Fishing boats in Panamá bay
3
PANAMÁ CITY
A World-Class City
The first sight of Panamá City (Ciudad de Panamá) causes a double take. Skyscrapers claw at the sky. In fact, as the major banking center south of New York, Panamá City truly is a Manhattan in the Tropics. Sophisticated and edgy, this humming financial center at the Pacific entrance to the Canal has everything you’d expect of a capital at a major crossroads to the world. Fine-dining restaurants. Ritzy casinos. Sizzling nightlife. And top-class hotels. All this, and more, combines with a historic quarter teeming with intimate plazas hemmed by ancient churches and colonial buildings in an amalgam of styles.
Blending old and new, Panamá City—called simply Panamá by locals—captivates with its sentimental allure wed to a cool, contemporary, and cosmopolitan Latin vibe. It is at once both laid-back and seething. And no wonder. For five hundred years, it has served as a conduit of commerce linking two continents and two oceans.
Originally founded at the mouth of the Río Abajo in 1519, the early city—Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Panamá (site of today’s Panamá Viejo)—flourished as the treasures of the Incas arrived for transportation to Caribbean ports via the camino real. In 1671 the city was devastated by a pirate raid led by Welsh cutthroat Henry Morgan. The charred ruins were abandoned and a city was founded a few miles west on a rocky promontory, with thick fortress walls. Within a century, however, Panamá sank into decline. The forlorn city’s fortunes revived with the California Gold Rush in 1848. Tens of thousands of argonauts flocked to make the passage across the isthmus, aided in 1855 with completion of the Panamá Railroad. Many of the international arrivistas stayed to patch their national traits to the cultural quilt of the city. Today, a Parisian architectural influence is noticeable in Casco Viejo (the colonial core of the city)—a legacy of the massive influx during the 1880s of French engineers, technicians, and craftsmen employed by the Compagnie Universelle du Canal Interocéanico in their ill-fated quest to cut a canal through the isthmus.
The failed French enterprise cast Panamá City back into a decade of desuetude and decay. The United States’ bully-boy manipulation of Panamá’s independence as a prelude to construction of the Canal was a down payment on a glittering future. Panamá City’s astronomic rise from relative obscurity to international stature is owed entirely to the Canal. Billions of dollars of investment poured in. U.S. military administrators established 20th-century infrastructure based on the U.S. model: paved highways, electric streetlights, efficient water treatment and dispersal systems. And new districts in a distinctly vernacular U.S. “colonial tropical” style sprouted overnight in the Canal Zone to the northwest of the colonial city. Here for eight decades, in Ancón, Balboa, and Quarry Heights, U.S. residents (Zonians) lived a quintessential bubblegum American colonial life of Coke and cookies, like residents of the perfect little community of Seahaven (ironically, partially shot in Panama City, Florida) in the Jim Carrey movie The Truman Show.
Panamá City
Ruins of Panama Viejo, Panamá
The modern metropolis (population 813,000) is spread along the Bahía de Panamá and is framed inland by forested hills. Every year sees a handful of new skyscrapers needle the sky on the peninsula of upscale Punta Paitilla. But Panamá’s ancient side also shines through, not least thanks to a gentrification of recently rundown Casco Viejo. Today it hums with bohemian life. Formerly decrepit colonial buildings have metamorphosed as jazz clubs, ritzy restaurants, and intimate boutique hotels and cafés.
Centrally located, with roads radiating from here to the main sites of touristic interest, Panamá City truly is a crossroads superbly positioned for sightseeing. And the downside? Hot and steamy, Panamá City can feel like a sauna. At times, a five-minute walk will leave you dripping in sweat.
TOURING THE CITY
Panamá City’s transportation is hectic. The road network is convoluted and the metropolitan city is not easily navigated beyond the core, which can be walked. A little planning goes a long way.
Getting Your Bearings
Panamá City spreads over 106 square miles (275 sq km) to the east of the Canal, on the southern or Pacific coast of the country. Casco Viejo, the historic heart of the city, occupies a small peninsula (San Felipe) offering views west across the Bahía de Panamá towards the man-made Amador Causeway (Calzada de Amador), a breakwater connecting three small islands (Isla Naos, Perico, and Flamingo) to the mainland. Immediately north of Casco Viejo, the working-class district of Calidonia butts up to Cerro Ancón (Ancón Hill), a freestanding hulk of a mountain west of which lies the former Canal Zone enclaves of Ancón, Balboa, Quarry Hill, and Albrook.
East of Casco Viejo, Avenida Balboa (westbound) and Cinta Costera (eastbound) run along the bay between the middle-class La Exposición district to the more upscale residential zone of Bella Vista, the commercial zone of El Cangrejo and Marbella (the financial center)—together boasting the city’s greatest concentration of upscale hotels, restaurants, and nightclubs—and the peninsula of Punta Paitilla, the ritziest real estate in town, pinned by dozens of glittering high-rise condominiums. Most places of touristic interest are located in these zones. Avenida Balboa continues east (as Vía Israel) to the Centro de Convenciones Atlapa and beyond, as Vía Cincuentenario, to Panamá Viejo, the ruins of the original city.
Avoid the impoverished and crime-ridden districts of Santa Ana and Chorrillo, immediately west of Casco Viejo.
View over Bella Vista toward Punta Paitilla from Cerro Ancón, Panamá City
NEIGHBORHOODS TO KNOW
Amador This region comprises the former U.S. military site of Fort Amador, the islands of Naos, Perico, and Flamenco; and the scenic Calzada de Amador—a man-made tombolo built as a breakwater using landfill excavated during construction of the Panamá Canal. It has upscale restaurants, nightclubs, a marina, a branch of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and the city’s main cruise ship port. It’s also the site of the Frank Gehry-designed Museo de Biodiversidad (Museum of Biodiversity), scheduled for completion in 2011. The www.amadorcausewaypanama.com Web site is a good resource.
Ancón/Balboa/Quarry Hill Surrounding Cerro Ancón (the city’s highest hill), the former administrative and residential center for the Canal Zone during U.S. tenure today comprises a bucolic retreat a world apart from the rest of the city in aspect and feel. Balboa, to the west of Cerro Ancón, is still the center for Canal operations, centered on the Panamá Canal Administration Building, with its fascinating murals open to public view. The serpentine roads on neighboring Quarry Hill are lined with venerable wooden houses and make for delightful exploring. And there are numerous fascinating monuments, churches, and even Art Deco structures. Cerro Ancón offers a 360-degree view of the city.
View over Balboa and Panamá Canal from Cerro Ancón, Panamá City
Bella Vista/El Cangrejo/Marbella This zone of three regions bordering one another in the center of the city forms an upscale and compact triptych that is a veritable forest of glass-concrete-and-metal skyscrapers. Most of the city’s hotels are here. So too its fine-dining restaurants (especially in tree-lined Bella Vista’s Zona Rosa, or “pink zone”), nightclubs, and casinos and shops (in El Cangrejo). Marbella, to the east, hosts the banks (hence its moniker, Área Bancara, or Financial District) and upscale shopping malls. Laid out in a grid, the area is easily walked: everything is within walking distance of the hotels.
Calidonia/La Exposición These adjoining low-income residential districts form a warren of narrow, traffic-thronged streets lined by apartment blocks and condominiums. Several streets are difficult to navigate due to the hordes of street vendors and impromptu markets. The city’s budget hotels are here. The region has several leafy parks and some fascinating buildings, including the Congress building and several museums. City officials have plans to transform much of this region into another high-rise zone.
Casco Viejo Known to locals as San Felipe, the Old City—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—is a delightful enclave of cobbled streets and intimate plazas lined with delightful colonial homes and grandiose structures, most of which went up in the 19th century. The 17th-century cathedral is one of several beautiful colonial churches. The Presidential Palace and Teatro Nacional can be toured, and the zone has plenty of intriguing museums. Recently restored, it’s full of charming cafés, globe-spanning world-class restaurants, and a lively bohemian culture.
Panamá Viejo On the eastern edge of the city (take a taxi or guided excursion), the original 16th-century city is today in ruins, preserved much as they were left after Henry Morgan, the pirate, finished destroying the city. A wide and well-maintained path links the main sites, and there’s a splendid museum plus an indigenous crafts market.
Ruins of Iglesia y Convento La Merced, Panamá Viejo, Panamá
Metro Panamá City
By Bus or Público
In general, taxis are a better bet than buses for getting around in Panamá City, which lacks a printed timetable or route map. Traditionally, hundreds of privately owned diablos rojos (red devils) have competed along main routes; these old U.S. school buses are usually tarted up to the max with stunning electric-psychedelic graffiti art, flashing lights, and assorted knick-knacks. The destination is written atop the front windshield. A fixed fare of $0.25 applied at press time. However, the diablos rojos are to be phased out and replaced by modern buses under a municipal authority; as of 2010, the long-awaited change had yet to happen (the sooner the better say I, as diablo rojo drivers are renowned for dangerous and inconsiderate driving). The main bus station is the Gran Terminal de Transporte (Corregimiento de Ancón, Albrook; 507-303-3030; www.grantnt.com), in Albrook; long-distance buses arrive and depart the top deck floor; local city buses arrive and depart the lower level.
Guard your belongings closely. Pickpockets and thieves work these buses.
By Car
A car can be a liability in the narrow streets of Casco Viejo. And the maelstrom of inner-city traffic in other zones can cause consternation, as can the lack of street signs. The Panamanian driving style is aggressive: for example, at junctions Panamanians nudge out into streaming traffic.
The main highway for sightseeing is the seafront Avenida Balboa (westbound) and, parallel, the Cinta Costera (eastbound), which link the hotel, shopping, and entertainment zone of Bella Vista/El Cangrejo/Marbella to Casco Viejo. In 2009, the shorefront was extended into the bay with landfill and Avenida Balboa (previously two-way) was widened and turned into a divided expressway—the Cinta Costera—separated by a broad median with a newly laid-out park with bike paths. Impressive…except you can no longer cross Avenida Balboa by car; there is only one car access point to the Cinta Costera; and there are no pedestrian crosswalks or bridges for the lowly walker. Talk about lousy planning!
Parque Legislativo, in Calidonia, is the central node from which main arteries span out through the city to suburbs and farther afield. From here:
Avenida de los Mártires runs west to the Puente de las Américas (Bridge of the Americas), which crosses the Canal and (as the Pan-American Highway) leads to the Costa Rican frontier.
Avenida Ascanio Arosemena leads northwest to Aeropuerto Marcos A. Gelabert and connects to Avenida Omar Torrijos Herrera (which leads to the Miraflores Locks and Parque Nacional Soberania) and to the Corredor Norte, a freeway that runs around the northern edge of the city.
Avenida Central España parallels Avenida Balboa and runs east through the heart of Bella Vista and El Cangrejo.
Avenida Simón Bolívar runs northeast past the Universidad de Panamá (Panamá University), crosses the Corredor Norte, and continues as the Transístmica northward to Colón and the Caribbean.
Diablo rojo bus in Panamá City
Aeropuerto Internacional Tocumen
To find your way into Panamá City from the main airport, choose either of two options. If you don’t fancy paying a series of tolls, take Vía Tocumen (the exit road at the airport), a broad expressway that skirts the northern outskirts and eventually becomes Avenida Ricardo J. Alfaro, which runs into Bella Vista. Just west of the airport, you can turn off Vía Tocumen and take the Corredor Sur, an autopista (toll freeway) with two tollbooths. It leads directly downtown, depositing you at the junction with Avenida Balboa, in Bella Vista. The 10-mile trip to downtown will take 20 minutes minimum, depending on traffic conditions.
By Foot
Casco Viejo and the hotel, shopping, and entertainment zone of Bella Vista/El Cangrejo/Marbella are easily navigated on foot, as they are laid out in grid format. The old city’s narrow streets are also shaded by tall buildings. However, those of the more modern Bella Vista/El Cangrejo/Marbella region are broader and more sun-exposed. Always be cautious when crossing streets: Panamanian drivers do not stop for pedestrians!
By Taxi
Taxis are the default mode of transport for many Panamanians, and they sure are the logical choice for tourists. Fortunately, taxis are plentiful (except when it rains); they’re also inexpensive. Penny-pinchers should opt for local taxis. They charge considerably less than tourist taxis, which await custom outside large tourist hotels and are allowed to charge about three times the local taxi rates. Tourist taxis are designated by “SET” (for Servicio Especial Turística) on their chapas (license plates). Local taxis may pick up one or more passengers going your way.
Taxis don’t have meters. Instead, official point-to-point rates for local taxis within the city range from $1.00 to $3.10 for fares within and between seven zones, depending on your beginning and end points and the number of zones you pass through (an extra $0.25 charge applies for each additional person). Taxi drivers are required to keep a chart—colored-coded by zone—in their vehicles. Ask to see it. However, it’s best to know the fare in advance; taxi drivers often try to rip off clients who show ignorance about the zones. Radio taxis charge $0.50 more. Call Radio Taxi América (507-223-7534), Radio Taxi América Libre (507-223-7342 or 296-1601), or Radio Taxi Libertad (507-267-7515). Either way, tipping is not an expectation in Panamá: a 25- or 50-cent tip is deemed sufficient.
