www.CostaRicaTicas.com

This may not interest many of you on CRT but I had an awaking call this weekend. With that as an into, I would like to ask the members on this forum….. especially the ones who reside in CR…how is the economy there. Are the stores on Avenue Central bristling with business? Are the malls packed with shoppers? What is the average hotel occupancy?

I have not been there for some time so I have no idea just how the worldwide economy has had an effect on CR.

Many years ago during the mid 1970’s, the housing market went bust creating a horrible recession from which I went bankrupt in my building business. Thanks to tricky dicky Nixon, congress and the Vietnam war…this country fell into a dismal situation. Interest rates were in the upper double digits and gas prices were exploding.

Although I had been to CR previously, I wondered if I would ever be able to return. Just before my bankruptcy papers were filed, I maxed my only credit card left ($1,000 credit line) and used some of it to buy an airline ticket Thanks to a back room poker game I hit on about seven or eight hundred additional bucks and said Phuck it….I’m headed below the border again.

When I arrived in CR I stayed in a hotel on Avenue Central. It no longer exists but the rates were damn cheap. I had a lot of jingle in my pockets and felt like a world class traveler. I felt free from the business despair that I left in the states. I had lost my business, my house and a lady I was engaged to. I had just about nothing except for the borrowed and gambling money on my person.

The interesting thing was after only a couple of days in SJ, I did not see any real misery. Yes, the ‘green revolution’ kicked off in the 1970s when world coffee prices dropped due to oversupply, and Costa Rica plunged into economic problems. But from my perspective, businesses appeared to do okay. Even then there were street people but the locals were friendly, the outdoor markets flourished…. and walking around at 2 AM was easy and safe. The lady ticas were indeed that….lady like and dressed in church-like attire. $20. went a long way in an overnight liaison with not only a gorgeous sex partner but a polite female to boot. The hotel breakfast was included in the $12. a night price.

I stayed for just over two weeks and would have longer but I had to return to remove my furniture from my repossessed house.

Aside from those yonder years I was again awakened to just how bad our economy is. As some of you know, I usually go to malls on some weekends but just about always on Veterans’ Day and Memorial Day. Just to get out but to also seek out fellow veterans.

Yesterday and today I went to two malls. Few cars in the parking lots and when I entered the mall I was astounded by how few people there were. Yesterday, perhaps about 30 to 35 % of the usual traffic. Today, maybe 20%. (mid day). Very few in the food court and only a couple in the sitting areas. No veterans. This was creepy since most of the Memorial events were cancelled due to a tropical storm predicted to hit the pits of Jax tonight.

I spoke with several merchants in the malls I visited. Talk about a depressed bunch. No smiles and hardly any customers. Jewelry stores that use to have 3 to 4 workers now only have one or two. The merchandize is a lower grade also. At one of the smaller clothing stores two of the workers were playing cards. I only saw one security person as I walked most of the mall. It’s sad.


Another thing. I just cannot get use to the mannequins in the department stores. They either have no face or are without a head …or they have pen stripe for facial features. In my younger years, mannequins were almost human like and were very attractive. Hell, old circus would have taken several home with me just to lust on….but that is another story. Geezzz…has political correctness taken over the mannequin manufacturers….or is it a price thing. Whatever, I miss those sexy and nicely dressed statues in the store.

Damn, I was in okay spirits until I wrote this crap. Of course I’m usually somber on Memorial Day. I miss some soldiers that did not make it back with me from Vietnam. Unfortunately, too many brave men and women have been lost since WWII in wars that should not have been. Personally, when the next conflict occurs….why don’t we just send the congress over to fight and leave the rest of us the hell alone.

Best to all of you and family.

Its a very slow Memorial Day weekend in San Jose. For a long weekend the Del Rey was very slow. It just does not have that vibrant feel it had a few years ago. Walked into Little Havana on Saturday in the afternoon. Decent crowd, but not packed by any means. The economy has to be having an effect on the number of tourist in San Jose. With fewer guys in the Del Rey its seems the quality of girls has gone way down hill recently. You do not see the number of real cute girls you use to. A lot of the girls who have worked a few years comment on the quality of the guys that are now coming to the Rey. The taxi drivers say their business is way down. The prices in the restaurants seem to be going up. Costa Rica is not a cheap place to live and visit anymore.

Corc.....what are you referring to?

