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Rua do Saco
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Rua do Saco nº41
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House where my friends used to live
In the summer of 2010 I visited São Miguel and went to walk around the neighborhood where I was born. I was born at nº 41 of Rua do Saco (now Rua Coronel Miranda) off Largo 2 de Março in Ponta Delgada. Sadly the exterior look of many of the houses has been modernized making them devoid of any character (like the house where I was born). The houses were traditionally painted white with dark gray trims around the doors and windows and at the base of the house near the sidewalk (like the house across the street where my friends lived). Many of them now just have one color or some one color on the bottom half and another on the other half.
As in past years, the cars are still parked bumper to bumper. Like in any other city with too many cars, finding a parking space can be exasperating. There's no need to use the car because from this street, you have everything you want within walking distance except ... the malls.
Largo 2 de Março used to be a nice open plaza with all different kinds of shops and cafes. Many are still there like Farmácia Garcia but it is also full of parked cars.
At the end of the street behind Largo 2 de Março is a little park where my mother or my aunt used to take my brother and me.
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Largo 2 de Março
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Coliseu
To the right of the street and a few blocks away is the Coliseu. That's the place where the upper class and various business groups held their social events, mainly formal balls. When movies came around, it was also a movie house.
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O Quartel/The Fort
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Down the street from the Coliseu you arrive at Campo São Francisco (renamed Praça 5 de Outubro). This was the gathering place for kids and families. Kids played while grownups chatted. Here were held summer concerts by military bands as well the philarmonics from all over the island. There were the popcorn and cotton candy carts to the delight of us kids.
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Convento da Esperança
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Around Campo São Francisco were located four important buildings: the fort, the church of the Parish of São José, the Convent of the Esperença which houses the most holy statue of Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres, and the Hospital (which has since moved to a modern facility).
My school, Colégio Sâo Francisco Xavier was also here as part of the convent. The school moved to new facilities in my last year there.
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Campo São Francisco
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It was a nostalgic walk which brought back many childhood memories which I had forgotten since starting my new life in America.
