The McPlace To Be (San Jose, CR)

Who would've thought that McDonalds would be one of the coolest joints to hang out at? In the central part of San Jose lies the Plaza de la Cultura, with the National Theatre, museums, a courtyard with pigeons wandering about and children haring after them. The outer surrounding blocks are filled with shops and fast-food restaurants including Burger King, Taco Time, Pollo Campero, KFC and of course, McDonalds.

I have now used McDonalds as a rendez vous point about 5 times. I am not the only one. The other day I ended up waiting for a certain tardy Tico friend and entourage for two hours! In this time I had the pleasure of observing people. One of my favorite pastimes!

Man, this McDonalds sees all walks of life, and it is always bumping! There is normally a big group of deaf people hanging out at the front booths, chatting away with their sign language, making jokes, passing gossip, living life. There are the youngin's hanging out, some goths, some hipsters, some twinks, some neighborly looking folk. Adults as well, in their 30s all the way up to their 80s, just hanging, passing time over a McCafe, or a big mac, or a single cono.

And then there's all the folks just like me, congregating at the front doorway, waiting for their friends, their dates, waiting for their night to begin, waiting for some excitement, or simply just to find their companion to catch up with about their daily lives. Everyone is just living. Life is life.