The Layers of San José
San José is layered like an oblong dartboard. The bullseye is the commercial center, packed with people, big businesses, and small vendors crying out advertisements.
Beyond that is a quieter ring; still busy, but a mellower metropolis. Next come the residential areas, the first of many. The neighborhoods here are indistinct. High-rise condos tower over dollar stores and discount supermarkets.
The quietest areas lie just beyond that, a large gap between the city center and the outer circle.
At the rim, houses stand on lush hillsides often lit by blue sky. This last ring acts as a teaser. The green landscape reminds those in San José what’s beyond, that they don’t need to be in the city to be surrounded by life.
