This past Sunday capped the first full day of opening games in the National Football League, a fact that most Americans were very aware of.  But being a ‘gringo’ and a diehard Redskins fan Living in Costa Rica, it presents a very important decision, ‘how am I going to watch the skins this year?’

There are basically two options if you’re in Costa Rica.  The first is to subscribe to DirecTV, now called Sky in Costa Rica.  This service runs about $35 a month and costs only $15 to install.  The NFL season ticket package is a little over $130 for the entire season. 

If that’s not the route you want to take, choosing a sports bar to frequent every Sunday is the way to go. This weekend I was faced with that decision and came up with a hands-down winner, The Colonial. 

Last year I watched all of my skins games at Mac’s American Bar in Sabana Sur and was pleased with the atmosphere and service.  The drink prices are a bit steep $2 for a domestic beer but I knew that I’d be able to see the skins every week and that type of security is priceless.  Well, I arrived there this past Sunday about 15 minutes before kickoff and was notified that they’d only be able to show different games at a time and the TVs had already been reserved by better prepared fans.  I was told by the bartender that the owners didn’t feel compelled to spend the extra money for extra satellite boxes.  At a loss for words realizing I might miss the kickoff, I neglected to argue and quickly left the bar and hailed a cab.
 

My next destination was the Sportsman’s Lodge in Barrio Otoya (in the northern part of
San Jose).  I was told by several friends that this was an excellent place to watch sporting events.  Upon arriving I was told by the owner that they “couldn’t find” the Skins game.  At this point I wasn’t in the mood for arguing or giving them a chance to search for the game.  It was 11:05 AM mountain time and I didn’t have the time to wait.  I quickly left after only a minute and hailed another cab.
The next stop and my last ditch effort to watch the game was the Colonial in downtown
San Jose.  My stomach was in knots as I was faced with the prospect that I might just miss the game.  I entered the building, walked up the stairs, and like Robert Peary upon his arrival to the North Pole, there they were, six televisions lined up against the wall showing all of the NFL’s early games. .I felt like I’d accomplished what I’d set out to do 30 minutes ago, find a watering hole to watch the Washington Redskins.  The atmosphere was lively as there were fellow Redskins fans, Dolphins fans, Steelers fans, Cowboys fans, Titans fans and more.  The service was good and the food enjoyable as well.  I’ll definitely be returning every Sunday for the rest of the year with complete confidence that my game will be on.

On a side note, the Redskins won 16-13 on an overtime field goal by Shaun Suisham.

Custom design your Luxury Vacation to Costa Rica with Costa Rica Vacations
This post's rating:

Related Stories

Filed under: Sports on September 10th, 2007