I recently read a post on a Costa Rica news group where a newbie American retiree asked about where he could meet other Americans. Since I live in the city of Heredia, I spend most of my time there. However, there is usually a group of Expats who gather every weekday morning at the Macdonald’s across from the Plaza de la Cultura in the heart of San José.

When I visit San José I usually stop by Macdonald’s to “shoot the breeze” with the guys. The group is made up of Americans and Canadians from different parts of their respective countries. Mo is from Frost Proof which is a small town in Central Florida. John W. is from key West, Florida. Don Pepe is a retired dentist form Albuquerque, New Mexico. Joe is from New York City and Steve is from Detroit. Then there is Canadian Mike who occasionally stops by. He is from Ottawa and now lives in the charming town of Grecia which is about an hour west of San José just off the Pan-American Highway. All of these guys are very colorful and interesting characters. Like most expats you have to be a special breed of person to live aboard.

There is also a group of retired Costa Rican men who hang out at Macdonald’s. Many of them speak English so there is a lot of interaction and comradery between the two groups. About half of the group of Costa Ricans and gringos drift down to a nearby Wendy’s and have a couple of more cups of coffee and talk about their solutions to the world’s problems.

Besides the places I talk about above there are other hangouts in Costa Rica where retirees and others can mingle with their own countrymen and meet a few of the locals. It has been demonstrated that foreigners who move abroad tend to gravitate towards each other making it easier to make new friends.