one of bossa nova's great temples, in rio, is toca do vinícius, in ipanema that opened its doors in 1993 and has ever since been promoting itself as a center of reference for the genre - serves as a 'cultural epicenter' of bossa nova, with a huge selection of books, cds, films, lps, souvenirs, crafts, and information that gives visitors a real insight into the history of bossa nova, its origins as well as biographies of its greatest artists - organized concerts are hosted, usually on sunday evenings, once a month, on the pavement just outside of the shop. here is a list of venues one can visit for some soothing bossa nova on a thursday.