Never take an unmarked pirate taxi, or one with a co-driver, for reasons of safety. Crimes are frequent.
You can also hire a taxi on an hourly ($10–15) or daily basis.
By Tours
The Oficina del Casco Antiguo (507-209-6300; guias@cascoantiguo.gob.pa; www.cascoantiguo.gob.pa) offers three free guided tours of Casco Viejo in English and Spanish. The tours depart Plaza de la Catedral (Plaza de la Independencia) each Friday and Saturday at 10 AM, 10:30 AM, and 11 AM.
Rudy Ariani (507-671-7165; www.pattyscasitas.com/panamatours.htm) is recommended for personalized guided tours of the city, including by night.
Most local tour agencies also offer city tours, among them PanamaTours (507-832-7679; www.panamatours.com.pa).
LODGING
Panamá City’s hotel scene is wide-ranging. There’s something for everyone, from inexpensive hostels to intimate boutique hotels, and ritzy high-rise hotels with every amenity from tennis and disco to casinos and spas. Most of the latter are found in the El Cangrejo and Marbella districts, a 40-minute walk from Casco Viejo, which has a few—but surprisingly few!—small boutique hotels. Most of the budget options are in Calidonia and La Exposición.
Bed and Breakfast Inns/Boutique Hotels
ALBROOK INN
507-315-1789
Fax: 507-315-1975
www.albrookinn.com
Calle Las Magnolias #14, Albrook
Inexpensive
Perfect for travelers who shun big hotels in favor of small properties with personality, this 30-room bed-and-breakfast started life as part of the U.S. military command center at the base of Ancón hill. Today it’s a charming and peaceful spot away from the city hubbub and perfect for exploring Ancón and Balboa. Recently refurbished in a more upscale vogue than before, it’s now elegant, with stylishly modern furnishings in its 30 air-conditioned bedrooms, all with TVs, direct-dial phones, and Internet modems. The lush garden features a lovely pool and Jacuzzi.
ARCOS DE BELLA VISTA B&B AND PATTY’S CASITA RENTAL STUDIO
507-6713-7165 (cellular)
www.pattyscasitas.com
Calle 49, Bella Vista
Moderate
Fancy staying in a Florentine mansion in Bella Vista? Dating from 1940, this lovely building has only one two-bedroom junior suite with rather modest furnishings, including a king-sized bed and meagerly furnished lounge plus caged patio with hammock. The owners, Patty Polte and Rudy Ariana, live here, too.
Patty also rents out an exquisitely furnished apartment on Calle 10, in Casco Viejo. The decor mixes chic contemporary with period pieces atop gleaming hardwood floors. It has a king-sized bed with orthopedic mattress, flat-screen TV, and free computer with Internet and Wi-Fi. A lovely space! At press time, Patty had an additional loftlike unit in the works in the same building, with venerable redbrick walls.
Plus she has a one-bedroom condo in a modern high-rise on Calzada de Amador…a perfect base for visiting the Museum of Biodiversity when it finally opens.
THE BALBOA INN
507-314-1520
www.thebalboainn.com
2311 Calle Cruces, Balboa
Inexpensive
The past few years have seen an explosion of bed-and-breakfast accommodations open in the Ancón and Balboa districts—perfect for a walking tour of this fascinating historic district. This one is a winner with its airy, spacious lounges. Although not luxurious, all nine air-conditioned rooms are comfy and have delightful wall murals plus satellite TVs, DVDs, Wi-Fi, safes, and—a big plus—ceiling fans. The Dutch live-in owners, former KLM flight attendant Saskia Swartz and her husband Thorwald Westmaas, run this place with aplomb.
B&B LA ESTANCIA
507-314-1581
www.bedandbreakfastpanama.com
Calle Amelia Denis de Icaza #35, Quarry Heights
Inexpensive
This no-smoking bed-and-breakfast on the west slopes of Cerro Ancón is another former military property to metamorphose as a charming little hotel. It has seven rooms, and two suites with kitchens. Furnished in a homey fashion, including some rattan pieces, it’s a pleasantly comfy and cozy, albeit no-frills, option. A bonus: heaps of hot water in the spacious showers. The lounge has a small library and a piano, and guests get free use of Internet.
HOTEL BRISTOL
507-264-0000
Fax: 507-265-7829
www.thebristol.com
Calle Aquilino De La Guardia between
Calles 51 and 52
Expensive
A member of The Leading Hotels of the World, this gracious boutique hotel—my favorite hotel in the city—is a stand-out offering a rare combination of intimacy and elegance. Heck, it feels like it’s been transported from London’s fashionable Chelsea district. Behind the Neo-Classical façade, it exudes class with its mahogany old-world wood paneling, shiny marbles, and tasteful contemporary art. The 56 deluxe guest quarters also combine sensibilities of yesteryear and today, with classy chocolate, cream, and gold tones; four-poster beds, and—a nice touch—mola pillows that are a sole nod to a Panamanian theme. Butler service 24/7 is another lovely touch. The gracious wood-paneled Baranda restaurant serving award-winning nouvelle dishes is among the city’s finest, and the adjacent bar gets lively on weekends, when the city’s youthful sophisticates flock.
CANAL HOUSE
507-228-1907
Fax: 507-228-6637
www.canalhousepanama.com
Calle 5ta and Avenida A, Casco Viejo
Expensive
This non-smoking boutique hotel in the heart of Casco Viejo is the place to rest your head if you’re seeking sophistication and intimacy. A fabulous remake of a century-old house, replete with red-tile roof and wrought-iron balconies. Well, it’s not really a hotel. It has only three bedrooms. Actually, they’re suites. Two are over-sized, each with a king bed, day bed, separate live-work space (one is a loft), and an enormous wrap-around balcony. The place has been souped up with modern accouterments, such as flat-screen TVs and iPod docking stations, and can you imagine 600-thread-count sheets? I had no idea such luxury existed! Canal House also has a gracious living-dining room, and bookworms will appreciate the library. Bring your laptop—Wi-Fi is throughout. The style throughout is straight out of Vogue. In a word…classy! Individual rooms can be rented, depending on availability. Usually the house rents out complete. This is where actor Daniel Craig laid his head while filming Quantum of Solace.
LOS CUATROS TULIPANES
507-211-0877
www.loscuatrotulipanes.com
Avenida Central between Calle 3 and Calle 4, Casco Viejo
Moderate
For sophisticated digs in the heart of Casco Viejo, this property management company can’t be beat. It rents more than a dozen boutique apartments in the historic quarter. Choose from a studio or one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, all of which differ in layout. Although many of the units rent long-term, short-term vacationers are welcome. My favorite units are in the beautifully restored 17th-century Casa de Las Monjas (House of Nuns), with two units that open to a lovely courtyard exposing rustic stone walls—a prominent feature inside the rooms too. The furnishings are regal and the autumnal color schemes enhance the sense of sophistication. A real bonus is its location next to Manolo Caracol, the old quarter’s top restaurant; and diagonal to Casa Góngora, a venue for live jazz at night. All Los Cuatros Tulipanes units come equipped with high-speed Internet, and there’s daily maid service, and attentive staff are on hand 24/7. I consider it a bargain, with many units offered below $150 nightly.
LA DULCE COLMENA B&B
507-6799-1375
www.ladulcecolmena.com
El Avance, Betania
Inexpensive
Wow! Talk about a honey of a bed-and-breakfast. La Dulce Colmena (sweet beehive), which opened in 2008, is a colorful and stylish charmer in the quiet residential suburb of Altos de Betania, on the north side of the city. Colonial tilework, gorgeous hardwood furniture, and tasteful fabrics combine in the three individually styled bedrooms. Discerning travelers know that it’s all about the small details, and here the owners don’t disappoint. And the prices are an absolute bargain. It has Wi-Fi in the common areas. Strictly no smoking. I love it!
HOTEL DEVILLE
507-206-3100
Fax: 507-206-3111
www.devillehotel.com.pa
Avenida Beatriz Cabal and Calle 50
Expensive
A steadfast favorite of travelers seeking deluxe old-world digs, the DeVille harks back to the era of DeLesseps in mood and style. The exterior, with its mansard roof, seems a transplant from Paris. The eclectic decor is more international, melding Oriental rugs with mahogany antiques and contemporary art. Each of the 33 rooms is distinct, though most sparkle with marble underfoot, and orthopedic mattresses and Egyptian cotton linens guarantee contented slumber. The highly ranked Ten Bistro restaurant is here. While not quite up to the superb standards of the Bristol, this boutique hotel in the thick of the dining and entertainment district makes a fine choice.
Budget Hotels
HOSTAL LA CASA DE CARMEN
507-263-4366
www.lacasadecarmen.net
Calle 1ra, El Carmen #32
Inexpensive
This quaint home on the east side of the city offers some of the more simple digs in the city. In addition to a six-bed dorm, it has seven small bedrooms individually styled with their own color schemes. While frugally appointed, they’re quite charming and perfect for cost-conscious travelers. There’s a library with Internet, a colorful communal kitchen, and a laundry.
HOSTEL MAMALLENA
507-6676-6163
www.mamallena.com
Calle 38 Oeste, La Exposición
Between Avenida Simón Bolívar and Avenida Peru, in a leafy middle-class area, this Australian-owned backpackers’ hostel gets high marks for cleanliness and security. It has three dorms and 12 private rooms, all air-conditioned. Amenities include Wi-Fi, Skype, plus free Internet, movies, and coffee.
LUNA’S CASTLE HOSTEL
507-262-1540
www.lunascastlehostel.com
Calle 9na Este 3-28, Casco Viejo
Inexpensive
The choice spot of backpackers, this hostel occupies a creaky old colonial mansion close to the shore. It’s the best of all worlds for impecunious and gregarious travelers seeking Spanish-colonial quaint and laid-back, youthful vibes. A bed in the dorm room costs a mere $12, including pancake breakfast, free coffee, free Internet, and Wi-Fi 24/7. It has lockers and storage, plus laundry, and you can ease back in three “chill rooms” where movies are shown. The place is adorned with colorful retro-style groovy art.
Generic Hotels
COUNTRY INN & SUITES PANAMÁ CANAL
507-211-4500
Fax: 507-211-4501
www.countryinns.com/panamacanalpan
Avenida Amador and Avenida Pelicano, Amador
Inexpensive to Moderate
The best of both worlds sums up this hotel’s location on the Amador peninsula. Take your pick of rooms looking west over the Bridge of the Americas and Canal entrance or east towards Casco Viejo and the skyscrapers of modern Panamá City. All 150 rooms have balconies for better enjoying the views. Decor is homey: this is a Country Inn & Suites, so don’t expect lavish styling. All have high-speed Internet, plus coffeemakers, hair dryers, and other to-be-expected mod-cons. It has an Internet room, plus gym, and a TGI Friday’s restaurant.
CROWNE PLAZA
507-206-5555
Fax: 507-206-5557
www.ichotelsgroup.com
Avenida Manuel Espinosa. Bautista
Moderate
This high-rise hotel is perfectly positioned for business folk, being in the midst of the commercial zone. It’s as you would expect a Crowne Plaza to be, with comfy furnishings and plenty of essential amenities, such as hair dryers and Wi-Fi (for a fee). The rooftop pool is a good spot for lazing, and there’s a sport bar plus business center. It was most recently renovated in 2008.
HOLIDAY INN
507-317-4000
Fax: 507-317-4001
www.hinnpanama.com
Avenida Oma Torrijos Herrera, Ciudad del
Saber, Clayton
In the “City of Knowledge,” just minutes from the Miraflores Locks, this rather institutional, eight-story hotel is handy for all manner of sightseeing beyond the city. The 137 rooms and suites are actually quite delightful and have sufficient amenities (from 29-inch cable TVs to Wi-Fi) to compete with the far more expensive big boys in town. Still, if it’s the city itself you’re seeking this hotel is a bit far out to make sense. Nor does it have a restaurant: your options are a bar and a café.
INTERCONTINENTAL MIRAMAR PANAMÁ
507-206-8888
Fax: 507-223-4891
www.miramarpanama.com
Miramar Plaza, Avenida Balboa
Expensive
This is by far my favorite of the city’s upscale high-rise hotels. First, its situation, close-up to the bay in Miramar, offers spectacular views. Needless to say, the higher up, the better: it soars 25 stories. Walls of glass in guest rooms guarantee that every one (and everyone) is a winner. The 183 contemporary-themed guest quarters are luxurious and fitted with DVDs, Wi-Fi, and other mod-cons. The full-service business center and banqueting facilities impress, and you get a splendid restaurant, plus Turkish bath, spa, gym, and outdoor pool.
