Thursday, September 26, 2013
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
TOP 5 San Jose Stops for First Time
1. National Theatre
The National Theatre of Costa Rica (Spanish: Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica) is the national theatre of Costa Rica. It is located in the central section of San José, Costa Rica. Construction began in 1891, and it opened to the public on 21 October 1897 with a performance of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust.
The National Theatre stood as a cultural asset of the country during a time when coffee exports were a source of its success. It presents high quality performances, with artistic criteria being very high.
The building is considered the finest historic building in the capital, and it is known for its exquisite interior which includes its lavish furnishings.
2. National Museum of Costa Rica
The Museo Nacional de Costa Rica is the national museum of Costa Rica, located in the capital of San José. It is located at Calle 17, between Central and Second Avenue, Cuesta de Moras, in the Bellavista Fortress, a crenallated, ochre colored building opposite the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica. The fortress was built in 1917 and was originally a military barracks: the exterior walls still have many bullets lodged in them from the country's 1948 civil war. It became the site of the museum in 1950.
The entrance on the east side leads to a courtyard displaying pre-Columbian artifacts and cannons from the colonial period. The museum is organized thematically in a counter clockwise direction from the entrance with artifacts related to Costa Rica's geological, colonial, archaeological, religious and modern history. The museum had a notable collection of pre-Columbian stone tables (metates), ceramics and a gold room "Sala de Oro" in the northeast tower. The colonial room has a notable collection of furniture and is designed to emulate that of actual quarters in the 18th century. The museum also has an exhibit of the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Óscar Arias, and a bust of José Figueres and butterfly garden in the outside "Plaza de la Democracia".
3. National Stadium of Costa Rica
Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica (National Stadium of Costa Rica) is a multi-purpose stadium in La Sabana, San José, Costa Rica. It is the first modern sport and event arena to be built in Central America. The stadium was completed in 2011 and officially opened its doors to the public on Saturday, March 26 of that same year. The stadium replaces the original National Stadium.
It has one high-definition 160-square-metre (1,700 sq ft) screen, located in the southern section of the stadium, along with a smaller monochromatic screen, and another monochromatic screen of the same dimensions in the northern section.
This stadium also serves as the headquarters for the Costa Rica national football team.
4. La Sabana Metropolitan Park
La Sabana Metropolitan Park (Spanish: Parque Metropolitano
La Sabana), located in downtown San José, Costa Rica, is the
country's biggest and most important urban park. Covering an area of
0.72 km² (72 hectares = 720 000 m2), the park is adjacent to the city's
core districts, offering green space and recreation to its residents.
Several
important institutions and organizations are located inside and in the
surroundings of the park. La Sabana is overly recognized as "the
lungs of San José" by Costa Ricans.
5. San Jose Central Market
The market contains a complex of narrow alleys with over 200 shops, stalls, and cheap restaurants called sodas. A huge range of meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, coffees, and other products are for sale including snakeskin boots and cowboy saddles, herbal remedies, flowers, cooked meals, souvenirs, and local handcrafts. Tens of thousands of people visit the market daily.
Two blocks to the north is the Mercado Borbón, which specializes in food, with numerous butchers, fishmongers, and fruit vendors located there.
VIDEO
HAVE YOU EVER VISITED THESE PLACES?
TELL US YOUR EXPERIENCES IN SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA.
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