Some retirees are city and not country people. They like the action and activity that cities provide. San José is not a big city but it does have its share of discos, bars, art galleries, theater restaurants and a lot more.

The city is undergoing a process of urban renewal: Electric cables are being places underground; Several pedestrian streets have been built to help get traffic out of the center of the city; A new China town is in the works; The Clínica Bíblica Hospital has been expanded and remodeled; new businesses are opening; high-rise condos are spring up and a lot of other improvements are in the works.

In recent years safety has been a concern in the downtown area. The government and they municipality have taken action to end this problem. The idea is to make the San José safe for families so they can shop, attend the theater and go to the zoo or children’s Museum. There is now a strong police presence in the downtown areas with the 100 blocks which comprise the center of the city within a security ring. Johnny Araya, who is the mayor of San José, proudly boasts that, “The downtown area of San José is now the most successful mall in the country.” He may be right.

You shouldn’t get the wrong idea about crime in San José. The city has never been nearly as dangerous as most of the other crime-ridden cities in Latin America like Caracas. The latter has the highest homicide rates in the world. San José at its worst was never nearly that bad. The problem is that the city went form almost NO crimes 20 years ago to some petty crime like purse snatchings and robberies in recent years. Hopefully all of that is a thing of the past and people will continue to return to the area to shop, experience the culture and live. A lot of people only go to suburban mall like the ones we have in Escazú. While the mall is impressive it really doesn’t have the character of the inner city and resembles the U.S. too much for my taste.

Retirees should feel safe exploring the downtown area. Start by walking along Central Avenue (Avenida Central) from San Juan de Dios Hospital in the west to the Old Bella Vista Fort in the east. On the way you can window shop, visit the Central market and grab a bite to eat at one of the affordable sodas inside, check out the Plaza de la Cultural and National Theater or have a cup of coffee and people watch at the Gran Hotel de Costa Rica, El Patio or the News Café at the Hotel Presidente. Personally I like El Patio Restaurant because of its food, drink and atmosphere.

No, I am not talking about the movie but the new district for downtown San José. The project has been on the drawing board for a couple of years but will now take shape in the last quarter of 2011. It is only expected to take six months to complete the job according to Ana Elena Salas who will be helping to coordinate the project.

The new Barrio Chino or Chinatown will be located between Avenidas (avenues) 2 and 14 and will be about two acres or 8,300 square meters in size when completed. Plans call for a huge Chinese-style gate with an ornate design at each entrance to the neighborhood. If you have ever been to San Francisco’s Chinatown you can visualize one of these entrances. The area already has several oriental supermarkets and restaurants.

The the China Town project is part of the city government’s efforts to revamp downtown San José in an effort to draw more people back to the city. The population of the areas that make up the central San José area has dropped from about 70,000 people to 60,000 over the last 20 years, with many people moving to the suburbs. Urban planners are transforming the city by building more parks and six new pedestrian walkways, similar to the ones found on Avenidas Central and 4. The National Water and Sewage Institute will improve the city’s water, sewage and drainage systems, and the Ministry of Transportation plans to improve traffic in the city by placing major transportation arteries outside of the 53 blocks that make up the heart of the city, leaving the downtown area for pedestrians. The electricity company has already placed electrical lines underground and a new network of “intelligent” traffic lights has been installed.

More and more police are patrolling the downtown streets in an effort to reduce crime and make the city more user friendly. The plan has worked and the city is a lot safer.

In addition, to the improvements just mentioned high-rise condos are being built along Paseo Colón and around the Sabana Park. San José is well on its way to being reborn and becoming a place to consider for retirees who want to reside downtown.

Here is what one expat says about living in San José, “After living in New York City so many years without a car, I have no intention of buying one to live in the suburbs of San José. The city suits me fine. Buses and taxis are always available if I want to travel outside the city. I have a home just a block north of Torre Mercedes, off Paseo, Colón, and easily walk to most things I need such as the weekend flea market in the Cementerio district, theaters and art galleries in downtown San José and Sabana Park. “ “A block or less from my house there’s a supermarket, several interesting restaurants, a major bank and a few bakeries. I know the neighbors on my little street as well as the guys who knock on the door to offer the daily newspapers or a pushcart full of vegetables.”

