www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Certainly Big John and his partners have had a huge impact on Gringo Gulch and it's nightlife but to say they were the original geniuses rewrites history. Key Largo (pre Big John ownership), Happy Days, NY Bar, etc. existed long before the HDR opened it's doors. Pat Dunn was operating Nashville South, Piano Blanco and Big Nashville all in the gulch pre the HDR. Those who remember the HDR in '94 or '95 will attest to it was just a watering hole, albeit one with available girls, for deep sea fishermen going or coming to the coast for fishing and needing a place for a one night lay over.

Certainly the HDR has its place in the history books of San Jose and the monger scene but so do those early pioneers. The Park Hotel, while not in the gulch, was a popular place to find "entertainment" long before Bill Bullock or the HDR showed up on the horizon.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Agree on all about the HDR, except the "hot" bartenders. Mediocre, but they rise in status because they are behind the bar. If you have a good eye for really telling a woman's body, you will see they have pretty faces, generally saggy tits pushed up by bras and a bit thick on the bottom. Not all that bad, but not how everybody makes it out. Matter of fact, and this is just from what I have seen recently, the bartender thing is a myth at most of the bars. JMHO

Agree and the way I remember it the girls were not all that great looking in the Blue Marlin. The DR was a decent hotel highlighting tours and information for CR with a professional staff. You never had to wait for your drinks and such. Didn't Big John and his partners rebuild that hotel from the ground up. I remember the original Beetle Bar down the block from thye DR that was a blast on a Friday night.

Business is definitely slow around the local places lately, including the DR. Most of the girls I talked too are saying that half of the guys you see at the DR or SL lately are the local expats and regulars. Not near as many new 'customers' around lately. Even at the DR, there's a lot more chicas then gringos, and a lot of the gringos there are staying at other hotels.

It seems to be having an impact on the bartenders as well. At KL last night, I was dancing with my date and I noticed that the hot chica that I used to always see at the BM bar was now working the floor in KL. I forget her name but she's the one with huge fake tits and a gorgeous large latin ass. Very beautiful with really long straight black hair. On all my previous visits, she was one of the senior bartenders at the BM bar. I would think having to do the floor at the KL was a demotion of sorts?

I have been in business for myself since my early twenties in the apartment rental and home construction business. I like to think that I have almost seen it all in terms of running your own business.

When I look at the Del Rey I certainly don't see anything spectacular in terms of their business model. Hiring a pretty girl to promote any type of product is hardly innovative or original. As a matter of fact I think they thrive in spite of themselves. I will also be the first to acknowledge that the other guys situation always looks easy from the other side of the of fence.

I believe that much of the success of the Del Rey can be attributed to "behind the scenes" factors. A few well placed contributions to the right people can go a long way, especially in the business climate that exists there.

Devo

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The most dangerous adversaries are the ones that come with a smile instead of a sword

Should have added "thieving bartenders' and it would have been more accurate.

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“Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” And we are the guys that keep them in Eggs & Grits

i always wondered if they were stealing or just having problems with numbers like i do with colones, but i do notice they take a long time bringing change. in my 13 years going there 6-8 x a year, that has been a constant. i run a tab and pay all at once and that helps. they always have some lookers and some also rans, that hasn't changed. the bitch in charge, fired and gone for a number of years, and now back last year, is the one that tells them where they are assigned. she did me a favor 11 years ago, that being twice not telling her housekeepers to respect the 'no molestar' door hanger two mornings in a row. had a shouting match with her in front of fat ass john. Never stayed there again. she bad mouthed me to the head cabbie who she didn't know was my friend in the estados 20 years ago. now she just gives me the evil eye and i give her the finger, i think she knows what that means. the bottom line is they really don't care, they are fulll of themselves.