Walking into San Jose, Arianne turned to me and said, “welcome to San Jose, the world’s ugliest capital city.”

She wasn’t necessarily wrong. The average tourist in Costa Rica is most likely bound for the beautiful beaches and resorts, not the cracked and dirty city of San Jose. But this is real Costa Rica. This is “Pura Vida” (The Costa Rican saying that means everything from “hello,” or “goodbye,” to “thank you,” or “life is good”).  Yes, it is a city of crime, but it is also a city of kisses on the cheek and friendly smiles. It is beautiful in its own right.

Fun fact: I was surprised to see a sizable population of hipsters in some parts of the city. Hipsters that would shame those I have seen in Denver and the northwest.