American newspaper The New York Times has included Lisbon’s Rua Nova do Carvalho – also known as Rua Rosa – on the list of its ‘favourite streets in Europe’.
“For decades, streetwalkers and sailors were the main denizens of Rua Nova do Carvalho, a dockside lane of seedy nightclubs named for Rotterdam, Liverpool, Copenhagen and other ports,” writes NYT contributor Seth Sherwood.
“These days, all types walk the street, which has been closed to traffic, painted a cheerful shade of pink and elevated into Lisbon’s most bustling new party strip, thanks to a combination of enterprising bar owners and municipal action.”
Many examples of these successful businesses are given, such as Sol e Pesca which boasts “hundreds of cans of tinned fish in illuminated glass cabinets”.
A few steps away, Lateral offers a wide selection of “gin and neo-Portuguese cuisine”, while O Povo stands out for its “intimate chapel-vaulted, candlelit space,” where “local poets give readings” and “young practitioners of fado, Portugal’s melancholy folk music, perform concerts”.
Bar da Velha Senhora is described as “a bordello-like den with burlesque shows and cabaret, jazz and flamenco acts”, Tokyo is a “rock bar” where “albums decorate the wall and phrases from iconic songs are stenciled on the bar”, while finally Musicbox is “a sonic cathedral where you’ll hear Portuguese indie rock, Brazilian hip-hop, minimalist drum ’n’ bass collectives, funk and electro D.J.s”.
Also on the NYT’s favourite street list are Rue de Charonne (Paris, France), Grosser Muristalden (Bern, Germany), Rüdesheimer Strasse (Berlin, Germany), Calle 31 de Agosto (San Sebastián, Spain), Ripa di Porta Ticinese (Milan, Italy), Pimlico Road (London, England), Itfaiye Caddesi (Istanbul, Turkey), the Akerselva River (Oslo, Norway), Kärntner Strasse, Graben and Kohlmarkt (Vienna, Austria), Calle Zurbano (Madrid, Spain) and Krymska (Prague, Czech Republic).
