The University of Costa Rica's San Pedro, San José campus will host a free, public symposium consisting of three talks in English on different neuropsychology topics on Friday, August 11 at 1 p.m., announced the Professional Association of Psychologists of Costa Rica. The event, "Neuropsychology: Applications and Research," will delve into how cognitive neuroscience can lead to better understan...

Merck Sharpe and Dohme will establish a regional center for financial services in Costa Rica to support the company's operations in Latin America, reported Costa Rica's Foreign Trade Ministry yesterday. Foreign Trade Minister Alexander Mora congratulated and thanked the company for its trust in Costa Rica. "Costa Rica has a recognized track record as a competitive destination for companies lik...

The Costa Rica International Festival of the Arts – FIA 2017 kicks off tomorrow Thursday, June 29th and will fill the capital city with different art, music and theater shows. The Municipality of San José has confirmed all international and national events, the majority of which will be held indoors in 14 different sites, among them the National Theater, the Dance Theater, Theater 1887 and the Me...

From July 14 to 26, downtown Santa Ana, a small city located about 10 miles west of San José, will be transformed into a fairground and cultural festival, said event organizers. The traditional patron saint festivities, known as "fiestas patronales" in Spanish, are being augmented with participation by the Santa Ana Chamber of Tourism to include a wide offering of free and fun activities. Be...

This Wednesday morning the municipality of San José unveiled its official “city brand” with a large sculpture of “SJO ¡Vive!” , (San José Lives), in an act in the Central Park of the capital city and with the objective of attracting tourism. The mayor of San José, Johnny Araya explained that the launching of the brand hopes to reaffirm the identity of the residents of San José and the pride of ...

In a ranking created by IESE Business School Center for Globalization and Strategy of the University of Navarra, Spain, denominated “Cities in Motion”, and particularly in the “Smartest City” Index (part of this ranking) San José, Costa Rica ranks in the lower end of the table reaching position 150 among 180 cities. The Cities in Motion Index (CIMI) evaluates a total of 66 indicators divided in...

As the city has taken shape and built up around it, the Gran Hotel, facing onto the National Theater and Plaza de la Culture in downtown San José, has held on to its style The hotel closed in June of 2016 to begin the major overhaul that is being directed by OBP architectural firm, and under guidelines for historical buildings so that the main characteristics of the building will be preserved, ...

The cultural project “Your City, Your Canvas” (Tu Ciudad, Tu Lienzo) which this year chose the Casa del Parque Hostel in San José as the canvas to display urban art, has already selected ten proposals as the finalists for this project. “After an intense analysis process, and with the complexity of having to consider the criteria of all the different advisers of the visual arts project from the ...

- United States Embassy in Costa Rica celebrates sexual diversity month with rainbow flag. "In previous years we have displayed this flag at the entrance to our embassy, ​​but starting last year, we hoisted it along with the United States flag, so that Costa Rica can see this powerful and symbolic demonstration of our commitment to tolerance, acceptance and equal rights for all citizens, regard...

The next time you go to Taco Bell don't be surprised if you see employees using sign language to communicate with one another. This is because the company has a strong policy of including people of different abilities as part of its workforce. Taco Bell Costa Rica continues to expand its operations, and also its philosophy of inclusivity, giving greater participation to individuals with disabil...

While it might be tempting to grab a bag of inexpensive fruit from a street vendor on your next trip to downtown San José, you should think twice about the quality of what you are buying. San José municipal police are amping up their operations in the center to curb informal sales of products along the streets. On a patrol this week, police on bicycle retrieved bags of fruit hidden in storm ...

Costa Rican authorities announced they would reinforce security, including streamlining procedures to expel foreigners linked to criminal activities, following a series of recent crimes that have shocked the country. "Acts of violence in recent days have raised a justified alarm in the population and motivated new calls for attention to all authorities to intensify the fight against drug traffi...

The traffic in certain areas of the metropolitan area of Costa Rica is usually difficult on a Friday afternoon, but the heavy rains that affected the country caused floods that made the problem much worse. San Rafael and San Antonio de Belén in Heredia; Desamparados, Pavas, Santa Ana and Paseo Colón in San José are just some of the areas affected by the rains, which are caused, according to the...

