The
funky 2-block stretch of San Pedro just south of the University
of Costa Rica is the closest thing to Paris's Left Bank or New
York's East Village you'll find here. Bars and cafes are mixed
in with bookstores, malls, and shops.
Handicrafts
San Jose is brimming with
arts and crafts, you'll find enough chioces to fill even the
largest travel bags. Take time to stop at the San Pedro mall
where you can browse for leather goods and fine handicrafts.
Visitors especially enjoy the Plaza de la culture, which every
day of the week fills with colorful stalls selling T-shirts,
paintings, trinket jewelry, and excellent-quality hammocks
Atmosfera, is one of the
specilaty shops where a recently added gallery on the second
floor displays fantastic Indian masks, carved fantasy beasts,
and paintings. You can find brightly painted ceramic buses filled
with people. Wooden and gold-plated brooches and pins are other
bargains.
Anne
Marie's boutique in the Hotel Don Carlos has a complete
array of souvenirs, handicrafts, and artwork of every description,
including Panamanian Molas
and silkscreen scarves by Banana Republic. The
upscale La Galaria has a
fine selection of quality handicrafts and also features Barry
Biesanz woodworks along with reproduction Pre-Columbian 14-karat
gold jewelry. Suraska Gallery sells top-quality woodcarvings
and furniture. The works of renowned North American artists/carpenters
Bary Biesanz and Jay Morrison are on sale here.
Clothing
If you want to go home looking
like the locals, check out he Mercado
Central market , where you'll find embroidered shirts
and blouses and cotton campesino hats. La
Choza Folklorica specializes in replicas of national
costumes. Typical Costa Rican dresses can also be bought at
Bazaar Central Souvenir.
A good place to find the handmade appliqued blouses and fabrics-molas-from
the Drakes's Bay region and the San Blas Islands of Panama is
Antic, next door to the
Gran hotel.
Much
of the information on our site as it relates to Costa Rica is:
Courtesy
of Christopher P. Baker and Avalon Travel Publishing.
© 2004 Christopher P. Baker. All Rights Reserved.
Spanish Abroad, Inc. highly
recommends Christopher P. Baker's book: Moon
Handbooks Costa Rica. Click on the image to
visit his website where you can purchase this book or find out
more about the author.
