Saul.Parque Morazan. Cultural Things to do in San Jose Costa Rica
In October of 2024 I had the pleasure to spend a month in San José, Costa Rica’s capital city. It also happens to be the cultural center of a country mostly known for its natural wonders. In San José I found an impressive cultural life and healthy gay community. As somebody who lived in Mexico City for 6 years, I was not expecting much and I was pleasantly surprised.
I’d like to share some of what I found over my one month in San José so that you may be able to maximize the 24-48 hours that you may spend here on your way to the beach or one of the world famous natural parks.
I stayed at La Jungle Urbana, a charming new guest house in the suburban neighborhood of Rohrmoser. From there I was able to Uber into Downtown San José in 10 minutes.
My first day exploring downtown I stumbled upon Parque Nacional. It is between Parque Nacional and Parque Morazán where I ended up being most comfortable, in San Jose, and spent most of my time.
Lots of Cultural Things to do at The Ministry of Culture
In between the two parks is a large Spanish Convent which is now home to The Ministry of Culture and consists of two theaters, one outdoor amphitheater, administrative offices, an art school, a contemporary art museum, and multiple rehearsal spaces which were in constant use preparing creative pieces.
When I found this place, I saw a banner advertising a really cool looking piece of contemporary dance. I checked the dates and my heart sank. I had just missed it. I didn’t count on San José to have any more over the next month.
I wish I could drop a link to the monthly performance calendar but that’s just not how it works in Costa Rica. I asked the security guard if there would be any more performances like this. They told me I had to go to somebody’s office, which was empty, but on the way I asked two people walking in the breezeway and they told me that the following weekend there would be a performance of Costa Rican Folkloric Dance.
The show was free but something happened on the day of. I was supposed to have done something online ahead of time and I was the only one without a ticket. I was ushered to a ticket booth and asked several questions before I finally got a free ticket and entered into the theater which was open seating.
This is the hardest part of the cultural offerings. You just never know if there is really going to be anything and it’s impossible to do anything ahead of time to be on the safe side. But I can say that over the 5 weekends I was there, there were different, well funded, professionally staged, performances with amazing passionate actors and dancers of Costa Rica. The audience and the cast were all very welcoming and friendly and happy to introduce foreign people to the scene.
Saúl.Downtown San José
One late afternoon I decided to explore downtown San José. I found a cafe called Cafe Rojo on Google Maps. It was right down the street from the Ministry of Culture. It is a really cool funky spot that serves high quality Costa Rican Coffee as well as a menu of Asian and Costa Rican fusion cuisine. It has a fast casual menu where you pick between proteins, from which they would make a rice bowl, noodle bowl, salad, or casado, which is a typical Costa Rican plate of protein, legumes, rice, salad, plantains and perhaps more depending on where you are.
I returned here several times and tried one of each and each time I was impressed. The servers are handsome, and the customers are all interesting. Also interesting is the neighborhood. It has a very sketchy feel to it. It is only a few blocks away from the Ministry of Culture but it seems to have a bad reputation.
Cafe Rojo
As soon as my Uber dropped me off at an intersection close by Cafe Rojo, a city cab pulled up to me.
“What are you doing here?” he asked me, in English, with a strong accent. He was old and rough just like the neighborhood. “This is a bad neighborhood. Bad people are here.”
I stared back at him curious about what would come next.
“Do you want a massage?”
I answered his question with a question, “You want to give me a massage?”
“No, I drive you to the lady.”
“The lady? What lady?”
“What are you looking for.”
“Cafe Rojo.”
“What is that?” he asked me.
“It’s an Asian Costa Rican Fusion Cafe with craft cocktails at 2×1 until 8 PM, and artisan coffee. It’s right over there.”
He stepped on the gas, drove off, and left me pointing at Cafe Rojo on the side of the road.
It was around 3 in the afternoon and the cafe was just opening. There were more servers than customers and the music was way too loud for me to enjoy spending time by myself. I told them I’d come back because the 2×1 craft cocktails looked really interesting.
Teatro Nacional
I walked through Parque Morazán and took a seat by the kiosko. There were dancers dancing inside, and groups of friends sitting on the benches around the park. Spending an hour in a park in San José, in the late afternoon, is a beautiful experience. I love how people come here to relax. I spent some time here and looked at some other plazas and parks in the city and there were many closeby.
I decided to go to the Plaza de Cultura and it was packed. Not as quaint as Parque Morazán or Parque Nacional, but there were hundreds of people packed around the odd looking marble plaza which was elevated as if there were something underground.
This is where the Teatro Nacional is located. It seemed to be under renovation when I was there. They offer tours and I really wanted to go but I was having fun doing my own thing at the moment and I didn’t want to do a tour.
Several people who I would later meet at the performances at the Ministry of Culture would recommend the tour and I trust their taste so I’ll pass along the recommendation.
From there I wanted to go to the Parque Central. The two plazas are connected by Av Central, a pedestrian mall that cuts through downtown San José. It is not pretty by any means. If you look carefully you can see dated architecture spanning many periods, but all of it is very run down now. It is filled with American fast food chains, low end fashion stores, and lots of people. Young music students play violin, others set up speakers and perform dance routines for donations. I liked it there but it has more of a chaotic vibe than a relaxing one.
