The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Most tourists don’t spend much time in the city whose population is officially less than half a million but in reality (when the suburbs are included) is about two million.
The Good: Great museums, interesting markets, a cheap and pretty good public bus system, colonial architecture and the availability of every product and service imaginable. The Gold Museum and the Jade Museum feature pre-Columbian art made by natives and presented in exhibits grouped by eras and geographic areas.
The shopping is great with many malls, strip malls and markets. Prices are generally about par with those in Mexico, a little less than in the US/Canada and much higher than anywhere else in Central America. There is no negotiating in malls as the prices are set – very much like at home. The sales tax, of 13%, is not included in the price but is added at the cash register.
For fish, meats and locally-grown fruits, vegetables and flowers go to the neighborhood markets rather than the downtown permanent markets. A great Sunday market with over 100 vendors is the one in Zapote (a neighborhood in the east suburb of San Pedro) which starts at 5:00 a.m. and ends in mid-afternoon.
Permanent markets that are open every day of the week are: Mercado Centrale (Central Market) and Coca Cola market and bus terminal (in an old bottling plant) which are located fairly close to one another downtown. The Central Market attracts more tourists while the Coca Cola market is more authentically Costa Rican and attracts both locals and travelers.
The variety of restaurants in the capital is mind-boggling with great Japanese/Sushi (many, many locales), Chinese, Korean, Middle Eastern, South American and European (mostly Italian, some French).
You won’t find many restaurants serving typical Tico cuisine as the most common dish, Pinto Gallo, is just rice and beans with a bit of meat and is usually served for lunch. The great thing about it, though, is that it does taste good, can usually be had for about two or three dollars and can be found in any local ‘soda’, the Costa Rican version of a lunch counter/café. Don’t forget the 10% sales tax added to restaurant meals as well as a 10% service fee (involuntary tip) imposed in most restaurants (but, usually, not sodas).
For better or for worse, a very large ex-pat community flourishes in several San Jose suburbs where you will find American-style gated communities, strip malls and practically every fast food franchise from the U.S. and Latin America. There are Burger Kings, McDonald’s, Pizza Huts, Kentucky Fried Chickens and a myriad of others if you need an American food fix.
The Bad: The air pollution in the city is pretty thick as San Jose sits in a valley and the surrounding mountains keep the bad air in unless we get pretty strong winds. Diesel is used for all of the buses and trucks and many crisscross the city spewing fumes. Also, any regulations to control emissions in cars, trucks and buses are not well enforced because you can actually see the exhaust you are breathing in.
Crime has increased a lot in the past few years, according to media reports, and I personally know three people who’ve been mugged on the streets including one who’s companion was stabbed. This type of crime usually happens in the evening – sometimes fairly early – so people really need to be careful on the streets. If you feel unsafe, take a taxi and make sure it is a red, registered one.
The Ugly: Some of the many reasons people avoid spending much time in San Jose include the noise and air pollution, dirt and litter, poorly maintained streets and sidewalks, overcrowding and higher crime rate than smaller towns and cities. It is as if San Jose tries to negate everything Costa Rica markets itself to be: green and safe.
There is little evidence or enforcement of laws and city regulations to control: the dumping of garbage, the regular maintenance of unoccupied properties, littering, dumping of household water (untreated) into the sewers, the use of diesel by buses and trucks nor limits as to where they can drive, upkeep of sidewalks and street, etc. The list goes on and on.
San Jose (click photos to see full size)
Museums:
- Jade Museum/Museo de Jade
- Gold Museum/Museo de Oro
Shopping:
Galería Namu – one of very few shops selling authentic arts & crafts from Costa Rica and other Central American countries.
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