gávea is a residential neighborhood bordering lagoa de rodrigo freitas, mostly frequented by college students seeing as the popular pontifical catholic university is based there - other daytime attractions like the planetarium and a shopping center can also be found as well as nighttime venues favored by young cariocas.

baixo gávea, surrounding the santos-dumont plaza and popularly known by its abbreviation of  'bg', is a square where people are informally dressed and perpetually cheerful, socializing and engaging in casual conversations at any one of the multiple bars or on the sidewalk.