San José’s elegant neighborhood springs back to life

Barrio Amón is located in the northeast section of downtown San José and has experienced a resurgence in recent years. The area is very eclectic and filled with colonial architectural gems as well shades of modernity. It was once the neighborhood of choice for the city’s elite. As time passed there was an exodus to the suburbs by the descendants of the original families who lived there. Some of the city’s most outstanding buildings are found here with many reflecting victorian, neoclassic, art deco and eclectic designs. Some of Amon’s classical outstanding structures are Castillo de Moro, Hotel Don Carlos, Casa Verde, La Casa Cultural de Amón, el Centro de Cine Casa Pejibaye.

Actually, Barrio Amón continues to be a residential district but with some of its building being converted into cafés, restaurants, hostels. art galleries, bars, a bus station, a second-hand bookstore, souvenir shops, hotels, offices and businesses.

Lately the area has experienced sort of a cultural renaissance including the recent “Festival Amón Cultural” (Amón Cultural Festival) where 100s of interesting activities took place.

However, this neighborhood does have its dark side in the evening. As I wrote a couple of years ago in an article about Barrio Amón, “By night, in Barrio Amón, the neighbourhood transforms into an area of pleasure-for-pay and San José’s most notorious center for prostitution, the fuel that makes Barrio Amon’s economic engine run. Here, you will find hotels that rent rooms by the hour for ¢6.000 colones, massage parlors with “chicas” (prostitutes) that provide a happy ending in 30 or 60 minutes – both for women for men and men for men – pick up bars and street walkers (though generally most “ladies” of the night are transexuals), etc. While the “traditional” sex trade “brothels” are low key, not wanting to attract too much attention, preferring to keep things indoors… at night in Barrio Amón the transexuals apply their trade at most of its corners.

During the day it is perfectly safe for retired expats and others living here to visit Barrio Amón. Many who relocate here hardly ever visit San José. The vast majority settle in areas of the Central Valley as Escazú, Santa Ana, Ciudad Colón, Puriscal, Heredia, Alajuela, Atenas, Grecia and San Ramón. They seldom venture into San José. Areas like the Sabana Park, Avenida Central, the indoor markets, the city’s museums and places like Barrio Amón and Berrio Escalante (The gastronomic center of the city), all combine to make a list to the city worthwhile. iN fact, there are now several walking tours where visitors can become familiarized with the city and what it has to offer.