Then I arrived at Parque Central. It is pretty much a concrete jungle, but there are two rows of trees on one side. During late afternoon there are birds screeching. Nobody seemed to notice them but as a first timer I swore something was wrong. But soon they quieted down and everybody forgot about them.
Parque Central is sketch city. But plenty of locals seemed to feel very comfortable here. There was an energy that I was drawn to and I decided to take a seat and see what would happen. Parque Central became one of the most exciting places for me in San José. I write about it in other articles but for now I’ll just say that it contains a wide cast of characters and edge of your seat people watching.
As I was sitting I saw a young man across the park who looked cute. He had a leather jacket, glasses, a flashy vintage t-shirt, understated jewelry and beautiful long hair. We began looking at each other.
Eventually he got up and moved toward me. I was delighted that he was making the move to sit down next to me, but he stopped short and sat down at another bench very closeby. Now we were staring at each other without the entire park between us and it was suddenly very awkward. I got up by reflex and sat down next to him.
We began talking and the conversation flowed naturally and comfortably. He was a student but he lived in another town close by named Cartago. He had a lot to say about Cartago and it sounded like a really cool place. He said it was a colonial pueblo that used to be the capital of Costa Rica. He threw out the idea that we go get a drink somewhere and I told him I knew a great place.
As we approached Cafe Rojo he began to warn me that we were entering a bad neighborhood.
“Where would you like to go instead?” I asked him.
“This is fine, I’m just warning you.” He told me.
I rolled my eyes in frustration and we continued walking.
I got a salad bowl with chicken and it was absolutely delicious. The drinks were great. Saul declined to get food and chose to drink only. He told me about his life in Cartago. He had a large family and they lived a life of leisure. They would relax most of the day and visit one another for coffee in the afternoons. He would come to San José for his classes.
I was impressed at how aware he was that life in other parts of the world was very different having never left Costa Rica.
At the end of the meal he proposed that we both order a shot of white liquor which was a staple in Costa Rica. He took me through some short toasting ritual and we both did the shot together. Then he wanted to do another.
I said okay, but suggested we go somewhere else.
“You must know somewhere,” I told him, but he didn’t seem to know anywhere. I began to talk as if I was going to say goodbye soon. Suddenly he remembered that he knew of a cantina closeby. We walked out into the dangerous neighborhood. We could see the beautiful Gazebo of Parque Morazán down the street.
The cantina was a few blocks away. There was a nice crowd of working people drinking after work before commuting home. The waitress was happy and friendly and served us each a few beers. We discussed our favorite movies, and each played a few songs on the jukebox. I was a good choice of Saul bringing me here and I was warming up to him.
But suddenly I noticed that Saul was slipping in and out of consciousness. He was beginning to doze off at the table but still managed to stay balanced on his barstool like a horse sleeping standing up.
“How are you getting home?” I asked him.
He didn’t respond.
“WTF,” I thought to myself. I paid the check and called an Uber. It was pouring down rain and they matched me with one 20 minutes away. I told him I’d be leaving in 20 minutes. He still wasn’t responding.
I told him he could come home with me if he needed to. Enough had happened between the two of us for me to trust him not to rob me. I still had a healthy nervousness but I knew enough to know that Saul was harmless if not a little stupid and naive.
What made me nervous was where I had met him. There were so many shady characters there, but he stuck out among them. He didn’t really fit in there. I’d later learn that Parque Central is around the corner from a bus station to Cartago and many people hang out there as they wait on their buses. Is that what Saul was doing? I’ll never know.
The Uber came and Saul agreed to come with me. I carried him out of the cantina beneath a dozen suspicious glances, but nobody had the guts to ask us what what was going on, nor did anybody want to take responsibility for him.
The ride to Rhomosur was silent and he began making out with me in the backseat on the way there. He was extremely handsome and a great kisser.
When we got back I took him straight to my room and he immediately passed out on my bed. I breathed a sigh of relief thinking of all the possible outcomes and how this was a really good one. I went out to the front porch of La Jungla Urbana and found a few local guests there sharing a joint of marijuana. They invited me to join them and we all began talking in Spanish.
One of them began doing tarot card readings for some of us and we all had a great time. Periodically I’d check on Saul. Sometimes I wouldn’t even have to open the door because I heard him snoring from outside.
Estrellas Negras – My favorite cultural thing to do in San Jose Costa Rica
My final night in Costa Rica I saw a performance entitled Estrellas Negras, which was a modern dance piece inspired by the paintings of Isidro Con Wong, one of the most well known artists of Costa Rica who recently passed away. The artist’s family was there to accept the honor on his behalf. They spoke frankly about his work and life and it was very impactful.
Also present was the Minister of Culture and Juventud, Jeorge Rodriguez Vives, who also spoke before the event. The production was extremely well done and beautiful to watch. Afterwards the audience was invited onto the stage to get a closer look at the set, which was based on the paintings of the late artist. All the dancers were present on stage as well as the director and they engaged with the audience’s questions. I had never seen such a friendly welcoming dynamic after a performance or such an open and hospitable art world as the one that I had the pleasure to get to know in Costa Rica.
This performance not only showcased the artistic talent of Costa Rica, but also the intimacy of the cultural scene that is only possible in a smaller country. So next time you find yourself passing through San José, take my word for it that there is more than you may expect.
