Pacific sunset in Costa Rica

The capital city and cultural center of Costa Rica, San José offers countless possibilities for ISA participants! The attractions of the city, the surrounding natural beauty, and the close proximity to the ocean and national parks make San José an ideal location.

Open-air cafés abound in the city. With Costa Rica's reputation for wonderful coffee these are great places to have a café con leche while studying or relaxing. San José also offers many interesting choices to excite the palate. Students will be able to enjoy everything from Thai, Italian, and Lebanese to the traditional Costa Rican dish of gallo pinto.

Downtown San José has many good museums and manicured plazas. On weekends, these plazas become the stage for street performers, bands, and other cultural presentations.

There are movie theaters throughout the city and several within 20 minutes of the ISA office. These theaters play movies from around the globe.

Live performance is also very popular. Don't miss seeing a performance at the historic Teatro Nacional.

San José is well-known for its vibrant nightlife. Several areas of the city are lined with restaurants and dance clubs where live music ranging from reggae to Rock en Español can be heard. Of course, being in Latin America, you'll have plenty of opportunities to practice your salsa and merengue.

Naturally, the best part will be experiencing this for yourself!

San José offers a great array of shops, restaurants, discos, theaters, and movie theaters. There are also lots of local gyms and even a climbing gym where students can meet and interact with locals. Your resident directors will provide you with a complete guide of things to do and places to go in and around the city, along with maps of the city and country. There will also be weekly postings in the ISA office of cultural activities and upcoming events.

Below you can see a list of activities you should not miss while in San José! These attractions are a great way to spend a free afternoon or keep friends and family entertained when they come to visit. All are fun (and educational) in one way or another. Enjoy!

MUSEUMS
Museo Nacional de Costa Rica (National Museum) - Costa Rica's most important historical museum is housed in a former army barrack that was the scene of fighting during the civil war of 1948. You can still see hundreds of bullet holes on the turrets on the corners of the building. Inside this traditional Spanish-style courtyard building, you will find displays on Costa Rican history and culture from pre-Columbian times to the present. In the courtyard, you'll be treated to a wonderful view of the city and will see some of Costa Rica's mysterious stone spheres.

Museo de Arte Costarricense - This small museum at the end of Paseo Colón in Parque La Sabana was formerly an airport terminal. Today it houses a collection of works in all media by Costa Rica's most celebrated artists. On display are some exceptionally beautiful pieces in a wide range of styles, demonstrating how Costa Rican artists have interpreted and imitated the major European movements over the years. In addition to the permanent collection of sculptures, paintings, and prints, there are regular temporary exhibits. If the second floor is open during your visit, be sure to go up and have a look at the conference room's base-relief walls, which chronicle the history of Costa Rica from pre-Columbian times to the present with evocative images of its people.

Museo de Los Niños (Children's Museum) - This museum houses an extensive collection of exhibits designed to entertain children of all ages. Experience a simulated earthquake, or make music by dancing across the floor. Many of the exhibits encourage hands-on play. This museum sometimes features limited shows of "serious" art and is also the home to the new National Auditorium. The Children's Museum has been a favorite of students in past programs.

Museos del Banco Central de Costa Rica (Gold Museum) - Located directly beneath the Plaza de la Cultura, this unusual underground museum houses one of the largest collections of pre-Columbian gold in the Americas. On display are more than 20,000 ounces of gold in more than 2,000 objects. This museum complex also includes a gallery for temporary art exhibits, a modest gift shop, and a branch of the Costa Rican Tourist Institute's information center.

Ministerio de Cultura, Juventud y Deportes (National Arts Center) - Occupying a full city block, this was once the National Liquor Factory (FANAL). Now it houses the offices of the Cultural Ministry, several performing-arts centers, and the Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporaneo. The latter has featured several impressive traveling international exhibits since its inception, including large retrospectives by Mexican painter José Cuevas and Ecuadoran painter Oswaldo Guayasamin. If you're looking for modern dance, experimental theater, or a lecture on Costa Rican video, this is the place to check out.

RECREATIONAL PARKS
INBio Park - Run by the National Biodiversity Institute (Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad; INBio), this place is part museum, part educational center, and part nature park. In addition to watching a 15-minute informational video, visitors can tour two large pavilions explaining Costa Rica's biodiversity and natural wonders, and hike on trails that re-create the ecosystems of a tropical rain forest, dry forest, and premontane forest.  There's a simple cafeteria-style restaurant here for lunch, as well as a coffee shop and gift shop.

Zoo Ave - Dozens of scarlet macaws, reclusive owls, majestic raptors, several different species of toucans, and a host of brilliantly colored birds from Costa Rica and around the world make this one exciting place to visit. Bird-watching enthusiasts will be able to get a closer look at birds they may have seen in the wild. There are also large iguana, deer, and monkey exhibits. Remember to look out for the 12-foot-long crocodile. Zoo Ave houses only injured, donated, or confiscated animals.

