5 days in Rio..what to do?

Maybe take the boat to Niteroi and back one afternoon. It'll give you a glimpse of the 'real Rio' edgy but safe.

The 'real Rio' TM. Lol.

Lame Samba shows? I think Plataforma still does the tourist shows, dunno never been but I gather it best suits the septegenarian Floridian off a cruise ship demographic best

http://www.plataforma.com/eng/show.asp

Niteroi is nice and all but you don't need to go there to see the "real" Rio.

There will be the usual street and bar samba all along Mem de Sa Ave in Lapa, near the arches (which are currently just one patch away from being painted completely white). I'm sure they'll be laying it on extra thick for WC.

"Maybe take the boat to Niteroi and back one afternoon. It'll give you a glimpse of the 'real Rio' edgy but safe."

So... The "real Rio" is located outside of Rio. Interesting.... lol

For Samba, Just go to Lapa, walk around, and find something that looks fun. Lapa 40 Graus, Rio Scenarium and Clube dos Democráticos are famous among tourists.
In Lapa, you will find endless options, from samba to rock, passing thru reggae and electronic music.

To think all those times spent transiting back and forth to Alcântara and I was passing through the 'real Rio' without even realising it. ;-) Now, I'll have to look up the current definition of edgy, it seems to differ from what I presumed it to mean.

How about going to Buzios for a day. It’s a nice fishing village i hear about 2 hours away from Rio..