PANAMÁ MARRIOTT HOTEL
507-210-9100
Fax: 507-210-9110
www.marriott.com
Calle 52, Calle Ricardo Arias
Expensive Soaring 20 stories over downtown El Cangrejo, this business-oriented hotel offers elegance, heaps of amenities, and a great location for visitors keen to partake of the city’s nightlife. It has its own casino and huge convention facilities. I like to hang by the lovely outdoor pool. Its 287 rooms and eight suites are graciously appointed and offer sensational views from upper levels. Hair dryers and robes are standard.
PLAZA PAITILLA INN
507-208-0600
Fax: 507-208-0619
www.plazapaitillainn.com
Vía Italia, Punta Paitilla
Moderate
Competing with the Intercontinental for high-rise style, this modern, circular skyscraper boasts 272 air-conditioned bedrooms that each features an entire wall of glass. Hence, stupendous panoramic views. Decor is moderately elegant. It has a pool, gym, business center, and café, and restaurants and a casino are a stone’s throw away.
RADISSON DECAPOLIS
507-215-5000
Fax 507-215-5175
www.radisson.com/panamacitypan
Avenida Balboa-Multicentro
Expensive
Reflecting Panamá City’s 21st-century chic, this towering Space Age hotel rises 29 stories over the Multicentro complex. From outside, the structure appears to be made almost entirely of green-tinted glass. Inside makes you do a double take. Is it a hotel or a museum of modern art? A massive stainless steel sculpture inspired by the statues of Easter Island guards the lobby. Decor throughout is minimalist. The mood hip. The slick martini bar is the place to be for city sophisticates. The sushi bar is no less stylish. There are two other restaurants, plus a casino, and impressive business and meeting facilities. And the 300 bedrooms—done up in clinical whites, jade greens, and chocolates, and replete with all necessary amenities, from coffeemaker to high-speed Internet—are perhaps the most youthful and trendy in Panamá City.
SHERATON PANAMÁ HOTEL & CONVENTION CENTER
507-305-5100
Fax: 507-265-3550
www.starwoodhotels.com
Vía Israel and Calle 77
Expensive
Formerly the Caesar Park Hotel, this high-rise is a city landmark. Rising over the Atlapa Convention Center, it relies heavily on conventioneer business, but is popular with tour groups. You’re too far out, however, for sightseeing by foot; if you plan on exploring Panamá City, you’ll ring up quite some fares using cabs. A major plus are the sweeping city views: make sure you get a west-facing room. The 362 formerly weary rooms (including 18 suites) have recently been upgraded and this hotel now shines. Furnishings are contemporary and classy, though the Sheraton retains its mock-Spanish colonial elements, such as the indoor fountains and arched doorways. Potted palms abound. Shopaholics will appreciate its numerous boutiques, plus there’s a spa, an excellent café, and choice of restaurants. And the spacious pool area, surrounded by palms, is a lovely spot to relax and bag some rays. However, we don’t like having to pay for the Wi-Fi service in bedrooms, which have flat-screen TVs, in-room safes, and comfy beds.
VENETO HOTEL & CASINO
507-340-8686
Fax: 507-340-8899
www.venetocasino.com
Vía Veneto between Cía España and El
Cangrejo
Moderate
With its 24-hour casino dominating the ground floor, there’s no doubt what this hotel’s main raison d’etre is. Nonetheless, the 301 guest rooms are classy, even luxurious. Flat-screen TVs, Wi-Fi, chocolaty leather sofas and tawny color schemes, and marble-clad bathrooms make these among the most desirable rooms in town. The hotel’s numerous restaurants include sushi and steak outlets. There’s a spa. And its location in the heart of the financial and shopping district is a bonus for business folk and shopaholics.
Resort Hotels and Spas
INTERCONTINENTAL PLAYA BONITA RESORT & SPA
877-800-1690
Fax: 507-206-8870
www.playabonitapanama.com
Playa Kobbe, 4 miles west of Panamá City
Moderate to Expensive
Just a few minutes’ drive west of the city, this sprawling beach resort has a lovely location, despite its rather mediocre brown sand beach and (it is claimed) polluted ocean waters. The facilities impress, not least the 20 acres (8 ha) of forest-fringed lawns with four swimming pools. I love the classy contemporary sophistication of the 300 bedrooms, which have king beds, orthopedic mattresses, and Wi-Fi. Another highlight: a 10,000-square-foot spa.
NIKKI BEACH HOTEL PANAMÁ CITY
c/o 786-515-1130
www.nikkibeachpanama.com
Avenida Balboa, Punta Paitilla
Very Expensive
Slated to open in 2011, this 52-story condo-hotel promises to take Panamá City’s hotel scene to whole new heights. In fact, the first city hotel of Miami’s renowned Nikki Beach group, it’s billed as Panamá’s “first six-star condo hotel” and is intended to woo the sexy moneyed Miami crowd with its sensual contemporary decor and hotter than hot day-and-night party scene. It will have 200 rooms and suites with state-of-the-art fixtures, such as free Wi-Fi and flat-screen HDTVs, and panoramic views through walls of glass. Rising over Multiplaza, it will feature signature restaurants, a swimming pool, luxury spa, rooftop heliport, plus the Casa Nikki Night Club, 46 floors above Panamá City.
DINING
The capital city is a veritable potlatch of fine dining, with something for every taste. Many of the nation’s best restaurants are here, spanning the globe with their international flavors, as appropriate for a city that plays such an important role on the world stage. In addition to the full-on restaurants, including those in the upscale hotels, consider eating at simple fondas, small kiosk-type restaurants that serve filling meals to go.
CAFÉ CAPPUCCINO
507-264-0106
Avenida Balboa and Calle Anastacio Ruíz, Marbella
A popular lunch stop for the local business crowd, this airy place is also one of my favorite spots for an inexpensive lunch, to be enjoyed in the well-lit, clinically clean interior, or outside on the shaded patio. The eclectic menu includes ceviche, sandwiches, chicken flautas, delicious fresh fruit batidos (shakes), plus scrumptious baked desserts, and coffees. Open: Monday through Saturday 7 AM–9 PM. Inexpensive to Moderate.
EGO
507-262-2045
Calle Antonio J. de Sucre, Plaza Bolívar, Casco Viejo
Cuisine: Panamanian/Spanish A cosmopolitan bar facing into Plaza Bolívar, this sexy little space serves delicious tapas such as spicy ceviche, cilantro beef skewers, and delicious shrimp brochette. Tables spill onto the cobbled street, but you can dine in the air-conditioned interior on hot summer days. The cocktails are killer, but it’s de rigueur here to savor a chilled pitcher of hearty sangría. This is a great place to romance a date or rekindle a long-lost love. Ha, ha…next door, the same owner runs Narciso (get it? ego and narcissism!), serving Italian dishes. Open: Monday through Saturday 5–11:30 PM. Inexpensive to Moderate.
EURASIA
507-264-7859
eurasia_restaurant@hotmail.com
Edificio La Trona, Calle 48, Bella Vista
Cuisine: Oriental fusion
Unique among Central American restaurants for being the only one to receive a five-diamond rating from the American Academy of Hospitality, this marvelous option has gourmands salivating over its stylishly presented French-Asian fusion dishes. I, too, left enraptured after a dinner of shrimp rolls, followed by grilled tuna fillet with caramelized onions in Dijon mustard sauce, and the decadent house chocolate soufflé called fondant. The setting is perfect: hosts Kim and Gloria Young’s fine-dining restaurant is housed in an aged mansion furnished in quasi-Vietnamese fashion and enlivened with eclectic works of art. Conscientious service. Open: Monday through Friday noon–3 PM and 7–10 PM, Saturday 7–10 PM. Moderate to Expensive.
HABIBIS
507-264-3647
www.habibispanama.com
Calle 48 and Calle Uruguay, Bella Vista
Cuisine: Lebanese
Young bohemian types gather here to smoke the shisha pipes and carouse. The Levantine fare seems like an afterthought! The mellow venue is a converted colonial mansion in the epicenter of the city’s most popular party strip. Now infused with a contemporary motif, Habibis is a two-fer venue. Choose the open downstairs patio for dining on such staples as hummus, shish kebab, and shaslik, or arañitas (breaded baby octopuses) and more Western fare. Upstairs, the tented lounge resembles a sultan’s tent, assisted by a belly dancer who usually performs on weekend nights, when it’s one of the happenin’ spots in the city. In June 2009, it began offering live jazz on Thursday and Friday nights. Open: Tuesday through Sunday 6–midnight. Moderate to Expensive.
INDIGO
507-228-1822
Avenida Central between Calle 2 Oeste and Calle 3 Oeste
www.indigopanama.com
Cuisine: Indian-Moroccan fusion
Opened in July 2008 and inspired by an Indian-Moorish aesthetic, this contemporary restaurant is a veritable Aladdin’s cave of salas inspired by Moroccan gardens, Andalucian patios, and hip European lounge-bar themes. Sexy. Stylish. Muy romántico! It even screens Bollywood movies while you dine to ethnic music such as tribal drums (live!) and Middle Eastern chants. Start and end your night with mojitos and martinis at the Buddha Bar. Chef Liz Araúz is a wizard in the kitchen, where she oversees creation of delicious falafels and samosas, and such entrées as green chicken curry served Thai style with Japanese rice, and lamb cubes Caribbean-style with caramelized onions and couscous. The artistic presentation is museum standard. Open: Monday through Wednesday 6 PM–1 AM; Thursday through Saturday 6 PM–3:30 AM. Expensive to Very Expensive.
LIMONCILLO PONY CLUB
507-270-0807
www.limoncillo.com
Calle 69 Este, San Francisco
Cuisine: Fusion
Occupying new digs since 2008, this remake of one of the city’s foremost restaurants reflects the evolving tastes and styles of Chef Clara Icaza and co-owner/designer Jennifer Spector. Jennifer is responsible for the sophisticated contemporary decor that also plays up the past with blond woods, slates, and earth-toned walls festooned with black-and-white prints of yesteryear Panamá City. Icaza taps her broad experience as a chef in New York City, Northern California, and Panamá to create Mediterranean-inspired tropical dishes highlighted by unusual pairings. You’ll start, though, with the restaurant’s signature basket of fresh-baked breads. Appetizers? Try an East Indian paratha flat-bread with yellow pea purée, or a Portobella Napoleon with goat cheese and pesto. Main course? A creamy seafood risotto, or grilled sea bass with white bean purée and spicy lemon preserve. Reservations essential. Open: Monday through Friday noon–2:30 PM and 7–10:30 PM (Friday until 11 PM), Saturday 7–10 PM. Moderate to Expensive.
MADAME CHANG
507-269-1313
madamechange@cableonda.net
Calle 48, Bella Vista
Cuisine: Asian fusion
Patrons make the trek from many a mile to savor the delights at what has been acclaimed as Central America’s finest Oriental restaurant. Madame Sui Mee Chang and her daughter Yolanda oversee this sophisticated place (the dress code is smart casual), where a classy peach and beige decor proves inviting. The menu features Mandarin classics such as roast duck, and other dishes with a local twist, such as seafood dishes using corvina (sea bass) with mustard leaves, clams in black-bean sauce, and róbalo (snook) steamed with ginger and green onions. Thai dishes are also there for the asking. Open: Monday through Saturday noon–3 PM and 6:30–11 PM, Sunday noon–10 PM. Expensive to Very Expensive.
MANOLO CARACOL
507-228-4640
www.manolocaracol.net
Calle 3ra and Avenida Central, Casco Viejo
Cuisine: Spanish
Take a tumbledown colonial structure. Spruce it up. Enliven it with eclectic artistic decor and an open kitchen. Then create a scintillating Spanish-inspired menu using the freshest of local ingredients. The result is sure to be a hit with discerning gourmands. And so it is with Manolo Caracol, the genius of Spanish-born owner-chef Manolo Madueño. It serves from prix fixe lunch and dinner menus featuring a variety of tapas, such as green mango ceviche, and delicious gazpacho Andaluz with cucumber and sorbet. Its art gallery features religious artifacts and changing exhibitions. Open: Monday through Saturday noon–3 PM and 7–10:30 PM. Expensive.
NIKO’S CAFÉ BALBOA
507-228-8888
www.nikoscafe.com
Steven’s Circle, Balboa
Occupying the former Balboa bowling alley, this popular cafeteria-style restaurant was founded by Niko, a Greek immigrant who went from rags to riches. Today Niko’s has six other outlets citywide, but the original is still the best. The seemingly endless buffet options please locals, who’ve cottoned to good, filling fare served 24/7 at fair prices. Whether you’re seeking American breakfasts or T-bone steaks, Greek lunches or local staples, you’ll find it laid out to heap on your tray. Open: 24 hours. Inexpensive to Moderate.
PALMS
507-265-7256
www.palmsrestaurant.net
palmsrestaurant@cableonda.net
Calle 48, Bella Vista
Cuisine: Fusion
This chic restaurant impressed me mightily when I dined here shortly after its opening in 2007. It still does. First, I love the suave avant-garde decor that makes great use of glass walls, brushed steel rails, and halogen lighting. No wonder it draws a sexy moneyed crowd! The fusion menu spans the globe. My recommendations include a mesclun salad with pear, nuts, and goat cheese, or grilled octopus escabeche with capers and sweet red peppers for starters; and perhaps the pumpkin ravioli in sage butter sauce, or beef medallions in three-pepper-and-coffee sauce, served with vegetables and mashed potatoes. Extensive wine list. Impeccable service. Open: Monday through Friday noon–2:30 PM and 6:30–10:30 PM, Saturday 6:30–11 PM. Expensive to Very Expensive.
