The National Park of Costa Rica, (Parque Nacional de Costa Rica) is a small plaza located in San Jose, Costa Rica. While Costa Rica has many large and wild national parks, the National Park is something much different.
Measuring about a city block, or 700 by 300 feet, the park is an urban plaza with paths, benches, a small artificial pond, and in the center, a national monument depicting in allegorical form the expulsion of the filibuster William Walker. Around the plaza lie several important buildings: San Jose's central train station, Estacion Atlantico, the National Library, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, and a block away, the new National Legislature Building. It is also close to the National Museum.
In some ways, this might sound like something like the National Mall in Washington, D.C.: a pedestrian plaza surrounded by important government and cultural buildings. And while the concept might be the same, Costa Rica's National Park is much smaller. And while there are a few important buildings, it is also surrounded by normal things as well. One end of the plaza fronts onto a razor wire protected parking lot. A block away, in different directions, there is a dental clinic, a "soda", a dive bar and of course, an AM/PM. The library, on my visit, didn't have any open shelves (I deduced it was some kind of documental library), although it did have an art exhibit. The train station only has service during morning and evening rush hour. There is not really a lot to see here. It is a nice enough place to stop, and there are usually people of all ages resting or walking in the park, but it is usually not a hotbed of cultural activity.
When I visited Costa Rica, in my first few days, I visited downtown San Jose, and I was immediately surprised, and a little disappointed. After all, Costa Rica was the biggest tourist destination in Central America, and San Jose is the capital. I was expecting things to be...richer, and more active. So when I first went to the National Park, and the surrounding area, and looked around, I honestly thought "This is it?" It took me a bit longer, and spending more time in the country, to see that the appeal of the country lay elsewhere. But in any case, while a visitor to San Jose might have a good 15 minutes in the National Park, and might admire the National Monument, it will probably be somewhat underwhelming, especially for those with expectations of "Pura Vida".