Cucuta seemed very similar to nearby San Cristobal, in that both were relatively modern business-oriented cities.
Cucuta's central business district was larger than San Cristobal's, but had few high rises compared to San Cristobal.
Unlike nearby Venezuela, newspapers in Cucuta (I won't speculate on the rest of Colombia) are sold by vendors who place their wares on plastic sheets or wire racks on the sidewalk.