For our first great adventure of 2026, Julie and I headed south from Philly to San Jose, Costa Rica.
Our route took us first to Houston, during which I watched Days of Thunder, the Tom Cruise/Nicole Kidman NASCAR racing movie throughout the flight.
After changing planes, I watched F1, the new Brad Pitt vehicle featuring Formula 1 racing, until we landed in San Jose.
So, you might say my way to San Jose was on high-speed racetracks, at least in my mind.
I thought it quite fortunate to have those movies available on my flights, because Jay and Sasha had recommended them just a few weeks earlier when we visited them for Christmas. I agree that F1 was highly derivative of Thunder, but I enjoyed both flicks, and they made the time fly by.
Those flights went well. We caught a taxi upon landing at Juan Santamaría International Airport to our hotel, Hilton Garden Inn San Jose La Sabana. However, the taxi driver first took us to Hilton San Jose La Sabana, less than a mile away from our hotel.
No problemo, as our driver stayed as we checked our reservation with parking staff, and he took us to the correct hotel at no additional charge. I had given him $40 for a $30 cab fare, so he was still smiling.
Our modern hotel might not have been quite as upscale as her sister property, but it was fantastic for us.
After dropping bags at our room on the 18th floor, we headed back down to the intimate, stylish lounge in the lobby, which was about 12 stories above the ground floor entrance. We took a table by a window with panoramic views of city lights.
La Sabana, the neighborhood where our hotel is located, feels like an upscale, chic niche in a sprawling, historic city. We would have a guided excursion into more historic parts of San Jose, but not until the end our tour. I'll get to that in a few days.
Julie ordered Sauvignon Blanc, while I tried a local beer, Numu Edulis Tropical Pale Ale, a unique beer that tastes like Costa Rica with hints of tropical fruit.
Drinks were reasonably priced. I think my local beer was $5 and Julie's wine $9.
They also served meals and snacks from the restaurant located steps away, but we'd noticed one of our favorite restaurants while away from home was located just across the street.
So, after our drinks, we headed to McDonald's.
Julie wasn't very hungry, so we split a Big Mac Combo, with me eating the entire double-deck cheeseburger. Yum!
The neighboring building most find more impressive than McDonald's is the Estadio Nacional, home of the Costa Rican national fútbol team.
Costa Rica has hosted both men's and women's FIFA World Cup games in the stadium, which has a crowd capacity of 35,000 for soccer games.
Opened in 2011, this striking modern coliseum also serves as a venue for concerts and cultural events.
We learned from our tour guide Leonardo that
China donated the stadium to Costa Rica, a generous gift indeed. Leo said that in the ensuing years after that gift, Chinese products --- including 55% of all automobile (mostly electric) sales in Costa Rica --- had flooded the marketplace.
After a good night's sleep on a firm mattress, we headed down the elevator to catch our Viator Tour, which would include breakfast. I'll write about next time.
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| Our window on deck 18 was visible from the pool on deck 14. |
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| Laszlo replied to my pool feet with a photo of his feet in Philly. |
Lest I fail to emphasize it enough, being 8 degrees from the Equator in the dead of winter when back home much of the country was buried in Snowmageddon definitely gave us a warm feeling throughout the trip.
