San José is loud and dirty and crowded – in other words, it’s like every other city on the planet. Except that it’s not: turn a corner and there are the peaks of Cerros de Escazú’s mountain range to the south. In the opposite direction, just sky. Look up, and pairs of green parakeets swoop between Victorian architecture and colonial buildings that hide some of the city’s best secrets: a sizzling food scene headed up by born-and-bred Tico (the name for Costa Rican locals) chefs, art tours led by locals, and markets where you can get a taste of Tico cuisine, culture and style.
The low-frequency curves of the streets give way to nature-packed views that feel out of place in such a metropolitan area – or is it that the city feels out of place in such close proximity to Costa Rica’s dense wilderness? Either way, here they are, hemming in the city-dwellers like a horseshoe.
