Sprawling smack in the middle of the fertile Valle Central, SAN JOSÉ
has a spectacular setting, ringed by the jagged silhouettes of soaring
mountains - some of them volcanoes - on all sides. That's where the
compliments end, however, and you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who
has much good to say about the city's potholed streets and car-dealership
architecture - not to mention the choking diesel fumes, kamikaze drivers
and chaotically unplanned expansion. In the gridlocked centre things are
wearingly hectic, with vendors of fruit, lottery tickets and cigarettes
jostling on street corners, and thousands of shoestores tumbling out
onto the sidewalks.
In general travellers talk about the city as they do about bank line-ups
and immigration offices: a pain, but unavoidable. That said, if you've
been travelling through the region, you'll find that compared to, say,
San Salvador or Managua, San José is not only a reassuringly safe place
(though street crime is rising) but also vibrant and cosmopolitan, with
a sprinkling of excellent museums , some elegant buildings and
landscaped parks, good cafés and the odd intriguing art gallery. Which
is all to the good: most people find themselves spending some time here
- the city is a major transportation hub, and many journeys across the
country involve backtracking through the capital - learning to enjoy it,
and even becoming perversely fond of the place.
The City
Few travellers come to San José for the sights. A city of nondescript
buildings, energized by an aggressive street life - umbrella-wielding
pedestrians pushing through narrow streets, noisy food stalls, homicidal
drivers - San José is certainly not a... |
