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Scoundrel’s Guide to San Jose, Costa Rica
Everything you need to know before you hit the town
San Jose is the only big city in Costa Rica, and it rules. Folks say it’s just a launching pad for one’s adventures to the abundant beaches and rainforests of this tiny Central America country, but they are missing out. I’m a city man primarily, and I’ve been all over San Jose.
The Grid
The first thing you need to know to get around most cities is how the grid works. The grid of streets, that is. In San Jose it’s like this:
Right in the center of the grid, running roughly West-East, is Avenida Zero (such an excellent William Gibson/Burroughs style name). Avenida Zero is sometimes called Avenida Central. To the North, you’ve got odd numbers ascending (Avenida 1, Avenida 3, Avenida 5, etc.) To the South, even numbers ascending (Avenida 2, Avenida 4, Avenida 6…) With me so far?
The streets running North-South are also numeric, but called Calle instead of Avenida. Thee central street is called Calle Central (aka Alfredo Volio). Even numbers run West (Calle 2, Calle 4, Calle 6…) and odd numbers run East (Calle 1, Calle 3, Calle 5…)
With this basic level of grid knowledge, you can find your way all over the city. If you’re staying near the intersection of Calle 40 and…
