Today we ventured out to Downtown San Jose which is about 18 minutes from Escazu where we’re staying {+ a $10 taxi ride}. Our taxi driver suggested we eat at Restaurante Nuesta Tierra, which is right in the middle of all of the tourist spots {tons of shopping + museums} and it was the best food that I’ve tasted here so far! I ordered {Pollo Monteverde} which consisted of pollo (chicken) with melted cheese and gallo pinto, pico de gallo, and fried plantains on the side. The food is pretty expensive in Costa Rica {on average $15-20 per basic plate} but we found the prices in Downtown San Jose to be a lot cheaper than Escazu. I think it’s because they have all of the street vendors to compete with.

Afterwards we walked through Mercado Nacional de Artesanias which is a tiny alley full of interesting and extremely colorful souvenirs that ranged from handmade bags to machetes. Now that I’m thinking back on it, I’m really regretting not getting lots of pics – but honestly, I was a little apprehensive to whip out my large and {gold} shiny phone in there.

Through the back end of the market we headed over to Avenida Central {located on Central Calle} which is a car & bus free pedestrian “mall” with tons of stores, restaurants, park areas, and churches – but the most interesting part was the random people posted up in front of stores suggesting you to buy all kinds of weird merchandise like remotes, dvds, clothes, and socks. I’m pretty sure it’s illegal because I saw people pack up and run when the policia came by lol.

Michael tried the “street food” by the church and said it was awesome. We don’t know what it was – but it wasn’t pollo, carne, or puerco {chicken, steak, or pork} – so I decided to skip it.

The city reminded me of NYC in a way. For me, once was enough – onto the next spot!