Paulistano here too, and nikkei (so pretty much every weekend went to liberdade and sao joaquim).
I find it easier to walk around Sao Paulo now. And Liberdade is still a special place with the asian lanterns in the lamp posts, the Bradesco building, and there are stores with Noren and signs.
Only difference is that the signs are now proportional to the store facade.
And we still have grafitti that helps to keep the city interesting, as well as our Portuguese stone pavement and other little things that make Sao Paulo beautiful even without all the billboards and ads.
people often think that what they're used to is beautiful. If you lived somewhere your whole life and all of a sudden it changed drastically, it's pretty easy to see how the old way could be thought of as beauty.
I find it easier to walk around Sao Paulo now. And Liberdade is still a special place with the asian lanterns in the lamp posts, the Bradesco building, and there are stores with Noren and signs.
Only difference is that the signs are now proportional to the store facade.
And we still have grafitti that helps to keep the city interesting, as well as our Portuguese stone pavement and other little things that make Sao Paulo beautiful even without all the billboards and ads.