Costa Rica Limon

A Land of Opportunity

Driving through the lively streets of downtown Limón in an old pickup truck, as the late afternoon sun bathed the city in a rich glow, Abraham Goldgewicht saw through the tired buildings with peeling paint to what the city can become.
Goldgewicht grew up in Limón and spent his childhood playing in a large, airy retail space that's been in his family for three generations. Today, his children run between the artists and fish tanks of that same store, pausing only to say “hello” to regulars.
“Limón has always been put on the backburner,” said Goldgewicht, as he pointed to empty warehouses and unused shipyards. “But, if this money is taken advantage of, it could be the best thing that has happened to this city…to this country.”
He drove past a home with beams beginning to sag and gestured to the front doorstep, where a woman spends her days carving coconuts. She offers a glimpse of the historical Limón that perhaps the tourists could enjoy, he said.
He stopped at a street-side restaurant and pointed to a menu full of items that Limón created, such as rice and beans flavored with coconut.
Then, there are also the shipyards with historical railroad equipment and the downtown charm of Caribbean Victorian homes with long balconies and colorful façades.
With cruise ships anchoring in Limón and new lines that expect to originate in the Caribbean city, Goldgewicht said, “There is so much opportunity here.”