Don’t forget San Jose, Costa Rica!

 We’ve returned to Canada and have been busy catching up with appointments, sorting through mail, doing our taxes and planning for the future - a difficult thing to do in Covid times! Although we are miles from Costa Rica, I would be amiss if I didn’t write about our last few days in San Jose before returning home. 

A reoccurring opinion I found in my research on this city was to avoid it! I disagree. In the few hours we spent in the city it was evident it’s worth the trip...even for just a short amount of time. 

We drove into the city during morning rush hour and although it doesn’t even compare to the craziness of the morning commute in Toronto, it’s still busy and finding parking was difficult. They’ve pretty much made the core a no parking zone and don’t even try to “run” into the Gran Hotel for a quick coffee  and think you’re going to park your car...they are quite familiar with that trick. 

Upon arriving to the central part of the city, we made our way to the Museo National de Costa Rica.  The outside is quite quaint with sweeping stairs leading to the entrance. After paying for our tickets, we entered a butterfly garden just inside the entrance. It was really unexpected and a lovely gesture. I’ve been to a butterfly garden but it was its own attraction. Spending time in the garden really slows you down and prepares you mentally for the rest of the experience. After exiting the garden, we entered what I would call a nocturnal exhibition showing all the creepy crawlies you can find in Costa Rica at night. This was housed in the old jail cells and although it was an interesting space to see, I’d skip this part unless you had little ones with you.  The rest of the museum was well done showing the rise and fall of Costa Rica and its people throughout its history. Overall, I say go to the museum; it doesn’t take a lot of time and it’s very educational. 

After exploring the museum, we walked across the street to get some breakfast at the Nuestra Tierra. I had of course the traditional Gallo Pinto and a coffee. It was the first time since being in Costa Rica that I was served the coffee made in the traditional Chorreador. It was spectacular tasting and the process was fun to watch. 

After taking a short walk in the area and taking photos of the graffiti covered walls displaying art and social messages, we headed back up the street to the National Theater of Costa Rica. This performance art theater was built in the late 1800s and is a landmark of the city with its manicured grounds and ornate construction both inside and outside. We only got to visit the lobby and grounds as the inside theatre was closed at the time. I think Covid had something to do with that. 

Directly across from the theatre you will find the Gran Hotel by Hilton. It is a pretty 1930s building rich in  history hosting some pretty famous people including J.F.K in 1963. 

The hotel is located on the Central Avenue Boulevard, a mile long pedestrian walkway. It reminds me of the La Rambas in Barcelona, although the latter is definitely more high end. The walkway boasts the Central Bank, The Jade Museum, The Gold Museum and a variety of shops and restaurants. My favourite of course was the Central Market. Again, a market full of trinkets, souvenirs and food shops where you can get a bite for lunch.  We were lucky to find our tortilla maker - small and light enough to carry home. I love markets! 

Although we only spent a few hours in San Jose, it was enough to get a feel for it. I don’t think it takes long to get a sense of a city. San Jose is a sprawling, busy city with crazy amount of traffic due to the narrow streets and interesting infrastructure, but the core is worth the visit. We didn’t get a chance to visit the local art museums, nor the parks because of our time constraints and Covid - most were closed, but I think they would be great to see.