S’CENA
507-228-4011
www.scenaplatea.com
Calle 1ra, Casco Viejo
Cuisine: Mediterranean
The city’s bohemian crowd flocks to this atmospheric restaurant, upstairs in a beautifully restored colonial mansion in the heart of Casco Viejo. Exposed brick walls adorned with oversize prints of yesteryear Casco Viejo infuse this gem with tremendous ambience, assisted by live jazz in the downstairs bar (Platea). Spanish Chef Luis Losa is in charge of the kitchen, which delivers creative Mediterranean classics, such as paella, and broader ranging fare such as shellfish sautéed in Pernod, and filet mignon with portobello, shiitake, and cremini mushrooms. The place gets packed on weekends; reservations essential. Large wine selection. Open: Tuesday through Sunday noon–4 PM and 7:30–11 PM. Expensive.
SUSHI ITTO
507-265-1222
www.sushi-itto.com
Plaza Obarrio, between Calle Samuel Lewis and Calle 55
Cuisine: Japanese
Sure, it’s a Mexican chain restaurant, but that doesn’t mean squat. This stylishly contemporary restaurant featuring glass walls and blazing-white halogen lighting does a reasonable (although far from gourmet) job with fresh seafood, including teppanyaki and sushi, with plenty of fancy rolls to choose from. Oddly, the menu even has some pasta dishes. The prices here represent a solid value. Open: Daily noon–1 AM. Expensive.
AL TAMBOR DE LA ALEGRÍA
507-314-3380
Calzada de Amador, Isla Perico, Amador
Cuisine: Panamanian
True, it’s touristy, but this colorful restaurant (the name means Drum of Happiness), in the Brisas de Amador shopping center near the tip of the Amador Causeway, gives you value for money if you don’t mind (or are seeking) a schmaltzy “play up the native theme” experience. It serves traditional típico (Panamánian) dishes. Waitresses dress in polleras. And it hosts an hour-long folkloric dinner show on Tuesday through Saturday. Reservations essential. Open: Monday through Saturday 6–midnight, Sunday 9–11 AM, noon–3, and 6–midnight. Expensive.
TEN BISTRO
507-213-8250
www.tenbistro.com
Calle 50 and Beatriz Cabal, El Cangrejo
Cuisine: Fusion
Affixed to the Hotel DeVille, acclaimed
Chef Fabien Migny’s trendy bistro plays the “ten” theme to the max. For example, the menu features 10 meat dishes, 10 seafood dishes, and 10 desserts. All supposedly priced at $10 (actually, some dishes are considerably more). Migny was a co-founder of the Eurasia restaurant, and the French-Asian fusion is paramount on the menu. Prawn spring rolls into a tropical sauce, and saffron crab soup in puff pastry typify the starter list. And imagine beef tenderloin Indochine (with Chinese mushrooms and mustard leaves), or grouper poached in coconut milk, for main course. Decor is chic and contemporary, with a surfeit of whites and tangerines. Progressive house music adds to the trendy vibe. Open: Monday through Saturday noon–3 PM and 6–10 PM, Sunday noon–10 PM. Moderate to Expensive.
LAS TINAJAS
507-263-7890
www.tinajaspanama.com
Calle 51, Bella Vista
Cuisine: Panamanian
More or less copying the theme of Al Tambor de la Alegría, but handily right in the midst of Bella Vista, this tourist-oriented, country-themed restaurant is known for its traditional fare (think of ceviche, fried calamari, and roast pork with yuca) and folkloric shows, held each Tuesday through Saturday nights, when an optional fixed menu is offered. The broader menu is actually wide-ranging. Reservations essential for dinner shows. Open: Daily 11:30 AM–11 PM. Expensive.
FOOD PURVEYORS
BAKERIES/COFFEE SHOPS
Café Coca Cola (507-228-7687; Avenida Central and Calle 11, Salsipuedes) Okay, it’s not really a café, but this is as good as it gets for a slice of working-class Panamanian life and a hearty pintao (a demitasse of thick black coffee splashed with a few drops of cream). You can even get pancakes and eggs. Also delicious desserts. However, I’m not sure what to read into the dentist’s sign on the upper window.
Petit Paris (507-391-8778; Via Argentina and Calle Jose Marti, Bella Vista) An intimate French-owned pastry shop selling delicious breads, cakes, pastries, chocolates, and desserts including tiramisu. Also prepares salads and sandwiches. Indulge yourself on the patio seating with a strawberry cheesecake and gourmet coffee.
BURGERS, PIZZAS, SANDWICHES, AND FAST FOOD
Boulevard Café (507-225-0914; Avenida Balboa and Calle 33 Este, Caledonia) Unpretentious Panamanian 1950s-style diner that draws local politicos for cheap sandwiches, especially with roasted meats. Also serves sancocho stew and local dishes. Not a tourist in sight. Open: Monday through Saturday 7 AM–1AM.
Burgues (507-394-1102; Calle 47, off Calle Uruguay, Bella Vista) Glamorous minimalist decor and gauche chandeliers—perhaps a play on the Spanish word burgues, for bourgeois!—in this tiny but trendy burger joint also serving chicken wings, chili con carne, and Levantine dishes such as babaganoush and hummus. But you come for the 6- or 8-ounce burgers, which here reach heights of excellence for Panamá. Try the Swiss cheese, or the cheese and bacon whopper. They come with waffle fries. Bargain priced.
Open: Monday through Wednesday 11 AM–12:30 AM, Thursday through Saturday 11 AM–3 AM, Sunday 11 AM–midnight.
Casa Vegetariana (507-269-1876; Center Calle Ricardo Arias and Avenida 3 Sur) Operated by Taiwanese immigrants, this sparsely furnished hole-in-the-wall serves tofu, soy meat, and other vegetarian dishes buffet style, all at a mere 50 cents per portion. Four portions fill your plate for $2. One extra order gets you a free miso soup. Homemade natural juices, such as passionfruit (maracuay) and pineapple nectar. Also has outlets off Vía Veneto (in El Cangrejo) and Plaza New York (in Marbella).
Market Steak House and Wine Bar (507-264-9401; Calle 47, off Calle Uruguay, Bella Vista; www.marketpanama.com) This copycat to Burgues (actually, Market got here first) with a cool, upscale ambience and a broad menu that spans tapas such as ceviche and crab cakes; seafood and steaks, including Black Angus filet; and divine desserts, not least chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream. But if it’s a fat melt-in-your-mouth gourmet burger you’re seeking, opt for any of six types, including a chili burger. My favorite? The blue cheese burger. Open: Monday through Friday 11–11, Saturday 10:30–11, Sunday 11–9:30.
Ristorante y Pizzería Romanaccio (507-264-9482; Calle Anastacio Ruíz and Calle 53 Este, Marbella) Perhaps the best pizzería in town, although certainly not gourmet. Your choices are many, and portions are huge. Also serves Italian staples, including risotto with porcini mushrooms—the house special. Decor is quintessentially Italian.
SWEETS AND TREATS
Granclement (507-208-0737; www.granclement.com; Avenida Central and Calle 3ra, Casco Viejo) When the heat gets to you while exploring Casco Viejo, you’ll be thankful to stumble upon this gourmet ice cream store with flavors ranging the spectrum of tropical fruits. There are also some strange homemade flavors, such as delicious Earl Grey tea. Also sells sorbets and meringues. Open: Monday through Thursday 11:30–8 PM, Friday and Saturday 11:30–11, Sunday 12:30–8.
CULTURE
Architecture
ARCHIVOS NACIONALES AND EDIFICIO DE LA LOTERÍA
Avenida Cuba and Calle 31 Este, La Exposición
Occupying much of Plaza Victor Julio Gutiérrez, in the midst of the La Exposición district, this building is the headquarters of the national lottery. The twice-weekly drawing is held on the north side, in the roofed plaza on Avenida Peru, and features folkloric music and dance.
On the north side of Avenida Peru, opposite the plaza, the neoclassical national archives—Archivo Nacionales (507-501-6150; www.archivonacional.gob.pa)—is fronted by Corinthian columns.
ADMINISTRATOR’S HOUSE
107 Heights Road at Quarry Road, Quarry Heights
Although not open to the public, from the road you can view the palatial two-story former mansion of the commanding U.S. generals for the Canal Zone, between 1914 and 1997. It occupies a strategic location on the northern slope of Cerro Ancón, and was placed here (after originally being built near the Culebra Cut) so that the governor would have a grandstand view of the Canal. It is now used as a VIP guesthouse.
GORGAS HOSPITAL
Calle Culebra, Ancón
Whereas the U.S. built its Canal Zone administrative and residential headquarters on the west side of Cerro Ancón, the French had established their settlement on the northeast side, where in 1881 they erected the wooden L’Hôpital Notre Dame du Canal. The hospital expanded rapidly after 1907, when the U.S. military took over, turning the sprawling complex into a major center for research and treatment of tropical diseases. In 1928 it was renamed Gorgas Army Community Hospital in honor of Major General William Crawford Gorgas (1854–1920), the U.S. military’s Chief Sanitary Officer (and later Surgeon General of the U.S. Army) whose efforts to eradicate yellow fever and malaria ultimately made construction of the canal possible. In 1999, after passing into Panamá’s hands, it was renamed the Hospital Oncológico, dedicated to cancer.
Casco Viejo
Known also by the moniker Casco Antiguo, and more colloquially by locals as San Felipe, Casco Viejo (Old District) was originally founded in 1673 by survivors of Henry Morgan’s sacking of Panamá la Vieja. It was erected with fortified walls (of which only small remnants remain) and covered 109 acres (44 ha). Its more than 900 structures blend architectural styles from Spain, France, and the United States, reflecting the influence that each had on the city through the centuries.
Earthquakes toppled many of the earliest buildings. Other were destroyed in devastating fires, notably that of 1878, which destroyed one-third of the city. Yet enough remains that in 1997 the entire historic district was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site of Historic Importance. Today a world (and centuries) apart from the glittering skyscrapers of Marbella and Bella Vista, this lived-in museum is by far the most fascinating part of Panamá City. That year an ambitious restoration project was conceived, under the care of the Oficina del Casco Antiguo (507-209-6300; www.cascoantiguo.gob.pa), which provides asistentes de turismo (licensed guides).
The quarter is a time warp, still timeworn in parts, yet vibrant from an influx of entrepreneurs that have turned Casco Viejo into a South Beach-style hotbed of bohemian cafés, restaurants, nightclubs, accommodations, and other colonial confections in stone. There are also dozens of fascinating historic buildings and eclectic museums facing onto cobbled plazas. And the mood is exquisite, like a tropical version of New Orleans, with its wrought-iron balconies, cascades of colorful flowers, wrought-iron street lamps, and colonial façades painted in various tropical ice cream pastels. Walking these narrow brick-paved streets brings the history books to life.
While the gentrification continues to inch through the district, caution is still required, as pockets of poverty and high crime remain, and the increase in camera-toting tourists and snazzy cars with iPods on the front seat has spawned an increase in opportunistic crime. No longer do you have to follow the prescriptions of yesteryear guidebooks that warned against entering Casco Viejo unless armed with a weapon, but the area immediately west of Plaza Herrera and extending into the truly scary Barrio Chorrillo is to be avoided.
You may recognize many of the venues as settings in the James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace (2008).
The original concrete Renaissance-style building, with its flanking staircases (engraved with the words GORGAS HOSPITAL), is suitably monumental in scale, and features a two-story portico topped by green copper domes. Several dozen other buildings have since been added in various styles. Sprawling up the flanks of Cerro Ancón, they include the Ministry of Health and the city morgue. Immediately north and uphill of the hospital, is the Palacio de Justicia Gil Ponce, housing the Corte Suprema de Justícia (507-212-7300), Panamá’s Supreme Court.
Just below the hospital, peek in at the lovely Cathedral of St. Luke (507-262-1280), built in 1923 in Romanesque fashion and graced by Corinthian columns.
Downtown Panamá City
PALACIO DE LAS GARZAS
507-227-9740 (Oficina de Guías del
Despacho de la Primera Dama)
Fax: 507-228-2521
gbernal@presidencia.gob.pa
www.presidencia.gob.pa/ver_nodo_palacio.php?cod=95
Avenida Eloy Alfaro, between Calles 6 Este and 7 Este, Casco Viejo
By appointment only, with 24 hours written notice; tours three times daily, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday A dress code applies.
