from Ibirapuera Park, the large central park with great space for jogging or anything else you might like. The park is very safe and the area is good (though more care is definitely always advisable than in quieter parts of the US or Europe). I stayed in the Radission Faria Lima before here which is really noisey due to its location. The noise level in SP is hard to take but my "new area" was a good move. If you're interested in art SP has lots to offer.

By the way you can find some info in English on Sao Paulo at:
http://saopaulo.angloinfo.com/