The elegant Conjunto Nacional (Av. Paulista 2073, Cerqueira Cesár, tel. 11/3179-0000, www.ccn.com.br, 9 a.m.–10 p.m. Mon.–Fri., 10 a.m.–9:30 p.m. Sat., 2–8 p.m. Sun.) was Latin America’s first shopping center.

Inaugurated in 1956, by the 1960s it had become Sampa’s most glamorous address. Those who lived in the coveted modernist apartments were treated to stunning views (the skyscrapers were yet to come) and could camp out at the swanky Restaurante Fasano, where the likes of Marlene Dietrich and Nat King Cole entertained other international luminaries such as Ginger Rogers, David Niven, President Eisenhower, and Fidel Castro (the latter two on separate occasions).

After falling into decay and suffering damage from a fire in the late 1970s, it wasn’t until the late ’90s that a restored Conjunto Nacional recaptured some of its former glory. Today, it is a great place to have a cafezinho, take in a movie, or browse through the fantastic range of books at the Livraria Cultura.