Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [64]
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ENTERTAINMENT
Pick up La Nación on Thursday for listings (in Spanish) of the coming week’s attractions. The Tico Times ‘Weekend’ section (in English) has a calendar of theater, music and museum events. The free monthly magazine San José Volando is also a good guide for nightlife and cultural events.
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Nightclubs
From thumping electronica to hip-hop to salsa, merengue and reggaetón, Chepe’s clubs offer a wide variety of ways to get your groove on. Most spots open at around 10pm, but don’t truly get going until after midnight. Admission charges vary (generally ₡2000 to ₡5000) depending on the location, the DJ and the night. Places come and go with alarming regularity, so ask around before heading out. The website Tico Party (www.ticoparty.com) keeps an up-to-date rundown of the latest spots (in Spanish).
For the trendiest nightspots, make your way to Escazú (Click here). Be safe: travel by taxi at night.
CENTRAL SAN JOSÉ EAST & NORTH
Centro Comercial El Pueblo (Map; ) The most popular nightspot in San José is dense with human activity on weekends. Clubs here come and go; here are a few standard-bearers:
Bar Twister (Map; 2222-5746; 5pm-3am Wed-Sat) Catering to the Jaegermeister crowd, this cavernous club has nightly DJs that play contemporary international and Latin music.
Ebony 56 (Map; 2223-2195; 8pm-4am Tue-Sat) A sprawling disco spins a mix of reggae, dance hall, hip-hop and reggaetón.
Tarrico (Map; 2222-1003) A popular watering hole where hard-drinking josefinos pile in to play foosball and hit the dance floor.
Complejo Salsa 54 y Zadidas (Map; 8865-6919; Calle 3 btwn Avs 1 & 3) More low-rent than El Pueblo, this vast 2nd-story club is a good place to shake it if you want to go Latin, playing a mix of merengue, salsa, cumbia and Latin swing. Be prepared to cut some serious rug here – the local dancers are expert salseros.
LA SABANA
Club Vertigo (Map; 2257-8424; www.myspace.com/vertigocr; Paseo Colón btwn Calles 38 & 40) Located on the ground floor of a nondescript office tower, the city’s premier club packs in Chepe’s beautiful people with a mix of house, trance and electronica. Downstairs is an 850-person-capacity sweat-box of a dance floor, while upstairs you’ll find a chill-out lounge lined with red sofas. Dress to the nines and note that admission charges can skyrocket on guest-DJ nights (from ₡7000).
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Gay & Lesbian Venues
The city is home to Central America’s most thriving gay and lesbian scene. As with other spots, admission charges vary depending on the night and location (from ₡2000 to ₡5000). Some clubs close on various nights of the week (usually Sunday to Tuesday) and others host women- or men-only nights; inquire ahead or check individual club websites for listings. For general information on gay travel, Click here.
The clubs listed below are on the south side of town, which can get rough after dark. Take a taxi.
Bochinche (Map; 2221-0500; www.bochinchesanjose.com; Calle 11 btwn Avs 10 & 12) A club that features everything from classic disco to electronica, as well as special themed nights.
Club Oh! (Map; 2221-9341; www.clubohcostarica.com; Calle 2 btwn Avs 14 & 16; from 9pm Fri & Sat) This massive dance club with an attached lounge attracts a mixed crowd of gays, lesbians and their allies. There’s drinking, dancing and midnight drag shows every Friday.
La Avispa (Map; 2223-5343; www.laavispa.co.cr; Calle 1 btwn Avs 8 & 10) A gay establishment that has been in operation for more than three decades, La Avispa has a bar, pool tables and a boisterous dance floor that’s been recommended by readers. There are lesbian nights twice a month.
Pucho’s Nightclub (Map; 2256-1147; www.puchosnightclub.com; cnr Calle 11 & Av 8) More low-rent (and significantly raunchier) than some is this gay male outpost that features scantily-clad go-go boys and over-the-top drag shows.
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Cinemas
Many cinemas show recent Hollywood films with Spanish