Early this morning, we left Heredia to visit all the historical monuments and cultural structures San José has to offer. As the capital of Costa Rica, San José naturally has a busier environment, with larger buildings, more foot traffic, and a lot of American fast food options. We were lucky enough to visit the National Theater and the Gold Museum, where we gained further insight on Costa Rican culture and history during the Precolombino Era. On the way, we walked through national parks and also saw important cultural monuments!

Coffee and bananas constitute some of Costa Rica’s largest exports, and we can still see traces of its influence in present-day San José. I immediately noticed that the railroad is a direct result of the coffee and banana trade. In order to efficiently transport these goods for export, an American engineer, Minor Cooper Keith, constructed a railroad from the Central Valley to the Carribean coast. Although this railroad is not used to transport coffee and bananas anymore, it currently works as a mode of transportation to and from San José. Moreover, many of the city’s buildings were constructed with the revenue of their “golden bean,” or coffee. Costa Rica’s current success and wealth is due to the production of coffee, which produced the money to invest in their architecture.

Another major remnant of the coffee and banana trade is the lack of addresses. It was not imperative to have traditional addresses, because Costa Rica began as a rural community. Instead, Ticos reference landmarks when giving directions, such as “200 meters east of the church and across the street.” Sometimes they mention buildings that aren’t even there anymore! For example, the directions could be “100 meters west of the old McDonalds.” As trade and exports grew, the rural environment was replaced by businesses and stores, but the addresses remained the same. In terms of logistics like sending a package or riding in an Uber, this system is inefficient and outdated. For a country hoping to expand and attract new business, this structure discourages companies from wanting to allocate resources to Costa Rica. The roads also already have street names, so it is just a matter of using numbers for houses and other buildings. However, I can appreciate the unique Tico quality that would be stripped away if San José made the switch.

For cities over 2,000 miles apart, San José and Pittsburgh surprisingly have several similar characteristics, in addition to being a busy city. Although both are urban by nature, the cities prioritize green space. San José is famous for having a multitude of parks within its concrete jungle, and Pittsburgh is no different. It is home to Schenley Park, Point State Park, and more! Both areas are also known for specific products; of course, Costa Rica exported coffee and bananas to grow their wealth. Pittsburgh, too, was known as the “Steel City,” once producing about 60% of the United States’s steel! Two countries and continents apart, but there are so many similarities.