Colorful directions turn corner with street signs

It's a sad weekend for Costa Rica's capital. Some neighborhoods are actually getting street signs.

Yes, this headline-making move by the government may seem like progress, but I adore Costa Rica's eccentric preference for narrative addresses, which sound more like directions for the cab. When I stayed for a week in the capital city a few months back, the home's address was something like “In the district of Zapote, near the president's house, behind the Protestant church, about 100 meters down the alley ... look for the pink gates.”

Isn't that more interesting than yet another Latin American street named Revolucion?

Most Costa Rican addresses refer to big trees, statues, fruit stands, bakeries, really anything that might standout as a landmark. Unfortunately, businesses close and trees die ... So maybe signs aren't a bad idea. I just hope my friend's address doesn't change and will always fill up most of the envelope.