You guys have risen to the challenge time and time again lately. I have had some tough requests, or so I thought, but you have come through with the answer, and quickly, every time.
So another one…
I am looking for a Google map style view of a location just behind the Zapote Post Office in San jose, Costa Rica. The word for “post office” is “correo”.
Just so you know, I tried a rudimentary Google map and came up with this, which I don’t recognize as it.
C’mon. Help a hermano out.
Where does the word “Zapote” fit in? Is it the actual name of the P.O. in question? Or is it the name of the suburb or district it’s in, the way I’d say “the Mound Road post office”, when actually it’s called “Memorial Station”. Because a starting point is the actual name of the building, and I’m confused by this that I found:
Why is “Zapote” in parentheses?
Duck Duck Goose, Zapote is a district within the city of San José.
newcrasher, do you have Google Earth on your computer? Your Google maps link shows up as “Cortel (Correo) Zapote”, which I think means that what you’re seeing is a post-office-owned telecom building, not the Zapote Post Office itself.
Lots of references (as DDG found) to box numbers at the Zapote PO, but I’m still looking for a street address…
Zapote is the neighborhood/barrio.
I am looking for a building I know in relation to the post office. The google maps link does not point to the post office in Zapote. The actual post office is on a long road, and the building indicated is on a short cross street.
I do have google earth and it shows the same building…
newcrasher, I think that this may be the “Centro Postal Zapote”, which may contain the correo. Does it look familiar? There’s a whole fleet of white vehicles parked in the complex, and it’s definitely administrative rather than industrial. It’s at Latitude 9.918[sup]o[/sup]N, Longitude 84.055[sup]o[/sup]W.
If it’s any help, it’s 200m to the south of this church. Do those photos ring any bells (:p) for you?
[This page contains the text “Lugar: Centro Postal Zapote, 200 metros al sur de la Iglesia Católica de Zapote”, which fits in with Wikipedia’s description.]
Aha! I now see that a number of Google Maps / Google Earth placemarks in Zapote are off by ~620m in a WSW direction (for example, the Iglesia Católica de Zapote and the Presidential Palace). Now, if one goes 620m WSW of the complex that I think is the “Centro Postal Zapote”, one finds … (drumroll) … the buildings that you linked to in the OP! Mystery solved? Back to you, newcrasher…
Oh you wonderful, beautiful thing you!
This is why I subscribe to the Dope. Wonderful! You don’t know how much it means to me to be able to identify this on a map. Thank you so much!!
THANK YOU!!
You’re welcome, newcrasher!
BTW:
[ul]
[li]If you happen to be an available hot straight female: “How you doin’?”[/li][li]In any other case, “How 'bout those <insert local sports team name here>? Thanks, I’ll have a pint of <insert name of hoppiest local beer here>.”[/li][/ul]
Either way, you’re welcome. 
A couple of extra minutes’ look around Google Earth shows that the “~620m ~WSW” offset phenomenon isn’t limited to Zapote, but is true of San José, Costa Rica as a whole. In dozens of locations that I’ve seen so far (and doubtless many more), if one finds a Google Maps/Earth placemark that doesn’t look right, go ~620m to the ENE, and it’ll be obvious which is correct. Palaces, government buildings, markets, churches… seek and ye shall find.