Admission: Free
Also known as the Palacio Presidencial, and taking up the entire block north of Plaza de la Catedral, this beautiful Moorish-styled building is the official residence of the Panamanian President and First Lady, whose office oversees visits. The palace was initiated in 1673 as the residence of the Spanish governor. It gained its current styling in 1921 and has served through the centuries as a customs house, courthouse, college, and bank, finally becoming the presidential residence in 1855. Its name—Palace of the Herons—derives from the herons that strut around the marble Patio Andaluz, a tradition dating back to 1922 when white herons were given to President Porras. Note the mother-of-pearl inlay in the patio fountain.
A tour is well worth arranging.
Roberto Lewis murals in Palacio de las Garzas
Highlights include an upstairs gallery of life-sized bronze statues of the virtudes (Virtues); the Sala Cabinete, where the president’s weekly cabinet meetings are held; the Salón Amarillo, where all the most important acts of State are performed; and the Salón Los Tamarindos, the official State dining room. Together the latter salons boast a series of incredible ceiling and wall murals in the style of Maxfield Parrish, by Panamanian artist Roberto Lewis (1874–1949).
The surrounding streets are closed to traffic, and pedestrians are subject to search at the guard posts.
PANAMÁ CANAL ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
507-272-1111
www.pancanal.com
101 Heights Road, Balboa
Daily 24 hours
Admission: Free
Inaugurated on July 15, 1914, the monumental headquarters of Canal operations commands a hill at the northwestern foot of Cerro Ancón and offers fine views over Balboa township and the distant Canal. It was built in the shape of an E by New York-based architect Austin W. Lord in a somber classical Roman style. It still serves as the headquarters of the Panamá Canal Authority (ACP). The two-story domed rotunda lobby is encircled by eight marble columns that were accidentally installed upside down. Note the busts of Ferdinand DeLesseps, Theodore Roosevelt, and Emperor Charles V in the alcoves. The upper level is surrounded by the Panamá Canal Murals. These four magnificent and enormous paintings depict the stupendous accomplishment of Canal construction (the individual themes depict workers toiling at the Gaillard Cut, the Gatún dam spillway, a lock miter gate, and the Miraflores Locks). They’re by New York artist William B. Van Ingen (1858–1955), famous for his murals in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. He actually made only charcoal sketches while in Panamá in 1914; the murals were painted in his New York studio.
Mural by William Van Ingen in the Panamá Canal Administration Building, Panamá City
When sated, nip up the marble-and-mahogany staircase to view 3-D relief maps from the construction era and to admire additional canal-related paintings in an art gallery devoted to the theme (most works are by noted Panamanian artist Al Sprague; www.panamaart.com).
PUENTE DE LAS AMÉRICAS
Interamerican Highway
The cantilevered Bridge of the Americas was the first bridge to span the Canal, when completed in 1962 as the Thatcher Ferry Bridge, prior to which a ferry transported automobiles across the southern mouth of the waterway. The gracefully arched span is 5,425 feet (1,654 m) long in 14 spans, and rises 384 feet high (118 m). Originally it carried the Interamerican Highway, which since 2004 now crosses the Canal via the Centennial Bridge, opened in that year. The Bridge of the Americas cannot be appreciated by driving over it. You have to view it front on, as it were, from either the Calzada de Amador or the water.
Puente de las Americas, Panamá
TORRE BBVA
Calles 42 and 43, Avenida Balboa In a city remarkable for its dramatic contemporary skyscrapers, this graceful edifice built in 1979 is hard to beat. The headquarters of the Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, its form is very simple and comprises an upended oblong sheathed in blue-tinted glass. The beauty derives from its sweeping side panels, curved and layered like onion rings.
Art and Art Galleries
Centro Cultural Casa Góngora (506-212-0388; Avenida Central and Calle 4 Oeste, Casco Viejo; free) The oldest house in Casco Viejo, dating from 1756, was once the home of a Spanish pearl merchant and is today the Casa de la Cultura y del Artista Panameño—a cultural center hosting art exhibits and live music on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
A Walking Tour of Balboa
Laid out at the western base of Cerro Ancón, the city’s highest point, the leafy district of Balboa occupies the land immediately east of the Canal and was laid out as the administration center and a residential district for Zonians (U.S. Canal workers and their families). Today this district makes for a delightful stroll along palm-shaded boulevards and streets lined with U.S.-colonial-style buildings in tropical vernacular style.
Begin your walk with a tour of the Panamá Canal Administration Building (see separate entry). Then, descend the flight of 110 steps that leads west to the Goethals Monument. This cubist monolith of gray marble was erected in 1954 to the memory of Colonel George W. Goethals (1858–1928), the chief engineer in charge of Canal construction from 1907 to 1914. The upturned oblong rises from a circular pool and features a water cascade comprising three salient flanges representing the three sets of Canal locks.
Next, turn north and walk 328 feet (100 m) to Avenida Roosevelt. On the far side, peruse the 95-ton Bucyrus steam shovel—one of dozens of similar shovels used during Canal construction. Betwixt monument and shovel you’ll pass the Centro de Capacitación Ascanio Arosemena (507-272-9249 or 272-8550; Edificio 704; Monday through Friday 9–5; free), the training center for Canal employees. Formerly it was the Balboa High School—the Alma Mater for thousands of students during the existence of the now extinct U.S. Panamá Canal Zone. On January 9, 1964, the school became the ignition point for the Flag Riots after high school students from Panamá’s Instituto Nacional got into an altercation with students and parents from the school. Violence erupted and spread throughout the Canal Zone, resulting, during the ensuing four days, in the death of 21 Panamanians. The school’s entrance is now a pantheon—the Monumento a los Mártires—commemorating those Panamanians killed on the Day of the Martyrs. It is surrounded by 21 columns, each inscribed with the name of one of the deceased. The flagpole that sparked the initial riot is no longer here. After perusing the monument, nip inside the Center, where two floors displays memorabilia relating to the Canal construction, on two levels.
Goethals Monument, Balboa, Panamá City
Return to the Goethals Monument and follow palm-lined El Prado Boulevard (formally named Avenida 9 de Enero), westward. Exactly 110 feet (33.5 m) wide, this broad boulevard extends symbolically a full 1,000 feet (305 m)—the exact dimensions of a lock chamber.
About halfway down, on your left, at Edificio 714, pop into the Centro de Información Propuesta Tercer Juego de Esclusas (507-272-2278, closed Sunday) to learn about the Canal Expansion currently underway. It has superb audio-visual exhibits. Then continue south to Stevens Circle, a small rotunda with a small monument honoring John F. Stevens (1853–1943), Chief Engineer of the Canal project 1905 to 1907. You’re now facing the Art Deco Teatro Balboa (507-228-0327). Cross the road and enter this architectural gem, which opened as the Electric Theater movie house in 1946. Catercorner, on the northeast side of Stevens Circle, the former Balboa bowling alley is today the original Niko’s Café (507-228-8888); it’s worth popping in for great food and to view the historic photos of the Canal Zone and old Panamá.
Continue by turning south onto Avenida Arnulfo Arias Madrid (formerly Balboa Road). Dominating the skyline ahead, on your right, is the pink-and-white Gothic Union Church (507-314-1004), consecrated in 1926. Climb the stairs to view the beautiful stained-glass windows. Crossing Calle La Boca, you arrive at the Monumento Homenaje a la Democracía. This huge Homage to Democracy by avant-garde Colombian artist Hector Lombana (1930–) was erected in 2002, replacing the ruins of the old Balboa police station, which the U.S. military blasted into oblivion in 1989 during Operation Just Cause. The somewhat grotesque sculpture—in the form of a spearlike sliver piercing a circular fountain—honors three-time (and thrice deposed) Panamanian President Arnulfo Arias Madrid (1901–88), who allegorically stands atop the pointy tip greeting at the Panamanian people rushing toward him. It was dedicated by scandal-plagued President Mireya Moscoso, Arias’ wife.
End your walk by crossing the road south to enter the Centro Artesanal (507-6529-0688), where indigenous people sell crafts.
Bucyrus steam shovel outside the Panamá Administration Building
Museo de Arte Contemporaneo (507-262-8012; www.macpanama.org; Avenida de los Mártires, Calle San Blas, Ancón) Housed in a 1930s former Masonic hall, this privately owned museum displays paintings, sculptures, photographs, and ceramics by many leading Panamanian and international artists since the 1950s. More than 400 works are displayed. It hosts a month-long Bienal de Arte plus lectures and music recitals, and you can sign up for art classes.
A Date with Lady Luck
Caribe Hotel and Casino 507-227-8814; Avenida Perú and Calle 28, La Exposición
Casino Internacional 507-212-1749; Hotel Internacional, Avenida Peru and Plaza 5 de Mayo, Calidonia
Crown Casino 507-226 0729; Caesar Park Hotel, Vía Israel, El Dorado
Fiesta Casino 507-215-9000; Hotel El Panamá, Vía España and Vía Veneto, Bella Vista 507 227 1133; Gran Hotel Soloy, Avenida Peru and Calle 30, La Exposición
Majestic Casino 507-215-5151; www.cirsa.com/casinos/majestic_panama; Multicentro, Avenida Balboa, Paitilla
Royal Casino 507-210-9100; Marriott, Calle 52 and Avenida Ricardo J. Arias, Bella Vista
Veneto Casino 507-340-8888; www.venetopanama.com; Veneto Wyndham Grand Hotel, Via Veneto and Avenida Eusebio Morales Okay, it’s not a casino, but the Hipodromo Presidente Remón (507-300-2600; www.hipodromo.com; Avenida José Agustín Arongo, Barrio Juan Díaz) is the setting for nighttime racing and gambling every Thursday.
Historic Buildings, Plazas, and Religious Sites
IGLESIA DEL CARMEN
Vía España and Avenida Manuel E. Bautista, Bella Vista
This neo-Gothic cement confection painted white and gray could have been transported from Medieval Europe. Initiated in 1947 by the congregation of the Carmelites and completed in 1953, it features thin and elaborate twin spires. Inside you’ll find a Byzantine altar and interesting murals.
IGLESIA DE LA MERCED
Calle 9 Oeste and Avenida Central, Casco Viejo
With its striking baroque façade, this church is among the city’s most imposing ecclesiastical structures. The façade, which is graced by pilasters, actually graced the original Church of Mercy in Panamá Viejo and was rebuilt, stone by stone, during construction of the current church in 1680. It is flanked by twin whitewashed belltowers and an exquisite little chapel venerating the Virgin of Mercy. The interior was gutted by fires in the 19th century, and the restoration a century ago utilized tasteless early 20th-century elements.
The church’s simple beauty is echoed by that of the Casa de la Municipalidad, across the street to the west. This partly neoclassical building houses the town hall.
Iglesia del Carmen, Panamá City
IGLESIA DE SAN JOSÉ
Avenida A and Calle de San Blas, Casco
Viejo
Dawn to dusk
Admission: Free
This charming little church is quite unassuming when seen from the street. However, it boasts within the spectacular altar de oro (gold altar). According to legend, this baroque masterpiece was moved from the Iglesia de San José, in Panamá Vieja, following Henry Morgan’s sack of that city. Supposedly it survived because local residents had painted it in ash to disguise the gilt. (How the wooden altar survived the fire that ravaged the city is a 64-million-dollar question.)
PANAMÁ VIEJO
507-226-8915
www.panamaviejo.org
Vía Cincuentenario, 4 miles (6 km) east of downtown
Tuesday through Sunday 9–5
Admission: $3 adults ($6 including mirador), $0.50 children The ruins of the original city cover 57 acres (23 ha) of shoreline and are a must-visit. In 1976 the site was named a patronato (national monument) and restoration was begun. The various individual sites are linked by well-maintained trails, and the museum here is superb.
The site, on a promontory overlooking the Pacific Ocean, was already occupied by indigenous peoples when an expedition led by conquistador Pedro Arias d’Ávila arrived on August 15, 1519. The Indians were swiftly defeated and enslaved, and the foundations of the first city on the Pacific shores of the Americas were laid.
Expeditions set out from here to conquer Peru. In ensuing decades, the settlement became a marshaling point for treasure fleets and was linked by the camino real to Nombre de Dios and, later, Portobelo, on the Caribbean. The city was partially destroyed by a fire in 1644 but had grown to a population of 10,000 when on January 28, 1671, pirates led by Henry Morgan attacked the city. It was consumed by a devastating fire and abandoned for a new site—today’s
Casco Viejo.
The site can be explored on foot in about two hours.
Begin at the Centro de Visitantes de Panamá La Vieja (Visitors Center), at the western extreme of the site, where you can buy a booklet for self-guided tours, and explore the excellent Museo de Sitio de Panamá Viejo, with a scale model of the city as it was in 1671. Other highlights include Spanish armaments and a pre-Columbian skeleton laid out as unearthed in a fetal position. Signs are in English and Spanish, and you can rent an English-language taped narration. Immediately west of the Visitors Center, the arched Puente de Matadero (Bridge of the Slaughterhouse) marked the old city’s western entrance, guarded by the ruined Fortín de la Navidad (Nativity Fort).
From the center, a graveled, tree-shaded trail leads east past the main sites. Initially it runs along the shoreline of Panamá bay, where the mudflats are picked upon by plovers, storks, roseate spoonbills, and dozens of other bird species in the thousands.