The classic American diner-style eatery, Johnny Rockets, opened the doors to its fifth locale in Costa Rica. Located in the newly opened commercial and residential complex, Escazú Village, the new 300 square meter restaurant has a capacity for 134 diners and involved an investment of US$800,000. Its opening generated 30 new jobs in areas of administration, customer service, cashiers, cooks a...

To celebrate the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (May 17th), the Costa Rican National University (UNA, in Spanish) Student Federation organized a special event. Starting May 15 at the UNA Sarapiquí campus, and conclude on May 26 in Nicoya and Liberia, the sexual diversity caravan (CaravanaDeLaDiversidadSexual) emphasizes love and respect, and will highlight demons...

If you were near Guachipelin, Escazú Monday, May 15 around 7 a.m. and saw motorcycles or men like the ones in these pictures, your testimony could help solve this shocking shootout outside a private school. The photos were published this evening by the Judicial Investigative Police OIJ. The suspects, as can be seen in the photos, were wearing black exercise suits with broad white stripes alo...

Note - Several details have been updated in this article according to new police reports. This story was updated May 19, to include a correct name for the Lebanese homicide victim, whose name is not Akleh, as originally reported, but Akl, according to new police reports. A shootout this morning involving two cars, two dead men, two at-large suspects, and two aids on motorcycles outside a privat...

According to preliminary reports by police and in local media, a shootout took place this morning, Monday, May 15, at 7:30 in Guachipelín de Escazú in front of the Mount View Educational Center, a private school. Two people are reported dead. In the incident, a Lexus 4x4 driven by Elias Akl was shot at outside the school in the upscale western district of San José, and then entered the facility...

Roberto Zoch, the young entrepreneur now leading San José's top ranked municipal government, was recently profiled in Costa Rica's EKA business magazine. Moravia is a county north of downtown San José; its county seat is San Vicente. Its municipal government website is very user friendly with pages listing recycling routes, park clean-up dates, and other useful information for residents. The...

Cultural project  “Your City, Your Canvas” (Tu Ciudad, Tu Lienzo) is an initiative that works towards bringing more visibility to several metropolitan spaces through the use of urban art. “Your City, Your Canvas” started out in 2015 with a mural in the south wall of the Magaly Movie Theater in Barrio La California, and last year it was responsible for the new look of the Presidente Hotel in dow...

The Art City Tours in Costa Rica continue to gain popularity, these events started out in February of 2010 and adds already 44 editions; this May 10 will be the third edition this year, titled “Chepe de Moda” (“Chepe In-Style” Chepe is how locals refer to the city of San José). Wide cultural offers invite nationals and foreigners to learn more about the art and culture of San José, a city ofte...

The XV edition of the International Festival of the Arts has been set for June 29 through July 9, eleven days in which San José, Costa Rica fills with art in its different forms bringing it closer to the people. The major of San José, Johnny Araya and the Minister of Culture Sylvie Durán officially announced the dates and the activities the FIA will offer this year. “This edition was though...

Two areas of San José's La Sabana park have become well known spots for casual sex between men, reported Costa Rica's Teletica Channel 7 TV. The city's largest green space by day is filled with runners, walkers, cyclists, and others enjoying the are which has been reforested over the past years with thousands of native trees. The Teletica report estimates around 38,000 people visit the park eac...

San Francisco de Heredia will soon be home to Oxígeno, a unique recreational and commercial space that combines nature and human relaxation in a development that “will be unique in the world," said Cuestamoras board president Manuel Zuñiga. Cuestamoras, owners of the Fischel pharmacy chain in Costa Rica, “is committed to becoming a multibusiness leader in the Americas across a range of industri...

“Chepe se baña” or "Chepe Bathes" (Chepe is a term used by Costa Ricans to refer to the city of San José) is a project to help transform a bus into a moving bathroom, with the purpose of providing homeless people of San José with the opportunity to take a shower, have access to a bathroom and clean up. With the help of private companies and individuals the first bus is already painted and prop...

Cartago will soon be getting its second Walmart store, this one in La Lima, at the entrance to the city and in the vicinity of the La Lima Industrial Park. This new store will bring the Walmart global chain’s total to 11 outlets in Costa Rica. No information was forthcoming regarding details of the opening date, construction size, or number of new hirees for the new la Lima store. The lat...