PERFORMING ARTS
Theater is very popular in Costa Rica, and downtown San José is studded with small theaters that show "light" plays. In additional to the small theaters, San José is also the home of the National Theater and the Popular Theater Melico Salazar. In both theaters you will find the best performing arts in Costa Rica, with national and international productions. The Teatro Nacional is on Avenida 2 next to the Plaza de la Cultura. The Teatro Popular Melico Salazar is in front of the central park on Avenida 2.

Costa Rica has an incredible modern dance scene. Both the University of Costa Rica and the National University have modern-dance companies that perform regularly in various venues in San José. The Ministerio de Cultura, Juventud y Deportes also hosts the National Company of Modern Dance.

The National Symphony Orchestra is respected worldwide for its performances. The National Symphony Orchestra season runs from March through November, with concerts roughly every other weekend at the Teatro Nacional.

HOT SPOTS
The daily "Viva" and Friday's "Tiempo Libre" sections of La Nación have entertainment schedules for your free time. La Nación is sold by most vendors on the street downtown

There are also a number of online publications with listings of things to do and places to visit. Arts studio magazine (http://www.artstudiomagazine.com) is a well known online magazine where you can find information about mayor arts events in the central valley. San José Volando (http://www.sanjosevolando.com/) lists restaurants in and around San José, as well as the newest hangouts and places to go during the evenings.

MOVIES
Many of San José's movie theaters are located in malls. The major malls in San José are Mall San Pedro, Multiplaza in Zapote and American Mall. all located in the San Pedro area of the city.

POPULAR PHRASES
pura vida - "pure life"; can mean hello, goodbye, cool (the phrase that represents the essence of Costa Rica "everything's great")
mae - dude, man, friend (very common between good friends). This word is usually only used by males.
chunche - knicknack, thing
qué tuanis/chiva - how cool
estoy limpio - I'm broke
salveque - backpack
¡Upe! - "Anyone home?" when knocking on a door
con mucho gusto - with pleasure (used instead of "de nada")
de hoy en ocho- one week from today

EN LA CALLE

avenida - avenue
calle - street
carretera - highway
¡alto! -stop!
esquina - corner
cien metros - one block
paralela - parallel
acera - sidewalk
cruzar, atravesar - to cross
semáforo - street light
tráfico - traffic
carro, auto - car
autobus - bus
camion - truck
parada - bus stop
botella - bottle
botellín - small bottle
llamada por cobrar – collect call
cobrador - ticket collector
boca - hors d'oeuvre
conductor - bus driver
guiar - to guide, to drive

EN LA CLASE

aula - classroom
profesor - professor
escritorio, pupitre - desk
catedrático - department head
pizarra - blackboard
asignatura - subject (class)
tiza - chalk
curso - course
borrador - eraser
apuntes - notes
borrar - to erase
notas - grades
oficina - office
aprobar - to pass
horas de consulta - office hours
suspender, catear - to fail
horario - schedule, timetable
empollar - to study very hard
programa - syllabus
examen - exam
parcial - midterm
prueba - quiz

TIENDAS

almacén - department store
entresacar - to trim
papelería - paper goods store
librería - book store
biblioteca - library
farmacía - pharmacy
droguería - drug store
mercado, plaza - market
panadería - bread store
supermercado - supermarket
pescadería - fish store
soda - a basic restaurant
billete - bill
carnicería - meat store
colón - natnl. currency
verdulería - fruit and vegetable store
confitería - pastry shop
heladería - ice cream shop
quinientas - 500 colones
pulpería - corner store
ferretería - hardware store
mil - 1,000 pesetas
mercería - sewing goods store
frutería - fruit & vegetable store
peluquería - hairdresser
salón de belleza - beauty parlor

EN LA CASA

entrada - entrance
salida - exit
almohada - pillow
cuarto - room
sábana - sheet
ducha - shower
edificio - building
colchón - mattress
portero - doorman
lavabo - bathroom sink
bañera - bathtub
dormitorio - bedroom
comedor - dining room
papel higiénco - toilet paper
cuarto de baño - bathroom
jabón - soap
cocina - kitchen
cepillo de dientes - toothbrush
pasta de dientes - toothpaste
toalla - towel
balcón - balcony
cama - bed

COMIDA

desayuno - breakfast
almuerzo - lunch
cena - supper
arroz - rice
atún - tuna
pan integral - wheat bread
café con leche - coffee w/milk
aceite - oil
chorizo - spiced red sausage
salchicha - hot dog sausage
té - tea
mantel - tablecloth
verduras - vegetables
tostada - toast
galleta - cookie
mantequilla - butter
lechuga - lettuce
avena - oatmeal
mermelada - marmalade, jelly
tomate - tomato
cebolla - onion
cajeta - fudge
ajo - garlic
sal - salt