A Night at the Movies
To see what’s playing while you’re in town, visit www.cinespanama.com.
Cinemark Albrook Mall 507-314-6001; Albrook Mall
Cinépolis 507-302-6262; www.cinepolis.com.pa; MultiPlaza Pacífica
Extreme Planet 507-214-7022; Avenida Balboa.
Kinomaxx 507-208-2479; Multicentro
Pre-Columbian skeletons in Museo de Sitio de Panamá La Vieja, Panamá City
First up is the Iglesia y Convento la Merced, which though it survived the pirate attack was thereafter torn town and rebuilt in Casco Viejo. Another 328 feet (100 m) brings you to the ruins of the Franciscan Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco, then those of the Hospital de San Juan Dios. The trail diverts left to the well-preserved ruins of the Iglesia y Convento de la Monjas de Concepción, with its belltower and aljibe (well) intact. The trail then continues past the Iglesia y Convento de la Compañía de Jesús.
Crossing Vía Cincuentenario, which turns inland, you reach Plaza Mayor, the town’s ancient and now grassy main square. On its far side, the recently restored bell tower of La Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción beckons you to climb the modern interior staircase for a view over Panamá Viejo from the mirador (lookout). The 90-foot (30 m) tower is more or less all that remains of the cathedral, which when completed in 1626 had three naves.
To the rear of the tower you’ll see the skeletal ruins of what was the fortified heart of affairs in the ancient city. Here, on a well-guarded promontory separated from the rest of the town by a moat, were the Cabildo de la Ciudad (the former town hall) and Casas Real (Royal Houses) comprising the courthouse, governor’s residence, jail, and main administrative buildings.
Continuing north of Plaza Mayor, scant remains exist of the Casa del Obispo (Bishop’s House) and various noblemen’s houses, plus the Dominican Iglesia y Convento de Santo Domingo. To its east, on the shore, the Casa de los Genoveses once belonged to Genoese merchants who controlled the slave trade. Another 1,312 feet (400 m) or so brings you to the last of the major ruins: those of the Iglesia y Convento de San José, which originally contained the famous Altar de Oro now found in the Iglesia de San José, in Casco Viejo. End your tour at the northern gate to the ancient city: the Puente del Rey (King’s Bridge).
PARQUE BELISARIO PORRAS
Avenida Peru between Calle 33 Este and Calle 34 Este, La Exposición
A delightful space studded with statues and fringed by late 19th-century Spanish-colonial buildings, this park is pinned by the Monumento Belisario Porras, a dramatic monument (by Spanish sculptor Victor Macho, 1887–1966) to three-time Panamanian President Belisario Porras (1856–1942). The life-sized statue of Porras is backed by twin granite columns topped by life-sized nude bronze females—representing Democracy and Liberty—holding a torch.
The Cuban embassy, facing the south side of the park, also looks over busts and monuments to Cuban nationalist heroes José Martí and Antonio Maceo. The park is flanked on its east and west sides by the beautiful, gleaming white Gobernación de Panamá building and its twin, the Procuraduria Administración. While here, step north one block to admire the 1950s yet Romanesque-style Iglesia de Don Bosco (Avenida Central and Calle 34), which has an exquisite, almost Moorish, interior.
Parque Francisco Arias Paredes, one block east of Parque Belisario Porras, is named for the eponymous Panamanian politician (1886–1946) who led the coup that toppled corrupt U.S.-backed President Florencio Arosemena in 1931. He is there, in bronze.
The park is a setting for political meetings and, amazingly, the city’s annual Carnival, when it plays venue for comparsas (processions) featuring women dressed in traditional polleras and, in sensual counterpoint, G-string bikinis, sequins, and feathers.
PARQUE MEDIO BALUATE
Calle 1 and Avenida Central This small triangular plaza giddy with bougainvillea is named for a watchtower that guarded the site during the early colonial era. It looks over a small beach. Ruben Blades, Panamá’s salsa singer-turned-Minister of Tourism, lives in the lovely three-story colonial building on the park’s south side.
The eyesore ruins running along the waterfront (east side) of Calle 1 are those of the once revered Club Union, the city’s snootiest social club for rabiblancos (elitist whites). It was built in 1917 with designs by U.S. architect James Wright. After the club moved to Paitilla in the 1960s, it became the Club de Clases y Tropas—an officer’s club for the Panamanian army. It became General Manuel Noriega’s favored hangout, for which reason the U.S. military bombed it during the 1989 Operation Just Cause. It remains a burnt-out shell but there are plans to build a 137-room deluxe hotel that maintains the original structure’s façade.
Monumento Belisario Porras, Panamá City
Pedestrian-only Paseo General Estebán Huertas leads south from Calle 1 and runs atop the former seawall to Plaza de Francia.
PARQUE URRACÁ
Avenida Balboa and Calle 45 Este, Bella Vista
One of very few green spaces in Bella Vista, this tree-shaded park allows a bucolic escape from the mayhem of traffic on nearby Avenida Balboa. It has a few busts and statues but isn’t worth the visit in its own right, except perhaps for the Parade of Torches (November 2), when firefighters set out from here for Plaza de la Independencia bearing the first flag of the Republic in a glass case; and the annual Parada de Navidad (Christmas Parade), which begins here on Christmas Day and features women in polleras and other elements of traditional folkloric life.
PLAZA BOLÍVAR
Avenida B between Calle 3 Este and Calle 4 Este
The most intimate and pleasant plaza in Casco Viejo, this tiny square is also its liveliest thanks to the chic cafés and bars that vibrate to bohemian music and chatter at night. It is surrounded by colorful buildings (most dramatic is the salmon pink, Spanish Revival, former Hotel Colombia, dating from 1937, on the west side) and neatly trimmed trees and palms that frame the dramatic Monumento a Simón Bolívar (1783–1830), the Great Liberator who led the struggle for South America’s independence from Spain.
In 1826, in his quest of unifying the independent nations, the Venezuelan convened the Congreso Anfictiónico in a convent schoolhouse on the park’s northeast corner. Today the Antiguo Instituto Bolívar—colloquially called Palacio Bolívar—is home to the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (507-211-4100; Calle 3 Este), the Foreign Ministry. Pop inside to admire the Plaza de Los Libertadores, a skylit courtyard with a mosaic floor (inset with a huge compass) and walls bearing the coats of arms of the republics that participated in the congress. To the far side, a bronze bust of Bolívar looks over an excavated portion of the original convent. Here, too, is the Museo Bolívar (507-228-9594; Tuesday through Saturday 9–4, Sunday 1–5; admission $1), on two floors. The Sala Capitular (Meeting Room), on the ground floor, is where the congress convened; it shows a replica of Bolívar’s gold ceremonial sword encrusted with 1,374 diamonds. Upstairs you can peruse original congress documents in a chilly air-conditioned room.
Monument to Simón Bolívar, Plaza Bolívar, Panamá City
To the Ministry’s south, facing west onto the plaza, is the Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco de Asís (507-262-1410; Calle 3 Este and Avenida B). Completed in 1761 and restored in 1988 following a series of near devastating fires, this Romanesque church and convent is topped by a see-through Italianate belfry; inquire in the office to the rear of the church for permission to climb the campanile’s spiral staircase for the splendid views. No doubt the sparkling of mother-of-pearl will draw your eye towards the diminutive Iglesia San Felipe de Neri (Avenida B and Calle 4), on the park’s southwest corner. The city’s oldest church dates from 1688. Recently restored, its magnificent highlight is its pyramidal spire adorned with nacre. The church is normally closed to the public.
PLAZA DE LA CATEDRAL
Avenida Central between Calles 5 and 7, Casco Viejo
Casco Viejo’s most important square is the setting for the district’s key buildings and occupies the very heart of the old city. Although officially known as Plaza de la Independencia, it derives its popular name from the Catedral Metropolitana, towering over the square on its west side. The cathedral was initiated in 1688 but not completed until 1796, using stones from the ruins of the Convento de la Merced in Panamá Viejo. Its baroque façade is topped by a Moorish pediment and flanked to each side by triple-tiered whitewashed belltowers that glitter due to inlaid bands of mother-of-pearl. The interior is somewhat austere. It was here, on November 3, 1903, that the declaration of independence from Colombia was signed.
Boasting an octagonal pergola and ablaze in spring and summer with flame-red malinche (royal poinciana), the square is surrounded by intriguing colonial buildings. Among the most striking is the Beaux Art Antigua Mansión Arias Feraud, today the Casa de la Municipalidad (507-262-0966; Calle 5 Oeste), or town hall, on the park’s southwest corner. Designed by Italian architect Gennaro Nicola Ruggieri and completed in 1881, but twice remodeled, it houses the tiny Museo de História de Panamá (507-228-6231; Monday through Friday 8–5; admission $1). Its rather motley two-room collection profiles Panamá’s past from the 16th century through the signing of the Canal Treaties in 1977. Since signage is in Spanish only, non-Spanish speakers can only guess at the importance of its various old maps, documents, firearms, and miscellany, which have no chronological order.
To its east, on the next block, the imposing Parisian-style three-story structure with mansard roof is the Museo del Canal Interoceánico (see separate entry)—a must visit! Stroll south 50 yards (46 m) down Calle 7 Oeste to view the ruins of the Iglesia y Convento de la Compañia de Jesús, completed in 1749 and which briefly served as a university—the Universidad Javeriana—until destroyed by fire in 1781. Its baroque façade is supported by pilasters but the interior is just a shell.
On the plaza’s south side, the historic Hotel Central lay derelict for several decades but was slated to reopen in 2009 as a deluxe 134-room phoenix arisen from the ashes. Alas, the builders gutted the entire building, including an invaluable metal staircase, leaving nothing but the bare walls, which in May 2009 promptly collapsed!
Mercado de las Pulgas fish market, Panamá City
Each first Sunday of the month the square hosts the Mercado de las Pulgas (Flea Market), where vendors of souvenirs, trinkets, and foods are joined by clowns, dancers, and other performance artists (9–4 PM).
PLAZA CINCO DE MAYO
Avenida Central and Avenida Balboa, Calidonia
Tiny it may be, but this triangular plaza (at the north end of the Avenida Central pedestrian precinct) is a whirligig of activity. It’s pinned by an obelisk—the Monumento a los Caidos (Monument to the Fallen)—with angels and a fountain at its base. The plaza’s name and the monument commemorate six firefighters killed on May 5, 1914, while fighting a blaze in a fireworks factory, which exploded. Each Cinco de Mayo Panamá’s firemen, or Cuerpo de Bomberos, don their dress uniforms and march to the plaza to commemorate “el desastre del Polvorín” (the gunpowder disaster). And the bomberos also pass by each November 27 during a torchlit parade on the anniversary of the creation of the fire brigade in 1885.
The squat neoclassical building on the east side of the plaza began life in 1912 as the Pacific railroad station. Between 2000 and 2005 it housed the nation’s anthropological museum. Tucked behind the station is the little-visited Mercado de Buhonerías y Artesanías (Avenida 4 Sur and Calle 23 Este; daily 8-6), a small open-air crafts market that was renovated in 2007. It has fondas—cheap food stalls.
PLAZA DE FRANCIA
Calle 2 Oeste and Paseo General Estebán Huertas
Casco Viejo
Occupying the triangular tip of the peninsula, this charming little plaza shaded by jacaranda and palms was laid out in 1926 to honor the French entrepreneurs and laborers who pioneered construction of the first and failed attempt to build a canal. The space was once part of an 18th-century fort—the Fuerte Chiriquí—long since demolished. On the eastern side, however, nine vaults—Las Bóvedas—today house a restaurant, jazz club, galleries, and the Oficina de Casco Antiguo tourist information office, built into the seawall beneath the Paseo General Estebán Huertas esplanade.
Towering over the plaza is an Egyptian-style obelisk topped by a cockerel. At its base, note the bronze busts of Ferdinand de Lesseps and four other key personalities of the era. Behind, a half-moon gallery is engraved with stone tableaux that regale the story of the Canal’s construction, while another rightly honors Carlos J. Finlay, the Cuban physician who discovered that the Aëdes aegypti mosquito was the vector of yellow fever.
Plaza Cinco de Mayo, Panamá City
Appropriately, the French embassy (507-211-6200) is here, in a charming robin’s-egg blue building on the plaza’s north side. Outside, on the east side, your presence is noted by a life-sized bronze likeness of Pablo Arosemena (1836–1920), president of Panamá (1910–1912, and 1920). If you’re here on July 4, make a beeline to the plaza for the fireworks hosted by the embassy.
To the northeast side of the plaza, the domed Instituto Nacional de Cultura (National Institute of Culture, 507-211-4000; www.inac.gob.pa; closed Saturday and Sunday) houses the agency in charge of Panamá’s cultural institutions. You may recognize it as the Grand Andean Hotel in the James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. The tiny Teatro Anita Villalaz (507-211-4020) is here.