Clients on my monthly retirement tours and consultations often ask me about the traffic laws (La Ley de Tránsito) in Costa Rica. I am quick to point out that in the old days traffic laws were lax and rarely enforced and if they were you could probably bribe (una mordida) your way out of getting a ticket. Driving in Costa Rica can be downright scary if you are not used to it. A friend of mine says that driving here is like playing a video game. He is right.

In response to the number of fatalities on Costa Rica’s highways a new traffic law was passed. The law raises the maximum fine for traffic violations to $410 from $36, while sending drunken and reckless drivers to jail for up to three years. The new fines, pegged to inflation, range from $40 for throwing cigarettes in the street to $410 for driving faster than 120 kilometers per hour or with a blood-alcohol content of 0.5 grams per liter.

The latest measure in the war against drunk drivers, those who drag race (picones) and the people who drive at speeds exceeding 150 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour) is a new fleet of seven paddy wagons commonly referred to in Spanish as “perreras” (dog houses). Two paddy wagons will operate in San José, Heredia, Cartago and Alajuela. One more operate in the southern zone and be based in Pérez Zeledón. One will be used in Limón on the Caribbean side of the country and the remainder of the units in other areas of the country. Each vehicle has a room for eight people. The paddy wagons will allow the traffic police (tráficos) to take drivers who are very drunk or get unruly to jail without the need of calling police from the fuerza pública. Twenety-five more paddy wagons will purchased in the not too distant future.

As you can see he Costa Rican government is trying to make its highways safer for everyone.

Costa Rica is the perfect place for retirees

From the sound of the title you’d think I don’t like Costa Rica. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I have lived here for 30 years and love the country. I even became a citizen over ten years ago. You couldn’t drag me back to the U.S. or pay me any amount of money to return there. I have had an incredible life here and consider every day a gift because I live in a wonderful place. In fact, for the last 15 years I have conducted monthly successful relocation/retirement tours (www.liveincostarica.com) to help those wanting to move here. The 16th edition of my bestseller, The New Golden Door to Retirement and Living in Costa Rica, is also a valuable tool for potential residents.

Unfortunately, there is information on some blogs , on-line chat groups and websites which is disseminated by those who talk negatively about the Costa Rica and its people. I admit there are things here which can get under your skin, but when you look at the positives versus the negatives, the former outweigh the latter by a mile. The country must be good because we have more Americans living here proportionately than any country outside the U.S. Furthermore, Costa Rica continues to be Latin America’s number one retirement haven and enjoys a stellar international reputation.

