Rio - An incredible experience!

I'll try to do this in a concise bullett format:

• Flights from the US are long so prepare!  Try to limit layovers and take a sleeping pill to put you out if possible to make the time go by.  From Chicago, it was 2 hrs to Atlanta and then another 9+ to Rio!  Really a drag.  I couldn't sleep!  (On the way back, I popped 2 over-the counter sleeping pills and then finally a vicadin.  Worked like a charm!)
• Cab from airport to Zona Sul (Copa, Ipanema, Leblon) should cost you about $40 US
• US Dollar is getting weaker.  Remember that if you are reading from books that quote estimates on cab rides and meals.  Add about 30% to what they quote if the book is over a year old.
• Stay at Caesar Park if you can!  A bit pricey but worth it.  They gave us a free room upgrade to a junior suite with an incredible view!  Location is fantastic!  Right on the beach and walking distance to plenty of bars, shopping and restaurants.  Can also easily walk to most parts of Leblon and the Lagoa area.
• Safety: I heard a lot about crime in Rio.  Speaking only for our one rather short (6 days) stay, I didn't come close to running into a single problem.  Stay in Ipanema or LeBlon and not Copa.  Use common sense.  Leave your cash, CCs and valuables in the hotel safe and bring only what you need.  Do not wear expensive watches / jewelry.  Don't bring your cell phone.  (Ours definitely wouldnt' have worked there anyway and my guess is yours won't either).   I think the crime thing is over-stated but still possible.  Just be careful and you'll be just fine.
• Get flip flops for the beach.  You'll fit in better and don't go barefoot on the sand for more than a few mins on a sunny day.  It will burn your feet like you wont' believe!!  You'll be approached by lots of hawkers selling stuff.  Just wave them off and they'll leave you alone.
• Kiosks on the beach sell beer, wine, mixed drinks, fruit, juice (suco), etc.  They're open 24 hrs!  You can pretty much by anything on the beach (sunglasses, bikinis, hats, clothes to sit on, flip-flops, crafts, etc).  Don't forget to haggle!
• Liquor hours are pretty much 24 hours in Rio.  They have a drinking age of 18 but don't enforce it.  Some weed smoking on the beach, too.  A very liberal environment.  It was great!
• I would learn a bit of Portuguesse to fit in.  It will really make things comfortable for you.  Mine is beginner but it helped.  I surprised myself (and shocked my wife!) with how natural it came to me.  Maybe it was because my Spanish is good.  Airports, nice hotels and some English here and there.  Some waitresses, bar staff and  cabbies may not speak a lick of it, so be prepared.
• Just bring one CC.  They accept all major ones.  Note, however a couple we went to didn't accept visa.  Some do not accept credit cards at all so ask your concierge when making reservations.
• Food!!!  I would give high marks to EVERY food place we went to: Tropical something right around the corner from the Caesar Park (great place for lunch), Quadrifoglio (Italian), Garden (go on Sat for fejioda), Da Silva (kilo - but do lunch there, not dinner), Gula Gula (sit outside!), Via Sete (reasonably priced, great atmosphere), Shirley's in Leme (have the Paella!), Satirycon (pricey but great Mediterrean seafood).  The only place I wouldn't recommend that we went: Da Silva is great for lunch and we liked it so much we tried it again a few days later for dinner and were a bit disappointed.  The menu was exactly the same and it seemed warmed over from lunch.  Zuca in Leblon disappointed too.  Very pricey and the entrees were TINY!!  A joke for the price!  The deserts there were great, though and my wife raved about them for days.  All in all, the food in Rio is fantastic so eat up!
• Important food ordering tip: The courvert is a fancy bread with oils and spreads.  It's nice but what you won't know is they charge you for it and you find out at the end of the meal.  Unlike in the US where bread and oil are presumed free, they will charge (up to $15US or more for 2 people so waive it off when it comes ("Nao Obrigado").  It's just not worth it.  The exception is Shirley in Leme.  Get it there!  Interesting, tasty and low priced.    
• Drinks: As menitoned, cariocas loved to party and with that comes drinking.  Pretty much 24 hours a day available booze.  Most common drink choices are beer, wine, mohitos and caiparinhas but you can find mostly anything.  Costs really range.  A bottle of wine in a really nice restaurant (Zuca, Olympe, etc) are very very pricey.  We ordered the cheapest bottle of white at Zuca and it was about $45 US.  Other places are kinder with the wine list cost (Gula was good).  Caipairnhas were made well everywhere we went and ranged from affordable ($4 to pricey $14) depending on where we were.  Beer is very very popular and is affordable.  At most, what it cost in US but typically less.  Very light pilsner beers: Devassa, Antartica, Brahama are most popular and go well with the heat, sun, sand over heavier beers so it makes sense the Cariocas drink those over the ales and stouts.  Cans of ice cold beer by those kiosks run about $1.20 US.  Grab a bunch of those and have a seat at the beach at all hours of the day and night.  Or head back to your room with them.  Remember when ordering, "Chopp" is draft beer and "cerveja" is beer in the bottle or can.
• The beach!  Exactly what you would think: Lots of tiny bikinis, pretty people, volleyball, soccer, tons of people, vendors hawking everything.  A really great time.  Watch the sun, though!
• Corcovado: Beautiful views and an interesting train ride up.  Stay 30 mins.  Get some pics and head down.
• Sugarloaf: My favorite thing we did.  Breathtaking views and a great little forested path behind it.  Definitely go back there as the majority of the tourists will stay up on the main platform.   The views are even better down there and you just might see a monkey or two like we did!  Small monkey with a white star on his forehead and striped tail.  Little salamanders dart about the trail as well.  Very cool.  Note: For Corcovado or Sugarload, you're going to want a clear day or you can kiss those views goodbye and a visit is not worthwhile.
• HIppie Fair in Ipanema on Sundays.  Worth checkign out for an hour.  I bought a nice Brazil soccer shirt there and I love it.  (He asked $R 35 and I got him to $25).  Some may barter, some won't.
• Tijuca Forest Tour.  I arranged mine through jeeptour.br.  The operator I chose was Brazil Guide Tourismo.  Very cool.  Waterfalls, streams, monkeys, chapels, etc.  It was raining the day we went which actually made it better.  Only downside was a lookout called "Chinese View" was completely foggy by the time we got to it.  Supposed to be the best view in all of Rio.  
• Guanabara Bay boat tour.  Take a schooner from 3-5 pm.  About $38 US per person.  Use Marlin Yacht Charters.  Really nice views!!     
• Meeting people from all over the world: we met nice people from England, the Phillipines, France, Belgium, Hawaii, etc.  That's what so great about int'l travel!
• The Cariocas!!  I found them to be the most friendly people in the world!  My wife and I are big dog lovers and you'll see people walking their dogs everywhere.  I asked many if we could pet their dogs and they all were very responsive (and proud of their pooches).  The only thing that will keep them at a distance is the language barrier but with just a little bit of Portuguesse you will really break down the walls and meet the friendliest people around!  I definitley did not have one bad experience with someone being neither rude nor engaging in criminal activity.

The Cariocas!! I found them to be the most friendly people in the world!

Anyway, those are my thoughts on the trip in a nutshell.  I haven't downloaded my photos or video off my camera yet but will add them to this blog as soon as I can.  Feel free to contact me with any questions, especially if you are an American on a first time trip to Rio/Brazil. bmccabe14@comcast.net  I would be happy to help!