Do You Know The Way To San Jose?
The capital city of Costa Rica, San José, gets very little press in the guidebooks and, like most travelers, we had used the city as a place mainly to get from here to there as it is located in the center of the country. This was our fifth trip to the city and, aside from the Tica Bus station and some quick food restaurants around our hotel, we didn’t know doodley about the capital except that it was big and hectic with traffic and pedestrians scurrying about. Like all of our previous visits the weather was chill and gloomy; gray, overcast and frequently raining regardless of whether the rest of the nation was in the wet or the dry season. However, unexpectedly, we found ourselves with a full day to see a bit of the city as our bus for Panama City did not leave until midnight of the following day.
We did know a good deal about our lodging as, despite our travels, we can be creatures of habit and kept returning to a charming little hotel we had discovered during our first visit. The Rosa del Paseo is housed in a turn-of-the-century Victorian private home and was built 115 years ago by the Montealgre family who made their fortune exporting coffee. It is reputed to be one of San José’s most charming stucco homes and is located near the heart of the city on Paseo Colón. The Rosa has kept pace with the times, undergoing regular upkeep and upgrades yet is nevertheless surprisingly evocative of 19th-century Costa Rica.
It has the traditional central courtyard and is graced with period furniture and oil paintings. Beautiful details are spread throughout the hotel, including transoms, ornate stucco door frames, original tile floors, polished hardwood and parquet floors, gleaming wainscoting and a collection of antique sewing machines on original tables scattered here and there. In the midst of the frenetic movement of the modern capital city of San José, the Rosa del Paseo retains its dignity and composure.
The Ticos with whom we had spoken had highly endorsed both the Museo de Oro (Gold Museum) and the Museo de Jade. Our map was a bit sketchy as to the exact location of the museums so we opted for the most obvious solution and hailed a cab to the Plaza del Cultura.
And there, residing below the Teatro Nacional (National Theater) was our goal. But to get to the museum we needed to navigate our way through a plaza full of pigeons which refused to be flustered by our passing. Indeed, they moved leisurely out of our way delaying just long enough to make certain we were not bearing gifts of food.
The gold museum contained an amazing assemblage of Pre-Columbian gold pieces ranging from raptor broaches and clasps to warrior breast plates and collars and included numerous animal figurines for ceremonial use.
Maybe subconsciously we’d assumed that, after the depredations of the Spanish and the centuries of interminable grave-robbing and looting, the pieces remaining would not be so numerous or would be of lesser quality. Fortunately we were proven wrong and we were astonished and impressed by the quantity and wealth of treasures assembled in one place.
Coming back into daylight brought us to the National Theater, a magnificent building that is a monument by, for and to the 19th century coffee barons.
The theater was modeled after and imitative of only the best of European architecture and was built with European marble, windows and chandeliers and decorated with European paintings, silks, brocades and crystals. The barons lobbied the government agreeing to assist financially in its construction but, in the end, 94% of the costs were raised by a general tax overwhelmingly borne by the common population, the non-coffee barons. And, without a doubt, the masses might have appreciated the century old Steinway and Sons baby grand piano which the maestro graciously limbered up for our enjoyment.
As the afternoon waned, we hoofed it a few blocks over to the Jade Museum, a five-story building of modern design tastefully filled with a wealth of multi-colored jade objet d’ art. Again we marveled that this quantity of masterful work had survived the last centuries of pillage and plunder. We were well pleased with the museum even before we encountered the overwhelming and astounding collection of ceramics, a massive number of pottery pieces in pristine condition. Tucked away on the fourth floor was an unexpectedly large exhibition of ceramics and sculptures of Pre-Columbian indigenous erotica which displayed an avid interest in sex, sexual roles and childbirth. Our close examination was interrupted by the announced closure of the museum which led to our hurriedly breezing through the remaining floor before exiting into the tumult of the city and ending our cultural expedition.
We can’t say that we are a great deal wiser about San José but we learned that beneath the exterior of hurried consumerism and anonymous architecture there are true jewels to be found. The beauty contained in the museums and National Theater made us glad that we had spent a little more time exploring San José.
By Richard and Anita
Thank you for the excellent article about the capital of Costa Rica, it was very interesting and informative.ё
LikeLike
Thanks for stopping by and commenting on our blog. We enjoyed our time visiting San Jose and hope that you’ll have a chance to visit in the near future.
LikeLike
I’ve never been to Costa Rica and must admit San Jose doesn’t match the image I have or most of the other photos I’ve seen. The buildings you’ve shown are beautiful and the museums sound interesting.
LikeLike
We have to agree that much of San Jose struck us as less than picturesque and appeared to be be modern without a lot of architectural interest. The guidebooks and internet websites also don’t mention many places of significance. We were lucky that a couple of people had specifically recommended the museums and theater so that we felt we had a positive experience in San Jose!
