Today, we took a train to San Jose for a walking tour around the city. We went into a museum, saw different national monuments, and got to go inside a beautiful theatre. San Jose is very different than a typical city that you would see in the U.S. There are markets like the one in the central park in Heredia, where food vendors are lining the inside and clothing and other items for sale. We also walked along a big brick street with stores on either side and no cars. At the museum, we walked through a butterfly garden and saw many sculptures that were all handmade of stone. My favorite part was walking through the gorgeous theatre. We got to see the stage from below and from the balcony. The architecture and detailed paintings on the ceiling were breathtaking. This theatre is similar to those in the U.S. I used to dance at the Akron Civic Theatre, and it also has a beautiful painting on the ceiling and has the same old royal castle vibe.
In San Jose, the banana and coffee trade holds significant cultural influences. For instance, the success of coffee farmers in Costa Rica has contributed to the funding of the beautiful theatre I mentioned earlier. Moreover, stores across San Jose proudly sell the coffee and bananas cultivated on these plantations, showcasing the city’s rich agricultural heritage. San Jose, much like Pittsburgh, boasts national monuments that honor significant historical events. For instance, Oakland has the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, a tribute to all military branches, veterans, and service personnel. In San Jose, we encountered their national monument, a symbol of the victory of Costa Rica and other South American countries against William Walker. These monuments and museums are not just landmarks, but living testaments to the city’s history and culture, inviting respect and appreciation.
San Jose has street names and avenues, but they do not have addresses. As a tourist, I would get lost if I needed Google Maps, where I can navigate to where I want to go or a store by where I want to go. Not having addresses makes it difficult to ask for directions if you do not know exactly where you are going. Someone could tell you to go somewhere that does not exist anymore, causing you to be more lost than you were before. It also must be tough to deliver packages without an address. Packages will come back undeliverable if the delivery person is still looking for where they need to drop them off. With almost 2 million people in San Jose, things must take a lot longer to deliver, and it is a lot more frustrating than the mail system we have in the U.S. This system holds San Jose back because of its complexity. With buildings not being permanent, having no addresses is not practical. Seeing San Jose was a cool and different experience after not yet being in a bigger, busier city. San Jose is the Times Square of Costa Rica.
