This is the first announcement of the Conference "100 years of Relativity", to be held in São
Paulo on August 22-24 2005. All those interested should register before 31 May using the
conference site: http://www.if.usp.br/100years.


We expect morning and afternoon lectures by invited speakers as well as some paralell sessions
and posters. We have a small amount of financial support also for those accepted for talks in
paralell sessions and posters, which include local expenses at a sharing basis, as well a quite
limited amount of travel expenses. When applying please indicate whether financial support is
needed.



Some information about São Paulo
--------------------------------

The Hotels are located near Avenida Paulista, quite representative of the city. We expect the
lectures to be delivered in the theater of the São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP), located at
Paulista, within walking distance from the hotels.

São Paulo is very well served in terms of food. Those interested in sophisticated and expensive
dinners can go to Massimo (Al. Santos, paralell to Paulista) or Fasano (rua Fasano), where you
can spend cerca 250 reais for a dinner (1 U$ is equivalent to 2.70 reais). For sophisticated but
not extorsive dinners, you can try Figueira (Haddock Lobo, perpendicular to Paulista), Bargaço
or Antiquarius (both in Al. Lorena). In the region of Haddock Lobo to the South, one finds
further restaurants not that expensive, but still in the style of some sophistication.

At Al. Santos financially prudent visitors can find a good meal for a range from 20 to 50 reais,
some even with belly dance included (at Al. Santos every day, or at Bela Cintra on thursday
evenings). At Rascal's (still at Al. Santos) one finds the best salad bar in town for
vegetarians, including pasta for around 50 reais.

In case you want to poison yourself with fast food there are still plenty of opportunities, as
everywhere in this crazy world, but you will have to ask for yourself, for we are not going to
be responsible for your ill health, or for supporting world's worst garbage.

São Paulo is not such a touristic city, but there are some places worth visiting. You can visit
"Terraço Itália", a top floor restaurant with a magnificent view of São Paulo, and the Italian
district (Bexiga) now known for its music and still more food. Downtown, where you can go safely
(but carefully) during the daytime you can visit the Cathedral (Sé) and, nearby, the first
building constructed in 16th century (Pátio do Colégio). Another interesting site, also near the
old center of town, is the Mercado Municipal, which has been recently renewed.

Some museums are also worthwhile: MASP (where the conference is housed), the Modern Art Museum
located inside the city's main park (Ibirapuera), the Museum of Comtemporary Art (at the
University of São Paulo), the Pinacoteca and the Museum of Sacred Art near Estação da Luz, and
finally the History Museum at Ipiranga. In the region around Av. Paulista you will also find
many expositions, generally held by banks as well as a few old houses from the Barons of Coffee
(who themselves disappeared after 1929.)