The Saturday City: San Jose

The Saturday City: San Jose -

When I first went to San Jose, Costa Rica in 03, I thought it was a dirty city. It was not a place I wanted to spend a lot of time. There was trash everywhere, the buildings were run down, and when compared with other Spanish cities, there can be found no post-colonial charm. After the city visited again for the second time, I still feel the same way. San Jose is a charming town. It is still stony. It's still dirty.

The city has changed in recent years, but not in a good way. In 03, I remember seeing me no fast-food restaurants on the occasional McDonalds. Now there are roads with fast food fed. I even saw a Quiznos, and I never see them anywhere! Granted, the local fast food seem to love. Each Taco Bell I saw was filled with diners. But the overall impression of the city - a mishmash of people in a gritty hard place - was still there

Nevertheless, here are a few highlights you should not miss when you visit San Jose just.

National Center of Art and Culture - This sprawling museum occupies an entire block and it houses the offices of the Ministry of Culture and several performing-arts centers, it is also home to the Museum of Contemporary Art and design, where you can see the cutting art of Costa Rican and Central American artists. This is the place, contemporary dance and theater in San Jose to see

The Gold Museum -. The "Museo del Oro" is part of a three-storey basement complex next to the Plaza de la Cultura. The museum has an extensive display of the use of pre-Columbian gold as viewed from the indigenous societies and there are hundreds of exquisite glittering pieces to admire. There is also a museum about the history of their currency with

Jade Museum -. The Jade Museum is located on the 11th floor of the largest building in Central America, the National Insurance Building. The museum has the largest collection in the world of pre-Columbian jade pieces from 500 dated AD BC to 800th Thanks to recent upgrades to the lights; You will see them in all their glory. The museum also offers an excellent view over San José and the Central Valley

Mercado Central -. is to find the central market in San José in a bright yellow building on the Avenue headquarters - you can not miss it. Buy your souvenirs or visit local food among the hundreds of colorful stalls. There are many good restaurants here. Make sure you try the sorbet course in the middle of the market. Words can not describe how delicious it is

Barrio Amos -. This is the old colonial part of town and it is to migrate my favorite part. There are many quiet streets and beautiful houses in this area. It is a perfect image

Parques -. San Jose has many parks. They are not huge, or even some of the best in the world, but they're worth a good walk and, after a long day of walking a nice place to sit and relax his.

Poas Volcano - Poas Volcano is no longer active, but it does a sulfur water-filled crater feature. The water is so quiet and aquamarine, you might think it is wrong or that it was painted. The area has some good hiking trails and you will get images that make jaws drop. This is definitely the best day trip out of town.

If you do find yourself in San Jose and you are on a budget, the Mercado Central has great food and cheap local rates. The plates of the day are 1700 colones, or half the cost of what to find in the main tourist areas. In addition, avoid taxis at all costs. At least they will cost you about 5,000 colones to get around the city. They are just not worth it, as everything you need is in a central location.

San Jose can be avoided, but the chances are you will pass through it at some point, as you crisscross Costa Rica. It is easier to go through it as making your travel plans around it. San Jose is not a "terrible" place; it's just a sleazy place. After you have seen the major sites, and made some day trips, it is best to conduct the better parts of the country.

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