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San José General Tips

San José (from Ciudad Colon) - San José
San José (from Ciudad Colon)
by besbel
Tips and photos for San José vacations and tourism, posted by real travelers and San José locals.
Local Time 11:18 pm Wednesday, May 14, 2008
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Like any city San Jose has its share of poverty
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  • Updated By zrim on April 20, 2004
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  • a San Jose barrio - San José
    a San Jose barrio
    by zrim
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    San Jose is home to about 800,000 people and is the capital city of Costa Rica. I generally have a good sense of direction, but I would advise against trying to navigate the streets of San Jose with your own vehicle. The central area is pretty much a grid system, but outside of centro the streets are twisty-turny and it is easy to get turned around. Additionally, it looked as though parking downtown would be a great big hassle. Sometimes it is best to fork over the money to the cabbies.

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    Conquistador Statue
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  • By zrim on February 18, 2004
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  • some muckety-muck spaniard - San José
    some muckety-muck
    spaniard
    by zrim
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    A reminder that Costa Rica was once a Spanish colony. The country was "discovered" in 1502 by Christopher Columbus on his fourth voyage to the New World. Unlike Guatemala and Mexico to the north, the area that is now Costa Rica was sparsely inhabited at the time. Spain governed Costa Rica as a colonial possession until 1823. Costa Rica gained independence from Spain at the same time as other Central American Spanish colonies. Independence was granted without war and without official bloodshed.

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    Bakeries
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  • By penumbra on August 30, 2006
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  • Samuelito Bakery - San José
    Samuelito Bakery
    by penumbra
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    The Costa Ricans do bakeries right. No two are alike and the pastries are always fresh and tasty. Let’s face it, walking around downtown San Jose is hungry work. My favorite bakery is Samuelito along Avenida Central between Calle 1 and 3.

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    ATM's
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  • Updated By penumbra on August 30, 2006
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  • Pasaje Plazavenida - San José
    Pasaje Plazavenida
    by penumbra, 1 more photos
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    Lining up to access an ATM just doesn’t appeal. Fortunately, there is a cluster of six bank machines in a small shopping mall (Pasaje Plazavenida) at the extreme east end of the Avenida Central pedestrian mall at Calle 9. The downside is that there is a $5 charge per transaction. The upside is that there is no waiting, a security guard present, and money available in either colons or US dollars. The mall, and access to the machines, is only open during normal business hours 9am-6pm.

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    Looking to centro district
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  • By zrim on February 21, 2004
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  • our path to downtown - San José
    our path to downtown
    by zrim
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    Like I said in the introduction, San Jose itself is not striking. It is a functional capital city, but the buildings are drab. Lots of buses. Lots of trucks. Lots of asphalt. Lots of diesel fumes. Not exactly a holiday atmosphere. I don't wish to disparage the place, for we found no crime (despite plenty of warnings) or abject poverty (though you can see from my barrio tip that there are poor quarters). I guess my overall reaction is: eh, well there you have it, buses, people and government buildings.

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    One of the many small parks that dot San Jose
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  • By zrim on February 18, 2004
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  • strike up the band - San José
    strike up the band
    by zrim
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    Every block or two in downtown San Jose there is a a small park with a small monument. Presumably, these little parks honor great deeds of heroism in Costa Rica's more bloody past, before they abolished the army and became the American Switzerland. This photo shows Parque Morazan which is scant on grass and long on pavement. It is close to the Jade Museum. The domed structure is a band pavilion.

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    Nature around San José
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  • Updated By besbel on March 8, 2003
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  • Irazú Volcano (from Ciudad Colón, San José) - San José
    Irazú Volcano (from Ciudad
    Colón, San José)
    by besbel
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    Not far from the city, and still in the province of San José, you can enjoy the following ecotouristic activities: - hiking the Irazú volcano - hiking the Braulio Carrillo National Park - hiking the Poás Volcano National Park - visit the waterfalls formed by river La Paz - visit the butterfly observatory, next to the trail for the waterfalls. Another activities implies going to the beaches, but all of them are not in the province of San José. I made an exception while making a tip on Manuel Antonio, because it is easy to go there from San José. (More info on my Off the Beaten Path tips).


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    Try the coffee!
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  • Updated By besbel on May 22, 2003
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  • Coffee plantations - road to Poás volcano - San José
    Coffee plantations - road to
    Poás volcano
    by besbel
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    Costa Rica is one of the top 5 coffee producers in the world. They export several types of cofee depending on the geographical market (US, Latin America, Europe) and the are where it was cultivated (that raised in the higher mountain has a stronger taste than the crops of the lower mountain). That's why a visit to any of the coffee plantations around San José is mandatory! Many of the tours include a visit to any of them. One of the most popular in internal market is Cafe Britt's (you can get it at any restaurant of grocery store) but for export the coffee of Tres Generaciones' plantation is one of the most demanded.

    I have already ran out of Tres Generaciones coffee. My favorite one was the Italian roast - yeah, much stronger than the French roast.


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    Santa Ana & Escazú
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  • Updated By besbel on March 2, 2003
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  • San José (from Ciudad Colon) - San José
    San José (from Ciudad Colon)
    by besbel
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    Santa Ana is the area where I was lodged during my trip. It was green all around! Next to my hotel (the Comfort Inn) there was a Pizza Hut and a Rostipollos (where I used to go all nights), and a free shuttle that used to take us in 3-5 minutes to Multiplaza Mall, in Escazú, next to Centro Empresarial Forum. Over there you could find anything for entertaining: cinemas, shops, restaurants, grocery stores ,etc. Santa Ana is located near 30 minutes from downtown San José (by bus) or 15 by taxi (around 2500-3000 colones per ride)

    I miss the Rostipollos! :) Not only trying their Central American specialities, but also chatting with my bunch of friends around the table. Also miss the Multiplaza's cinema, where I came to see "The Crime of Father Amaro" with some friends.


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    Learning Spanish
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  • Updated By TempNomad on May 29, 2003
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  • Mesoamerica's sign - San José
    Mesoamerica's sign
    by TempNomad
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    Mesoamerica is a great school if you want to learn Spanish in San Jose. It's located just outside of the city in San Pedro and is accessible by the Sabanilla bus and La Periferica. There is a web page (www.mesoamericaonline.net) which details other information. I had four weeks of classes and I was in a one-on-one tutorial for two weeks and had one other student for the other weeks. It was great. The teachers are amazing and really pay attention to you. La directora is Linda Holland. The number in Costa Rica is: 253-3195. Everyone speaks Spanish and English fluently.

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    More San José Tips
    Overview
         		General Tips
    Tips: 41 - Photos: 35
    Restaurants
    Tips: 69 - Photos: 33    		Hotels and Accommodations
    Tips: 97 - Photos: 45
    Things To Do
    Tips: 129 - Photos: 116    		Nightlife
    Tips: 35 - Photos: 16
    Off the Beaten Path
    Tips: 40 - Photos: 35    		Tourist Traps
    Tips: 8 - Photos: 5
    Warnings or Dangers
    Tips: 27 - Photos: 5    		Transportation
    Tips: 40 - Photos: 17
    Local Customs
    Tips: 28 - Photos: 18    		Packing Lists
    Tips: 4 - Photos: 3
    Shopping
    Tips: 23 - Photos: 14    		Sports Travel
    Tips: 7 - Photos: 6
    Flights
    Tips: 10 - Photos: 6

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