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.

The Art of Communism

Before you skim to the bottom and leave nasty comments, read on... It was a cold November evening and my first night in Beijing. I headed out of the hotel in search of food and headed toward Wangfujing Street, the main shopping area downtown. Two blocks from the Hotel I saw a sight I will never forget. The street ahead had been closed and on the right side along the curb were over a hundred food carts, lined up and ready for business. What was unique about this sight was that every cart was identical, each blue and white, with the same exact blue and white umbrella and a single lightbulb hanging down. As I walked closer I saw that each cart was perfectly spaced and the same distance from the curb. It was like a row of soldiers, each in formation. It was obvious that there was but one source for food carts in Beijing, and they only came in one color. But it made quite the display.