After taking a lot of flack for closures and delays, Costa Rican transportation officials announced one more total closure for the mega-overhaul of the Alfredo González Flores bridge spanning the Virilla River bridge along the General Cañas highway, the main artery into San José and to the international airport in Alajuela. The bridge will be completely closed starting Saturday, April 29 at 3 p...

Want to learn how to make a terrarium or how to care for a pet turtle or snake? Have a question about caring for your horse? Or just want some old fashioned fun for the family? The Coronado Agricultural Fair, now in its 30th year, runs from April 27-30 in the hilly agricultural area northeast of San José. Featured activities include a Costa Rican snakes exhibit with information on the differ...

May 14 is the established date for this year’s edition of La Luz Gastronomy Festival in Barrio Escalante which will extend from 10 a.m. through 8 p.m. This is the fifth time this even is organized and it is already one of the most expected gastronomic events in Costa Rica. Forty stands will offer different food options, design, art and culture just like in previous years, but this time there...

Come one, come all to try out creative fare from throughout Costa Rica at the sixth Gustico food fair at the La Sabana Metropolitan Park this weekend. The event gives small scale food and other agricultural-related producers an opportunity to meet with local and international buyers, distributors and businesses, as well as a chance introduce their value-added products to the general public. ...

Santa Ana's new public recreational park will be ready in December of this year, according to local news reports. It will be located in the downtown plaza in front of the Santa Ana Catholic Church. Once completed, the facility a will include several exercise options as well as areas to gather and socialize. Work got underway on March 20, and organizers said the park project will be completed...

Earlier this month, one of San José, Costa Rica’s main public hospitals, the México Hospital, installed new modern ophthalmological units, in addition to other equipment. The Costa Rican Social Security Agency (CCSS) which runs the state medical system, said an estimated 20,000 patients per year will benefit from the upgrade to the latest technologies for eye procedures and exams. The over U...

The 8th Edition of the Copa Summa, or Summa Cup, one of the region's most popular golf tournaments will be held Friday, April 28 at the Cariari Country Club, with a 7 a.m. tee time. The Cariari Country Club in Ciudad Cariari northwest of San José near the Juan Santamaría International airport, and situated on a former coffee plantation, was the first 18-hole golf course built in Costa Rica. ...

Work on the Calderón Guardia Hospital’s new East Tower will begin in mid-April and will last approximately three years, said officials from the CCSS, the Costa Rica Social Security Agency. The new infrastructure, measuring approximately 21,000 square meters and costing an estimated US$83 million, of which US$18 million will be for equipment, will bolster the country's public health care system....

How often do we hear people complain about how expensive Costa Rica is? Yes, very very often, and it is true that in the past 10 years or so the country has indeed become more expensive, and some articles or items of course, more than others, for instance clothes, shoes, cars, touristic destinations, jewelry, personal care items, electronic devices, electricity are usually very expensive in Costa ...

The beginning of the rainy season will also bring the long-awaited opening of the completely overhauled main access bridge connecting San José with the international airport in Alajuela. After some unexpected recent delays, transportation officials said they estimated the new 6-lane Alfredo Gónzalez Flores bridge over the Virilla River would be fully ready and open by the end of May. Until t...

Police in Montes de Oca, otherwise known as San Pedro, the eastern San José district where the main University of Costa Rica campus is situated, responded to a call yesterday morning after witnesses saw a group of young men acting strangely outside of Venue Bar. The Public Security Ministry reported that police officers assisted 15 youth who were apparently under the influence of a strong drug....

A heat wave is scorching a good portion of Central America, raising temperatures above 40 C (104 F) in some areas and spurring authorities to issue warnings of even higher readings. In Costa Rica, people are complaining about the heat on the social networks, despite the fact that high temperatures are normal at this time of year and the current temperatures are similar to in other years. In ...

https://youtu.be/uEAKQmPYzWg One thing that can be said about the cities in Costa Rica is that they have grown in a very disorganized fashion, especially in the capital, San José, where the lack of planning has taken its toll and makes for traffic problems, flooding, and visual contamination among many other issues. Many developers coincide that one of the solutions is opting for vertical bu...

This past March 31st, El Spot (The Spot) was inaugurated, this place is described as a “Center of Verticality and Outdoors”, the only one of its kind in Central America. The Spot is located in Guachipelin de Escazú, diagonal to the Distrito 4 shopping center, here, there are gyms and stores that focus in everything needed for the practice of adventure sports and outdoor physical activities such a...