My bucket list came about after watching “Before I Go.” I started out with big dreams—I included restaurants, exhibitions, and about 20 destinations. A lot has changed, but Curitiba has always been on the list. And now, after getting to know it, I understand why.

Curitiba is one of those cities that seem to have been designed to succeed. With its tree-lined streets, wide sidewalks, electric buses, and well-maintained gardens, it feels like an urban utopia in the heart of Brazil. But it’s real. And it’s beautiful.

There, I learned that sustainability isn’t just marketing—it’s part of the city’s identity. I saw this in the care taken with public spaces, in the Athletico Paranaense stadium with its retractable roof and renewable energy, in the clean sidewalks, in the electric cars used by ride-hailing apps, and in the natural way greenery fills the city.

But Curitiba is also about history. It’s pine and araucaria trees; it’s the history of the indigenous peoples before the arrival of the colonizers; it’s the urban planning envisioned by Jaime Lerner; it’s the Botanical Garden, the MON, and Barigui Park. It’s the pride of being a great place to live—and, for that reason, also an excellent place to visit.

And it was far beyond anything I could have imagined. I watched a Brazilian music performance at the Ópera de Arame, watched the sunset in the park, took an Afro-centered tour, and watched my daughter have fun exploring textures at the Jardim das Sensações.

Curitiba welcomed me with generosity and kindness. I’d been told that the people of Curitiba are cold, but all I encountered were smiles and patient answers to all my questions.

I came back wanting to stay. And I reaffirmed what I learned back then, in my final thesis: a city is only worth visiting if it’s first worth living in.

And Curitiba… it's a great place.