I'm getting ready for a whirlwind tour of South America with a stop in Costa Rica first. Where are the places in San Jose that Americans hang out?Hi Brad;
I am a tico girl, I was born in San Jose but did not came to live here until 10 years ago.
I just wanted you to have that background so you take in consideration what I will tell you. And the reason why I want to tell you is because I do not want you to come here and take with you a bad impression of our country, which is beautiful (I would never leave here) you just need to know where to go.
It is a shame for me to admit that San Jose has become really extremately dangerous and ugly.
There is a lot of insecurity and the police doesn't help at all, it hurts my heart to see how the tourists are treated in that way, because at the end, you are their most "juicy" targets.
Please, please, please... be careful with the places you visit, you are better off if you avoid the very heart of San Jose by all means. Never walk alone, watch your back and your pack bag (always carry it against your chest like a baby), dont wear anything that brings their attention to you, you can actually afford to wear your most trashy look here (you are allowed to just for being "gringo"(dont take it personally, that's how we call you around here))
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Also, if you care about what you spend and how you spend it, let me also talk about the people that sales souvenirs and that kind of stuff in the streets and some "markets"
, be careful with that too, I know they usually charge 200% more of the cost for their merchandise.
As for cab drivers... they are vampires and only want to suck your wallet until completely dry, dont let them, always ask for "La Maria"(it is a device that tells you how much you have to pay for the distance he drove you), always, if they dont want to activate it, you get other cab... if you see the numbers of "La maria" moving too fast, get off it and take other as well (It may be fixed to fit their money sucking purposes).
Finally, I would suggest that you find some one who lives here that you trust to show you where is safe or where it is not so expensive but nice.
Instead of San Jose, I highly recommend you to visit Heredia (it is not soooo secure either... but better than San Jose), it has a nice weather, nice places to hang out, it has mountain views, typical food, american food too off course, and you will feel like you are in San Jose, because it is just 20 minutes away.
I hope my honesty did not offend you or any reader of this reply. I just want you to be aware of the risks you might face and avoid them. I really feel honored for having people visiting us to know our beauties, but it is sad for me to see that you are getting more and more familiar with the violence and greediness displayed by some unconscious people who does not care about our future as tourism destination.
