Here is a good article in Aspen Magazine on Las Catalinas. There are some real similarities between Las Catalinas and Aspen – a primary point of the article. In both cases the main attractions are the walkable town itself and recreation on the natural landscape (or sea-scape) surrounding the town. And Aspen, despite its ritzy image, is less “exclusive” than you might think as it is an open town with lodging, food and other necessities available at a variety of price points.
In creating Las Catalinas we have tried to take lessons from lots of great towns – and Aspen is high on the list. Among the lessons I take from there are:
- The joy of having unspoiled nature right at the edge of town where you can walk to it.
- Wagner Park – this is really just a rugby field, but it is located right downtown adjacent to the pedestrian blocks. The scene here on a pretty summer evening with kids and families playing is the best thing in Aspen.
- The Pedestrian Streets – a few key streets of downtown are pedestrian only. They are the liveliest, most successful streets in the downtown (contrary to accepted conventional wisdom regarding what works and what doesn’t).
- The tiny plaza in front of Paradise Bakery -the place for evening musical performances (instrument cases open for donations).
- The importance of good food!
Rock on, Aspen, and thanks for the shout out, Aspen Magazine.
Another great article, and a very handsome couple!
You have made some excellent points Charles. If you can duplicate those aspects of Aspen that we all love ( we walk everywhere, take public transportation, bike and ski from our front door) you will make Las Catalinas a success. My wife and I are still trying to put Costa Rica on our schedule and when we do, you can be sure we will visit your new community.
Thanks Steve. I can’t wait for you to come see Las Catalinas. I think you will be pretty amazed…
- Charles
The article is well written and so true. We love Las Catalinas and the ideas behind the town! This is definitely a little slice of heaven, just like Aspen.
Hi Charles,
My brother-in-law, Curt, was just down there during Christmas on vacation and he said he bumped into you and learned about Las Catalinas. I was recently staying with him on the Monterey peninsula and he told me all about it.
As a youth in the late 80′s and early 90′s, I spent a lot of time in Seaside, FL. I presume you’ve studied or visited that little community in all your travels and research. Back then, it was one of the few places to go between Pensacola and Panama City. Robert Davis had pretty incredible vision. What’s amazing is that even as a kid, I had the distinct sense that Seaside was a magical place even if I couldn’t articulate why. Now it seems so obvious — everything from the architecture to the general store to the walkability sings in harmony. Or it did. There’s a lot of development along the panhandle coast now, and maybe the relative isolation and the way it stood on its own had something to do with the magic. I haven’t been there in almost a decade now.
Anyway, I’ve had a lifelong fascination for places like this. A few summers ago I was in Capri and the Amalfi Coast and had that same sense of wonder I did as a kid in Seaside. I’m really excited to learn about Las Catalinas and hope to get down there at various stages of its future development.
Jeffrey you and I have a similar fascination for sure. Seaside is way high on the list of places that helped inspire Las Catalinas. I am a huge admirer. I think is it fair to say that if Seaside had a better climate I would not have been motivated to make something like Las Catalinas. But I like my beaches tropical!
Capri and Amalfi I am sorry to say I have yet to visit, though others on our team hold them as places of great inspiration. A rather detailed list of places and lessons is in this earlier blog post:
http://lascatalinascr.com/2010/02/places-of-inspiration-for-las-catalinas/
I hope you can come visit soon.
- Charles