Things that can irritate you:
(1) The traffic around San José: The solution is to avoid driving during rush hour and not travel through the worst congested areas
(2) High prices: Once you get settled and know where to eat and buy things you can live inexpensively. If you try to live like most people back home, you will end up spending a lot of money
(3) A handful of gringos who really give us a bad reputation. Every place in the world has a few bad apples. Just avoid these people and don’t pay attention to what they say and do. Some of us tried to get away from these types by moving here. It seems like a lot more of these people have moved here over the last ten years.
(4) Negative foreigners who complain about everything. Obviously they don’t belong here and made a bad choice by moving to the country. They won’t be happy anywhere.
(5) Crime: Yes, crime has increased here as in most places in the world. Compared to some of the countries in the region it is low here. If you are careful, use your head and take the right precautions the chances are you will not be victimized. Fortunately, most violent crimes involve drugs and alcohol and the victims are not gringos. The chances of being burglarized can be reduced if you select the correct area to live and take the proper preventative measures. There is some white collar perpetrated mostly by foreign scam artists. Just because people speak English doesn’t mean that they are honest.
(6) Cultural differences: These can be frustrating for foreigners. According to the ARCR the differences between the U.S. cultural and Costa Rica’s culture are what often cause people to move back. If you are going to live here you have to try to adapt to the local cultural or you will be miserable.
(7) Starting a business: About three out of ten business started by foreigners succeed here. Most fail because people assume that what works at home will work here. Although the country is Americanized to a certain point and there are opportunities, some businesses just won’t work here. Often foreigners choose to start a business in which they have no prior experience. Most often this is a recipe for disaster. Also, the country has only 4.5 million people and a quarter of them do not have the purchasing power to by a lot of products which we take for granted at home. Also a lot of tico entrepreneurs have thriving businesses in many areas, so there is not much room for competition. Your best bet is to start some type of Internet-based business which depends on a foreign market. If you don’t have to work, then don’t. Try simplifying instead of complicating your life here by not getting involved in business.
(8) The language: A lot of people from the U.S. just can’t handle the language and find it extremely difficult. This can be very frustrating and make one feel isolated. The best thing to do is to make an effort to at least learn survival Spanish. What to I mean by survival Spanish? Learn enough to handle most daily situations like going to the super market or asking directions.
(9) Bureaucracy: It moves slowly all over the world. Patience is the key here.
(10) The lack of punctuality of many Costa Ricans: In Latin America life moves at a slower place. Unfortunately, this is very frustrating for foreigners who a use to getting things done quickly and have people arrive on time. The mañana syndrome is alive and kicking here. The best solution is to go with the flow and not let slow move things frustrate you.
(11) Locals who take advantage of foreigners: This happens everywhere. I hear a lot of people complaining that gringos are nothing more than a ‘dollar sign” for the ticos. In some cases this can be true. If you use your head, don’t associate with the wrong people, know what things really cost and don’t be overly generous you should be able to limit the chances of people taking advantage of you. ¡Póngase vivo! Be smart or wise!
(12) A two-tiered price system: this is similar to the last one. If you are really worried about this find a trustworthy local to do your shopping or bargain for you. If have a friend who uses a tico to take his cars to get repaired. He claims the Costa Rican front man can always get a better price and not be taken advantage of.
(13) Long lines: This can be very frustrating but there are solutions. For example, never go to the bank after a three-day weekend, a holiday, on pay day or Monday or Friday. For example, there are two branches of the Banco Nacional in San José which open at 7:30 am. If I go to San José by bus I can do my banking at either of these branches and most likely be back in Heredia before the Heredia branch opens. All that is involved is getting up early and knowing where to go.
(14) Dealing with the caja: The best solution is to have private insurance. A long wait for a test or procedure could be the difference between life and death in some cases. Bottom line,,,,”Penny wise, pound foolish.”

There are probably other situations and things that I have overlooked which give foreigners fits. My advice is to just accept things the way they are, don’t take anything too seriously like the locals do and have a good sense of humor.

If you read the on-line chat groups and forums, blogs and English newspapers here you will see countless stories about local crime. The media loves to play up the crime we do have because it attracts viewers and sells newspapers. Let’s face it no country is crime free and crime is increasing all over the world due to the troubled times in which we live. Nobody in their right mind would retire in a country that was riddled with violence.

There is more crime in Costa Rica than in the past. However, if I though my life was in danger I wouldn’t be living here. Fortunately 99% of the violent crime here involves drug disputes and misunderstandings due to alcohol between Costa Ricans. Petty theft does affect both Costa Rican and foreigners. If you take the right precautions you really reduce your chances of having your property stolen. I know many Americans and Canadians who have lived here for years and have never been the victims of a robbery. On the other hand, I know foreigners who have been robbed several times. One has to wonder why some people are always “sitting ducks.”

If you look at the big picture Costa Rica really has a lot less crime than any large American city. Furthermore, when compared to most countries in Latin America Costa Rica really has little crime.

Let’s look at some statistics. Costa Rica has about 10 murders per 100,000 people. El Salvador and Guatemala have over 60. Mexico used to be a retirement haven but fewer and fewer Americans are going there now because crime is out of control. In fact, the northern city of Ciudad Juarez is the second most violent place on earth. That’s worse than Iraq. However, when it comes to violent crime in Latin America Venezuela takes the prize. The murder rate is about 225 per hundred thousand in the city of Caracas alone. Caracas is now considered the most violent city in the world.

I make it a point of keeping up on crime statistics so I can provide the clients on my monthly relocation/retirement tours the most accurate information possible. If you move to Costa Rica and take some simple precautions and use your head, you will minimize the chance of being a crime victim.