Parque Morazán
Continue east another block on the pedestrian walk and turn left (north) on Calle 7 uphill toward Parque Morazán. If you’re into snakes, a quick detour on Av 1 leads to the Serpentario indoor zoo, with our favorite creature, the Jesus Christ lizard. Head upstairs and follow your nose.
Parque Morazán features a central gazebo where Sunday concerts are often held. In addition to the tall Aurola Holiday Inn (with a fancy casino on the top floor, and a great view at night) on the far side of the park, this area has a couple of bars frequented by prostitutes. The most famous, Key Largo, is worth a look for its Caribbean Victorian mansion architecture, but you’ll have to pay US $5 for a beer or a US $4 cover charge (for men).
Edificio Metálico and INS
Cross Av 3 and 5 to the Edificio Metálico, Metal Building, a yellow elementary school designed by French architect Victor Baltard, who also did Les Halles in Paris. Cast of iron in Belgium in 1892, it was shipped overseas and assembled on the site. To the side is Parque España, home to towering tropical shade trees, thick clumps of bamboo and an open-air market on Sunday. The statue of a Spanish conquistador here raised more than a few eyebrows when it was erected in 1992, indicative of the mixed feelings Latin Americans have about their history.
The tall building that overlooks the park and school is the National Insurance Institute, INS (Instituto Nacional de Seguros), which contains the fabulous Jade Museum, whose 11th-floor quarters were refurbished in 2001. The view from its upper floor windows is worth a photo, but you won’t be able to take pics inside. Over 6,000 works of pre-Columbian art and jewelry, in jade and other precious stones, make up the world’s largest collection. Many pieces came from the private collection of Carlos Balser, a renowned archeologist who came to Costa Rica in 1921 to run the Gran Hotel. Unfortunately, some of the erotic, carved stone phallic symbols were removed to allow more office space. But what is left should still bring a smile.
Casa Amarillo and Centro Nacional
Just up the hill on Av 7 is the Casa Amarillo, a grand yellow mansion that now houses Costa Rica’s foreign ministry – and a piece of the Berlin Wall. In front President John F. Kennedy planted the large Ceiba tree when he founded the Alliance for Freedom in 1963. Across the street is the fortress-like National Cultural Center, Centro Nacional de la Cultura, converted from its use as the old National Liquor Factory. Coffee liqueur and Guaro (see page 91) used to be distilled here when it was founded in the mid-1800s by president and coffee baron Juan Rafael Mora. Besides historical artifacts, it features an active art center, the Contemporary Art Museum.
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