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Damn if I'm going to repeat this shit again. I need a drink.
I've been drinking vodka every day for 45 years and I have certainly never found it to be habit forming.

'A lot of the girls who have worked a few years comment on the quality of the guys that are now coming to the Rey. "

I can understand quality of the ladies going down, but could you expand a little on this,

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My best friend was the clock on the wall, and he turned out not to be much of a friend in the end

thank you brother circus for your posts.....we always enjoy them and hope that Bertha does not strike the Pits of Jax and the DoubleWide too hard.....we love ya!

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The difference between a Sea Story and a Fairy Tale is that a Fairy Tale starts out 'Once Upon a Time..' and a Sea Story starts out 'This is no Shit...'

(export version only, some restrictions may apply, some assembly required, not valid where the sun don't shine...

if you live in the states of Poverty, Darkness or anywhere outside of The Blessings of Civilization Trust, Inc...other rules may apply)

spoken like a sage. may kerouac always be at your back.
in regards to the economy in sj, there are plenty of clues on this site. the world economy goes as the united states goes and anyone who lives here knows thats not too good unless you have a government job or live off the assistance. then its the same as it ever was.
its taken some time for the dominos to fall south but it was inevitable.
may we all hope for a change in perception and sanity.

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im way deep into nothing special
riding the crest of a wave breaking just west of hollywood

Good luck to you guys with businesses...

The Del Rey would be five deep at the bar on weekends five years ago. is the case now you can get a seat in the blue marlin anytime?

I wonder if the tourist numbers are still down 40% like three years ago. when the holiday inn aurola drops it rate to 76 dollars per night

their occupancy might be way down also. I have not seen their rates that low for seven years.

is the gluch numbers down because everyone has been to costa rica 10 times or they found another venue to go to- or the economy is so bad in the states they are laying on the sidelines until the economy improves?

fred757

Overall San Jose volume moderate for Memorial Day. HLH was completely full with a long waiting list and we broke several records this weekend. I believe the SL was very busy also.

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BKTUNA/Boyd
I am never going home

Also the regular CR economy seems to have bounced back faster than US. Construction is happening all over San Joe and the burbs. Not as much high end gringo stuff.Two new mall, lots of apartments and condos for the upper middle Tico crowd.

I think much of the perception is based on Del Rey being down some.

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BKTUNA/Boyd
I am never going home

Spent yesterday afternoon at hlh, certainly no depressed economy there. The place was booming, packed with guys & quite a few girls. Sl had a decent crowd last night, a little light on the girls, but thats typical for Sunday.

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"cuz I'm a back-door man" Jim Morrison-1969

there is a lot of new high rise apartments going up near my apt in barrio don bosco but how much of that construction in china infused?

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im way deep into nothing special
riding the crest of a wave breaking just west of hollywood

The Don Bosco complex is targeted at Costa Rican yuppie types to get them to live in the city, I believe the developer is Tico not Chinese

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BKTUNA/Boyd
I am never going home

Just my observations, was down first week of May, crowds in the gringo places looked down from last year. Stores on central ave were all doing good, went out to the mall at Escuzu, multi-plaza, however I went early in the day 10am they don't open till 11am , stayed there till 2pm, almost empty, lot of high end stores with high end prices.
One day , spent with a tico friend who also works for a tour company, his take is that tourisim is off, but not unusal for this time of the year, but according to him lower then last year, and chinese are buying up the country. He also said there was a definate lack of european tourist.
Politics aside he said most of the working class are not fond of President Chinchilla.
Flaco

Thanks fellows....I appreciate you perspective. It's uncanny how this recession in the U.S. compares to that of CR close to 40 years ago. From what some of you describe, it's business as usual in SJ. That is what I found in the mid seventies.

I wonder if the land values in CR have decreased. if one has the dinero here in the U.S. it is a buyer's market to invest. In the last 10 to 15 years I have always thought the land price in CR was overpriced. Probable cause is foreign investment...i.e. China. Lately, I have seen on the internet that farms have been a favorite buying item from our eastern investors.

I'm sure this bores most of you but I always research the economic conditions. Can I still get a BBBJ for $15. Yeah, probably from a lonely goat.

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Damn if I'm going to repeat this shit again. I need a drink.
I've been drinking vodka every day for 45 years and I have certainly never found it to be habit forming.