LikeLike
Very nice! I, too, will be passing through San Jose next month, with no time to see the capital city, but maybe on one of my trips, i can stop at least 24-48 hours to see it!
LikeLike
We almost made the mistake of spending our last day in San Jose tucked in at the Rosa del Paseo and forgoing the visits to the museums because of the rain. However, the museums and theater were well worth the effort and we were glad we checked out some of San Jose’s notable attractions.
LikeLike
For our one visit to Costa Rica, we flew into Liberia and so missed San Jose completely. Having lived in Bogota, Colombia, things sound similar except for the Rosa del Paseo. What a find!
LikeLike
We’ve always loved old houses and antiques so each time we passed through San Jose we returned to the Rosa del Paseo. And each visit found us feeling at home with a warm welcome back.
LikeLike
This makes me wish we had spent more time in San Jose when we visited Costa Rica. Next time, for sure!
LikeLike
We were happy that we decided to do a little bit of exploring. The museums and theater were well worth the visit and, of course, it’s always fun to check out new restaurants!
LikeLike
The National Theater is so beautiful and I’m glad they preserved it so well, including the painted ceilings. I love museums and this is a great treat to see.
LikeLike
The paintings were beautiful. They were commissioned and painted in Europe on canvas and then shipped to Panama. What was interesting was that the artists had not been to Panama so they painted the Panamanians in European peasant costumes and hair styles rather than traditional dress. There were a few other details that were odd also such as one painting where a man is holding a bunch of bananas upside down.
LikeLike
I’m sure next time you’re “passing through,” you’ll see San Jose through different eyes.
LikeLike
We were really glad that we took the time to investigate some of San Jose’s cultural attractions. If we hadn’t we certainly would have had a skewed perspective as we hadn’t seen past the traffic and fast food places.
LikeLike
I’ll definitely bookmark this post. I travel to San Jose quite often and have missed a few of these spots – Rosa del Paseo looks like a lovely place to stay too. Have you visited Finca Rosa Blanca? Also very nice but out of town a bit
LikeLike
We love reading posts for ideas and travel recommendations so we’re glad you can use some of the info in this post. And thanks for the suggestion about the Finca Rosa Blanca – if we visit San Jose again we’ll check it out.
LikeLike
The Rosa del Paseo looks lovely. It must feel like returning to an old friend each time. 🙂
LikeLike
You’re right. We looked forward to our stays at the Rosa and the staff made us feel like they were welcoming us into their home.
LikeLike
The National Theater looks fantastic, very European
LikeLike
The theater was beautiful. While we were there we had the chance to listen to a couple of opera singers rehearsing and it (almost!) convinced us that might have to buy tickets to a performance someday!
LikeLike
We spent a few days in San Jose a couple months ago and had Dionne Warwick singing in our heads the entire time!
LikeLike
The post title might have been a little too easy but we couldn’t resist!
LikeLike
Sounds like we should have gone to the casino either before or after the museums! However I wouldn’t have wanted to walk back late at night to the Tica bus station with or without money in my pockets… But I bet your visit to Panama City was fun!
LikeLike
No risk and no reward. But what could have been a cautionary tale turned out well for you and your Panama vacation. Thanks for reading and thanks for the comment. Dick
LikeLike
This sounds great, I hope that Elizabeth and I can visit San Jose. Hope you have a great time in Panama!
LikeLike
We were really glad that we took time to visit the museums as the collections were beautifully displayed. As for Panama … There’s a lot here to visit and see and we are having a great time!
LikeLike
Oh, how I wished I had known you were going to stop in SJ. I have a fabulous restaurant if that ever happens again. Write this is an important place—La Esquina de Buenos- Aires tel 2223-1909 http://www.laesquinadebuenosaires.com
Enjoy fabulous Panama and of course, the canal of the big ships which is indeed a wonder to behold.
Keep well
Maida
LikeLike
This was the first time we had time to try some of the restaturants so I wish we could have eaten at La Esquina de Buenes-Aires. We did try a Peruvian place that was really good and a not-so-good Chinese place with a surly waitress. However, we were very happy to avoid McDonalds!
LikeLike
Amazing. We’ve been in San Jose several times, while waiting for the Tica Bus connection to Panama. But, we’ve never had enough time to explore the city. I think we need to visit San Jose, just to see the museums and the National Theater. On our last trip to Panama on the Tica Bus, we had just enough time to stop in the casino in San Jose and play a few games. Ron was playing a machine and suddenly all the lights blinked and people hovered around us clapping. Apparently, he won the jackpot. We had no idea how much he won. After free drinks and about ten spins on another wheel, they handed us our money. $1,000. Wow! But, we had to walk back to the Tica Bus station late at night to catch the midnight bus to Panama, with his pockets full of money!!! That was a scary walk..and we’ll never do it again. But, it sure made for a wonderful vacation in Panama. 🙂
LikeLike