www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Sorry, that was a typo on my part. I meant to say that I've heard arriba used to described towards the lake, not away from it. I have also heard "al lago" used many times to describe it as well. The easiest landmarks I've found in Managua to describe are the rotundas (since they all have names), the markets (Huembes, Oriental, etc.), and the shopping malls (Metrocentro, Plaza Inter). From there, you can find your way just about anywhere.

Actually, many that I used did understand this. Of course, I often said take me to the cathedral, Central Park, or the like. Once, when I did not know which street I was on, I walked into a store to inquire. You are correct, no one knew. The clerk did find someone who knew, but they were amazed that they were on Avenida 1 as well.

The cabbies do seem to know the avenidia numbers for the most part.


BKTUNA
I am never going home

Hello guys,

I'm new to this site, but I thought I would chime in about Managua addresses. Managua used to have a grid pattern with avenidas and calles like San José before the earthquake of 72. In old Managua "a la montaña" referred to the Loma de Tiscapa. This was South at the time. Now much of the city is south of the loma de tiscapa, and there are mountains all around. So "a la montaña" has become a bit confusing and has fallen into disuse. Usually it's "al lago" for North, "arriba" for East "abajo" for West and "al sur" for South.

Old Managua was on a N-S grid, so it was less ambiguous. Now there are all sorts of curvy streets, so which way is "arriba" when you've got a street running NE-SW meeting another running NW-SE? Basically there is local agreement about this.

I am not gonna "fight city hall" . I am done with that stage of my life. When I was looking for a place to buy here in CR, I only considered places that are near a landmark that everyone knows. This worked great. I did move next to a well known landmark and never have trouble giving anyone directions. As a matter of fact , I don't give directions. I just say go to _____ building and I live right across the street. This has made life easy.

I am completely used to the landmark system now. I live 300m este of the Iglesia in Escazu Centro, I work 500m sur and 400m este from the same church.

The easiest way is always to give directions from churches and fast food restaurants.

BKTUNA
I am never going home

I do have a question about Tico addresses, though.

In Nicaragua there are some post-Earthquake neighborhoods where each block has a letter and each house has a number. So your official address could be "Ciudad Jardin, H-17", which is pretty precise. Ciudad Jardin is a neighborhood of Managua, H refers to the block and 17 refers to the house. The house would have "H-17" on the front. What people do is they give the "Nica address", which is a reference point, and a number of blocks up or down, etc. and then they will add the "H-17" for good measure. But if they just put the official precise address they say the letter will never arrive.

If some houses in San José have numbers, as people seem to be saying they do, and streets generally have names, maybe even with a street sign, do people ever use the official designation, maybe in addition to the Tico address?

Here's some pertinent information in today's A.M. Costa Rica:

Postal service and ICE will work toward mapping addresses
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

The postal service and the electric company have pledged their cooperation as Costa Rica tries once again to bring some kind of numerical order to the uniquely Tico addresses. Officials of both the Correos de Costa Rica and the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad signed an agreement Sunday during a government cabinet meeting in Cartago where the country's independence was being celebrated.

The plan is called the Sistema Nacional de Direcciones, and it has been languishing. Many urban properties already have street numbers, but frequently even the occupants do not know what the numbers are. The country relies on landmarks and locations based on compass directions and distance in meters. Many taxi drivers in San José do not really know the numerical designations of the calles or avenidas and look blankly when someone says "Avenida Diez y Calle Seis."

The interest in the numbering system by the postal service is obvious. And the electric and phone company that is known as ICE wants to be assured that its bills and receipts will be delivered. At the heart of the agreement is that the national utility company will share its data base with the postal service. One necessity for electrical or telephone service is to present a current utility bill, so ICE has a good idea where all the customers live.

Part of the agreement is confidentiality in that the parties agree not to disclose information on individuals except to those involved in the addressing scheme.

_________________
You ALWAYS have an option ....... "NEXT" !!!

...And here's the article from Inside Costa Rica:

ICE and Correos Join Forces For A National Address System
Can it be possible that soon "direcciones a la tica" (Costa Rican style of addresses) be something of the past? Well, that is the goal on alliance between the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) and Correos de Costa Rica. Currently, addresses in Costa Rica go something like this: from the corner of Plaza Mayor, 50 metres west, 25 metres south, the house with the black fence and limousine parked in front. (That is the address for Insidecostarica.com).

The first task in getting to your destination with the above address is to know where Plaza Mayor is, and then have a sense of direction, knowing your south from your north, not an easy task, you can rest assured. The common practice in Costa Rica, if you are not familiar with a location, is to ask at least three people and the majority consensus is then used for your next step that gets you closer to your destination.

Both ICE and Correos (the post office) are working together to have a "national address system" in place so that mail can be delivered quicker and to the right address, as well as utility bills, which never seem to get lost, since the majority of the utility bills are not delivered by Correos, but by utility employees, like in the case of ICE which delivers door to door telephone (fixed line only) and electricity bills.

According to the deal, ICE will provide the database for Correos, while Correos provides the mail carriers to deliver the mail. Both institutions say they guarantee the confidentiality of their client information that they are about to share.

_________________
You ALWAYS have an option ....... "NEXT" !!!

Muddy
If you are still around could you PM me please.
Thanks
BoB