Where the Streets have No Names

The most amazing thing about San Jose, Costa Rica is the lack of both street signs and numbers on the buildings. While traveling on foot there, I had to count each street as I crossed it to keep track of where I was. Look at a map of San Jose and you will see that they did an amazing job of laying out the city, but just never got around to finishing the job. The official center of the city is the intersection of Avenida Centro (Central Avenue) and Calle Centro (Center Street). To the North and East, the streets proceed in number using only odd numbers. Avenida Uno, Avenida Dos, etc. To the South and West, the streets are all numbered in even procession. Most directions are given in Meters, Compass Direction, and Landmark. Example: 300 meters north of St. John's church, or 200 meters each of Pollo Express.