PLAZA HERRERA
Avenida A and Calle 9na, Casco Viejo On the western fringe of Casco Viejo, this somewhat unkempt and seedy plaza honors General Tomás Herrera (1804–54), a governor of Panamá and president of Colombia who died fighting for Panamá’s independence from Colombia. He’s there in bronze, mounted on his steed atop a plinth. On the west side of the plaza, the Baluarte Mano de Tigre watchtower is the only part of the old city wall still extant. Behind, the empty space formed a dry moat. About 55 yards (50 m) farther west, the remarkable building shaped like a prow of a ship is the Casa La Boyacá. Built in 1890, this Caribbean-style wooden structure was restored in 2006 as low-cost housing. Don’t wander any farther west, as the area isn’t safe.
PLAZA JOSÉ REMÓN CANTERA
Avenida Central and 9 de Enero, Calidonia A broad elevated plaza laid out in front of the nation’s Asamblea Nacional (507-512-8300), Panamá’s legislative assembly, it is surrounded on two sides by thrumming traffic. At its heart, rising from a fountain, is a soaring black granite column erected to honor assassinated President José Antonio Remón Cantera (1908–55). Unveiled in 1957, it is engraved with his words: NEITHER ALMS, NOR MILLIONS, WE WANT JUSTICE. The plinth supporting the plaza is fronted by the Friso Alegórico a la Justicia (Allegorical Frieze to Justice), a frieze by Peruvian sculptor Joaquín Roca Rey (1923–) showing 17 bronze life-sized figures cavorting in a water cascade.
Cross Calle 9 de Enero, east of the plaza, to tiny Plazuela Mahatma Gandhi where the city’s Hindus maintain a statue of Gandhi freshly garlanded in flowers. The modernist building housing the legislative assembly is closed to the public.
Libraries
The nation’s principal library is the Biblioteca Ernesto J. Castillero National (506-221-8360, www.binal.ac.pa; Monday through Friday 9–6, Saturday 9–5), in Parque Recreativo Omar.
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s Earl S. Tupper Research and Conference Center (507-212-8000; Tupper Building, 401 Roosevelt Avenue, Balboa) has a research library, plus a small arboretum (open Monday through Friday 8–5; guided tours Wednesday and Friday 12:30 PM; free).
The Instituto Geográfico Nacional Tommy Guardia (507-236-1844; www.ign panama.gob.pa; Calle 57 Oeste and Avenida 6a. A Norte), a great source for information on Panamá, is on the campus of the sprawling Universidad de Panamá (506-223-1361; www.up.ac.pa; Avenida Manuel E. Bautista).
PLAZA SANTA ANA
Avenida Central and Calle 11, Salsipuedes
This tree-shaded plaza (and Avenida Central, which runs north from it) with a domed bandstand is as good as it gets for a taste of real life in Panamá City. Before setting off to walk the pedestrian-only boulevard, prime yourself with a coffee or trago (shot) of rum at the diner-style Café Coca Cola (507-228-7687), a local institution since 1883 and thick with genuine working-class atmosphere, such as old men slapping down dominoes. Che Guevara supposedly ate and supped here when passing through Panamá in 1954.
Brick-paved Avenida Central is usually thronged with shoppers. It’s a calliope of commotion. The crowds usually include plenty of Kuna women in traditional costume. Shops blare out salsa tunes and other numbers, played at glass-shattering decibel levels on bassy speakers. Somehow the noise-loving Panamanians don’t seem to mind this assault on one’s senses and sanity. Curiously, most of the stores are owned by Gujarati Hindus who arrived from India decades ago and thrived.
Don’t go wandering west of the plaza and Avenida Central into the no-good Chorrillo area, or east through only slightly less seedy Salsipuedes, which has a small Chinatown—Barrio Chino—around Calle 15 Este, with a Chinese Arch.
PLAZUELA DE LAS PUERTE DEL MAR
Avenida Eloy Alfaro between Calle 7 Este and Calle 8 Este
This tiny triangular plaza on the north side of Casco Viejo overhangs fishing wharfs and the Bahía de Panamá. Several nearby buildings are of note. The sepia Casa de los Monogramas, on the south side, was once a convent and exemplifies classic 18th-century Spanish colonial architecture with its lovely wooden balustrades and rejas (window bars).
SANTUARIO NACIONAL DEL CORAZÓN DE MARÍA
507-263-9833
www.santuarionacional.net
Calle 53 Este between Avenida 2a Sur and Avenida 3a Sur, Bella Vista
Among the most beautiful of all Panamá’s churches, this one was only dedicated on August 22, 1949, despite its lovely part Romanesque and part Spanish-colonial façade, topped by a statue of Pope Pius crowning the Virgin Mary. Most striking is its juxtaposition in the shadow of towering skyscrapers. Step inside to admire the stained-glass windows and, in the courtyard to the side, a fountain circled by free-roaming peacocks.
Sanctuario Nacional de Corazón de María, Panamá City
TEATRO NACIONAL
507-262-3525
www.teatronacionaldepanama.com
Avenida—and Calle 3 Este, Casco Viejo A source of pride and joy, Panamá’s recently renovated neoclassical National Theater was designed by Italian architect Genaro Nicola Ruggieri and inaugurated in 1908 with a performance of Aida. The exquisite interior is liberally adorned with rococo motifs, like a reduced-scale tropical La Scala. The horseshoe-shaped auditorium is graced by red velvet seats, original gilt, and two tiers of balconies beneath a dome adorned with a magnificent mural by Panamanian artist Roberto Lewis. The painting features the muses, nymphs, and classical figures such as Apollo in an allegory symbolizing the birth of the republic. In the lobby, note busts of Lewis and of famous British ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn (1919–91), who often performed here as a long-term Panamá resident.
Teatro Nacional, Panamá City
Museums and Monuments
CASA MUSEO DEL BANCO NACIONAL
507-225-0640
www.banconal.com.pa/museo.html
Calle 34 Este and Avenida Cuba
Casa Museo del Banco Nacional, Panamá City
Tuesday through Friday 8–noon and 1:30–4, Saturday 7:30–noon
Admission: free
Housed in a two-story mansion dating from 1925, this museum will delight numismatists and philatelists with its exhibitions on stamps, coins, and money bills dating back centuries. It also boasts large photo archives relating to Panamá.
MONUMENTO BALBOA
Cinta Costera/Avenida Balboa between
Calles 35 and 36
The dramatic main feature of the city shorefront, this must-see monument features a large marble plinth topped by a larger-than-life bronze sculpture of Spanish conquistador Vasco Nuñez de Balboa standing atop a globe supported by four figures representing Panamá’s main ethnic groups. In his hands, he holds a sword and the flag of Spain.
MONUMENTO Á LOS PATRIOTAS
Avenida de los Mártires, between Calle 9 de
Enero and Calle J, Calidonia
The 27 students and nationalists killed during the Flag Riots of January, 1964, are memorialized at this monument, comprising a flagpole being climbed by three life-sized bronze human figures. Each January 9, nationalists march past to commemorate the tragic four-day riots.
MUSEO AFROANTILLANO DE PANAMÁ
507-262-5348
Calle 24 and Avenida Justo Arosemena, Calidonia
Tuesday through Saturday 8:30–3:30
Admission: $1
Interested in the story of the Afro-Caribbean contribution to Panamanian culture? Then this tiny museum, in a two-story wooden structure one block east of Plaza José Remón Cantera, fits the bill. Much of the displays are dedicated to the story of the 20,000 or so West Indian laborers—the majority from Barbados—who toiled (and died) to build the Panamá railroad and Canal.
MUSEO ANTROPOLÓGICO REINA TORRES DE ARAÚZ
507-262-8338
Calle 4ta Este and Avenida Ascanio Villalaz, Llanos de Curundú
Tuesday through Friday 9–5, Saturday and Sunday 10–5
Although somewhat out of the way on the north side of the city, on the eastern edge of Parque Natural Metropolitano, visitors interested in Panamá’s pre-Columbian culture will find the journey well worthwhile. The more than 14,000 exhibits in this recently opened museum, named for Panamá’s pioneering anthropologist and spanning some 37,660 square feet (3,500 sq m) on four levels, include stone and ceramic figurines, stone metates (curved ceremonial tables), and all manner of gold huacas—tiny ceremonial figures—plus amulets to half-moon-shaped nose-pieces, sparkle under halogen lighting. It has a ramp for wheelchairs, and a laboratory was slated to open with a glass wall for public viewing.
MUSEO DE ARTE RELIGIOSO COLONIAL
507-501-4127
Avenida 4 at Calle 3, Casco Viejo
Tuesday through Saturday 8–4; Sunday 1–5
Admission: $1
This small museum houses some 200 or so religious icons, including silver chalices, church bells, paintings, and sculptures dating back four hundred years. The venue is what remains of the Iglesia y Convento de Santo Domingo, completed in 1756. Star attraction is the convent’s original gilt baroque altar. Stepping back into the harsh light, note the ruins at the corner of Avenida 4 and Calle. Here was the iconic Arco Chato (Flat Arch)—a brick-and-mortar arch that survived numerous earthquakes while surrounding parts of the convent toppled. The gravity-defying arch finally succumbed one night in 2003.
MUSEO DE LA BIODIVERSIDAD
507-215-3015
www.biomuseopanama.org
Calzada de Amador
Panamanians and the world have been holding their breath for years in anticipation of this long-touted museum finally opening. The on-again, off-again project finally caught wind and at press time the sensational Frank Gehry-designed Puente de Vida (Bridge of Life) building was nearing completion. This highly controversial structure is a jumble of multi-layered tilted boxes, like multi-faceted quartz crystals, topped by a twisted and jagged roof. It’s a far cry from Gehry’s far more elegant titanium Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Hopefully the exterior won’t actually be painted in the gaudy primary colors, as planned.
Monumento Balboa, Panamá City
The Museum of Biodiversity is a collaboration of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, the University of Panamá, and the Interoceanic Regional Authority, who came together to form the Fundación Amador. It will feature eight halls, each with innovative multimedia exhibitions that showcase the astonishing biodiversity of Panamá and the Neotropics, plumbing the deepest ocean to the depths of the rain forest canopy. One salon will profile the geological forces that have shaped the world.
MUSEO DEL CANAL INTEROCEÁNICO
507-211-1649
www.museodelcanal.com
Calle 5 Oeste, Plaza de la Catedral
Tuesday through Sunday 9–5 (ticket office closes at 4:30)
Admission: $2 adults, $0.75 children under 12
One of my favorite sites in the city, this superb museum on the southwest corner of Plaza de la Catedral traces the history of the conception and building of the Panamá Canal. Appropriately, it is housed in the former headquarters of the Compagnie Universelle du Canal Interocéanique, the company founded by Ferdinand De Lesseps. Previously it had been the Grand Hotel (where de Lesseps was fêted in 1879). Later it housed the U.S. Canal Commission 1904–12. On three levels, the exhibits follow a logical chronological path that begins with that of Balboa (exhibits include pre-Columbian gold, plus Spanish armor and weaponry) and the story of the California forty-niners, before moving on to construction of the Panamá railroad; the herculean yet tragic French effort to construct a canal; and that of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The eclectic exhibits also include magnificent models of various ships, such as the steamer SS Ancón, which made the first official Canal transit. More contemporary themes are covered on the top level, where you can view commemorative coins and stamps, and a copy of the Torrijos-Carter Treaty of 1977. Alas, signage is in Spanish only, but you can arrange an English-speaking guide in advance, and English-language audio tapes can be purchased.
MUSEO DE CIENCIAS NATURALES
507-225-0645
www.pa/secciones/museo_ciencias
Avenida Cuba between Calle 29 East and Calle 30 East
Tuesday through Saturday 9–3:30
Admission: $1 adults, $0.25 children
Okay, I know. You’d much rather see Panamá’s astonishing wildlife in its natural habitat. But failing that, this museum (in a 1930s Art Nouveau building) offers four rooms stuffed with many of the critters you might see in the wild. Monkeys. Big cats. Harpy eagles. Plus a miscellany of beasts from beyond the Neotropics, such as lions, tigers, and rhinos. Also here, sections on marine biology, geology, and paleontology.
Music and Nightlife
Panamá City is abuzz by night, with something for every taste. Seeking a classical concert? Or perhaps a bohemian café as a prelude to letting your hair down in a dance-till-dawn disco? For laid-back bohemian venues, head to Casco Viejo, which is rapidly evolving as an alternative to the shiny shoe parade of Bella Vista. The more upscale nightclubs are mostly found in and around ever-changing Calle Uruguay, chock-full of atmospheric bars and clubs that get in the groove on Wednesday and peak on Friday and Saturday night. The Zona Viva area near the Figali Convention center on Amador Causeway is a hot new venue teeming with bars and nightclubs that sizzle to a South Beach-style vida loca vibe. The poshest nightclubs have strict admission policies—you need to look the part to get in.
Here are a few of my favorite nightspots (and faves of others whose taste I might not share):
Los Baños Publicos (Plaza Herrera) Take an old public bathroom and paint it black. Stuff it with tattered couches. Plaster the walls with old vinyl records. Price your beer below the competition. Invite in live rock bands. The result is a grungy garage bar popular with young Goths and rock fans.
Café Havana (507-212-3873; Avenida B and Calle 5, Casco Viejo) A recent addition to Casco Viejo, this trendy epicenter of bohemian life just off Plaza Bolívare is the spot to go for a quick drink and, need we say, to smoke a real Cuban stogie. Its mojitos are perhaps the best in town, complete with a raw sugarcane garnish.
Guru Clubbing Cult (507-269-6130; www.gurupanama.com; Calle 47, Bella Vista) Shine up your shoes and pack a thick wallet. This posh club is currently the hottest (and one of the snootiest) nightclub in town. Fog machines. Sexy go-go dancers. The best DJs. And the most elite clientele. A stiff dress code and steep cover charge keep the hoi polloi at bay.
Kraze 950 (507-6674-9930; Calle Uruguay, Bella Vista) Reasonably priced for the pricey neon-lit Calle Uruguay zone, this small nightclub has a dance floor. The music aims at an eclectic mix, from rock to reggaeton. The place gets packed for Wild Fridays. If it doesn’t work for you, you’ll find a dozen or more options within a five-minute stroll.
La Casona de las Brujas (506-211-0740; Plaza Herrera) The former Art Deco Citibank has metamorphosed into a huge art-filled warehouse-style bar. One of the funkiest venues in the city, The House of Witches hosts live music and even late-night techno parties and movies, when a cover is charged.
The Londoner (507-214-4883; Calle Uruguay, Bella Vista) Hankerin’ for a pint of ale and game of darts? This wood-paneled venue harks back to the working-class pubs of England, but with a pool table and plasma TVs for the up-to-the-minute sports crowd. Heck, it even has waiter service and valet parking. Brilliant, mate!
Casa Nikki (Avenida Balboa, Punta Paitilla) On the 46th floor of the Nikki Hotel, this super chic and sexy nightclub promises to be the hottest spot in town when it opens around 2010. Dress to impress!
People (507-263-0104; Calle Uruguay, Bella Vista) Fresh from a remodeling, this popular nightclub for the moneyed young has added a VIP floor with its own bar. You can sip at outdoor seating but need to pay for the disco. Bring your earplugs. What is it with the Latin need to overdo the decibels?
Platea (507-228-4011; www.scenaplatea.com; Calle 1ra, Casco Viejo) This bohemian hotspot is ground zero for live jazz. The venue is a refurbished colonial mansion with bare brick walls and modern accouterments for a touch of contemporary chic—a fantastic space! And the mojitos are fantastic too.
Nature and Gardens
CINTA COSTERA
Laid out 2007–2009 parallel to Avenida Balboa, this new coastal beltway was built to relieve traffic congestion. It involved reclaiming some 74 acres (30 ha) of land from the sea with landfill along 1.6 miles (2.6 km) of shoreline, and construction of a three-lane highway to carry eastbound traffic (Avenida Balboa is now one-way, westbound). The enhancement includes 62 acres (25 ha) of newly laid-out parkland with a new malecón, or promenade, plus an amphitheater, the Monumento Balboa, bicycle paths, a kids’ playground, and fountains.
PARQUE NATURAL METROPOLITANO
507-232-5552
www.parquemetropolitano.org
Avenida Juan Pablo II
Daily 6 AM–5 PM
Admission: Free; guides cost $6 per person for groups of five, by prior arrangement Claiming to be the only true tropical forest reserve within city limits in all Latin America, this hilly 573-acre (232 ha) space lets you don hiking boots or mount your mountain bike and take to the trails like a true Indiana Jones. It’s remarkable to think that just minutes from your hotel exists this vast enclave of nature in the raw. The wildlife refuge, established in 1985, protects one of the last pockets of Pacific seasonally dry lowland rain forest in Central America. It provides an invaluable corridor in conjunction with the contiguous Camino de Cruces and Soberanía national parks.
The park teems with animals and birds. Baltimore orioles, blue-crowned motmots, keel-billed toucans, lance-tailed manakins, and piquiblanco parrots are among the 227 bird species to be seen. The 45 species of mammals include agoutis, coatis, Geoffrey’s tamarin, and three-toed sloths.
And you’re sure to see iguanas—among the most prominent of 36 reptile species here. Wildlife is more easily seen in early morning and during dry season, when many of the trees shed their leaves. Buy a self-guided booklet at the visitor center before setting out, and don’t hike alone. Robberies have been reported!
Mono titi (squirrel) monkeys
Geoffrey’s tamarin, Panamá
Get your bearings at the park entrance Visitor Center (507-232-5516; Camino de la Amistad and Avenida Juan Pablo II), which has maps plus exhibits on the flora and fauna. To get there, take the Corredor Norte, which runs along the park’s eastern edge. The center’s orquideario—orchid garden—is usually full of blossoms.
Easiest of the park’s five well-signed trails is the flat, 0.5-mile-long (0.7 km) Sendero La Momótides, named for the blue-crowned motmots often seen while hiking. Sendero Roble also leads from the Visitor Center to the Sendero La Cieneguita, an interpretive nature trail that links with the Sendero Mono Titi (named for the squirrel monkey) to form a loop. The Mono Titi trail is actually a former road, perfect for bicycling; it leads to Mirador Los Trinos, offering superb views over Panamá City and Miraflores Locks.
Sendero Caobos, 0.7 mile (1.1 km), also leads to a mirador. Since 2008, visitors are now able to ascend in the canopy crane operated by the Smithsonian Institute of Tropical Research (507-212-8233; www.stri.org). Used for research in the upper story of the forest, the revolving 138-foot (42 m) crane has a 167-foot-long (51 m) arm permitting eye-to-eye contact with beasts and birds in one entire hectare (2.5 acres) of forest canopy. Ancón Expeditions (507-269-9415; http://anconexpeditions.com; $110 per person) has the exclusive right to take nature enthusiasts up in the gondola at the end of the boom when it is not in use by scientists.
Punta Culebra Nature Center, Panamá City
PUNTA CULEBRA NATURE CENTER
507-212-8793
www.stri.org/english/visit_us/culebra
Isla Naos, Amador Causeway
Tuesday through Friday 1–5, Saturday and Sunday 10–6
Admission: $2 adults, $1 students and seniors, $0.50 children
Run as a marine research and education facility of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), this splendid facility occupies a former military post atop a rocky headland—Punta Culebra. Trails wend past a beach and white-mangrove forest (good for spotting cormorants, frigatebirds, and blue-and brown-footed boobies), and through a tiny pocket of rare Pacific tropical dry forest (good for spotting birds, iguanas, and sloths). The highlight, however, is the open-air Marine Exhibitions Center. Its six aquariums provide insights into marine ecosystems and species, separated into Caribbean and Pacific zones. There’s a shark pond, a turtle pond, and a touch pond stocked with starfish and other harmless invertebrates.
RESERVA NATURAL CERRO ANCÓN
Access via Quarry Road
This steep, freestanding, thickly forested knoll rises 654 feet high (198 m) over Balboa (on its west flank) and Ancón (on its east side). The jungled “island” was protected for its watershed by the U.S. military, which in 1942 burrowed a bombproof 40-room command post deep inside the mountain. The post later served as headquarters of the entire U.S. Southern Command until 1998. (Today the former Quarry Heights Military Reservation is still operated as a secretive communications and intelligence center of Panamá’s Strategic Plan of National Security.) In 2001, the hill was declared an Área Protegida y Reserva Natural—Protected Area and Nature Reserve.
A massive Panamanian flag flutters atop the hill, which is also pinned by broadcast towers. Note the life-sized bronze effigy of Panamanian poet Amelia Denis de Icaza (1836–1911), seated at the flagstaff’s base. You can reach the summit by car, or by hiking the serpentine road that snakes up from the Asociación Nacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (507-314-0060; www.ancon.org; Building 153, Sturgis Road, Quarry Heights), or ANCON, headquarters. Stop in here to learn something about the flora and fauna, including armadillos, coatis, Geoffrey’s tamarin, and even deer, that inhabit the forests. The trailhead is just east of B&B La Estancia, a short distance east of ANCON. Another trail links the summit with Mi Pueblito, at the base of the southeast side. Bring your camera for the awesome 360-degree views from the city’s highest point. Don’t hike alone, as muggings have been reported. There are usually police at the summit.
Woman skating on Calzada de Amador, Panamá City
Calzada de Amador
Fingering the Pacific Ocean, this 3-mile-long (4.5 km) man-made peninsula was built of landfill excavated during construction of the Canal and forms a breakwater protecting the canal entrance from silt-bearing currents. Completed in 1913, it connects three islands—Culebra, Naos, Perico, and, finally, Flamenco—to the mainland and was guarded by Fort Grant (later Fort Amador) with 14-inch cannon mounted on railway carriages. During WWII, a bombproof strategic command center was built into Isla Flamenco. The peninsula was off-limits to the public until 1996.
Today Fort Amador is the setting for both the Figali Convention Center (www.figaliconventioncenter.com), within the Spanish-Revival-styled Panamá Canal Village (507-314-1414; www.panamacanalvillage.com); and the much-anticipated Museo de la Biodiversidad (see separate entry).
The Amador Causeway offers tremendous views over the entrance to the Panamá Canal. A pencil-thin, palm-lined park that extends along much of the western fringe is laced by trails for bicycling, skating, and jogging. It is fast evolving as a trendy nightspot. There’s a large marina and yacht club, plus The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s Centro de Exhibiciones Marinas (see separate entry).
Sightseeing highlights include several small parks, including Parque Torrijos-Carter, where the benevolent dictator-president slumbers beneath the Monumento Histórico Mausoleo del General Omar Torrijos Herrera. Nearby, the Plaza de la Cultura y la Etnia honors all ethnicities who came to Panamá during the past five centuries. The Plaza de la Unidad Iberoamericano honors all the nations of the Americas. And Pilares a la Patria, featuring oversize figures (three males and one woman) paying homage beneath the Panamanian flag, honors the indigenous, Afro-Panamanian, and European cultures.
Gustavo and Tammy Chan, owners of B&B La Estancia (507-314-1581), lead early morning hikes.
Plans to build a tram to the summit were scrapped by the Supreme Court in July 2009.
Theater, Classical Music, and Concerts
Panamá’s performing arts come under the purview of the Instituto Nacional de Cultura (507-507-262-3525; www.inac.gob.pa) and Asociación Nacional de Conciertos (507-214-7236; www.conciertospanama.org).
The city’s two main venues for live concerts are the Atlapa Convention Center (507-236-7845 or 226-7000; www.atlapa.gob.pa), which has the 2,800-seat Teatro Anayansi and 500-seat Teatro La Huaca; and the Figali Convention Center (506-314-1414; www.figaliconventioncenter.com), on Calzada de Amador.
Concerts are also hosted at the new Amphitheater, on Cinta Costera.
The main theatrical venue is the resplendent Teatro Nacional (c/o 507-262-3525; teatronacional@inac.gob.pa), which hosts the Ballet Nacional de Panamá (507-269-2375; balletnacional@inac.gob.pa) and Orquestra Sinfónica Nacional (507-228-3409; sinfonica@inac.gob.pa), the national symphony orchestra.
My favorite venue is Teatro Balboa (507-228-0327; teatrobalboa@inac.gob.pa), a magnificent Art Deco theater that hosts plays and classical performances.
The Ancón Theater Guild (507-212-0060; www.anconguild.com), a small English-language theater group that is a legacy of the Canal Zone era, plays at its own tiny theater.
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s Earl S. Tupper Research and Conference Center (507-212-8000; Tupper Building, 401 Roosevelt Avenue, Balboa) hosts free twice-weekly seminars on nature and science-related themes in its 176-seat auditorium.
Seasonal Events
The city calendar features several annual events of note, including the four-day Panamá City Jazz Festival (www.panamajazzfestival.com) in January. Lovers of classical ballet should time their arrival for October and the Festival Nacional de Ballet (507-211-4942).
Panamanians are crazy about beauty contests. The old Miss Panamá contest has been in turmoil in recent years as competing contest organizers battled out for who really had the franchise. The dust seems to have settled in favor of the Realmente Bella Señorita Panamá (the Really Beautiful Miss Panamá) contest, with two crowned winners going on to compete in the Miss World and Miss Universe pageants, respectively. However, this is now a TV reality show, with losers being dismissed one by one. There’s also the Miss World Panamá contest, which sends winners to the Miss International competition.
RECREATION
Bird-Watching
The parklands bordering the city offer tremendous birding, particularly Parque Natural Metropolitano (see Nature and Gardens) and the shoreline east of the city around Panamá Viejo.
You can join guided birding tours offered by the Panamá Audubon Society (506-232-5977; www.panamaaudubon.org), which also offers monthly lectures on birds, every second Thursday at 7:30 PM.
Biking, Skating, and Running
The palm-lined Calzada de Amador is tailor-made for biking and skating. A path wends more or less the full length of the breakwater on the west side, offering tremendous views of the Bridge of the Americas and busy Canal channel. Likewise, the new parks laid out in 2008–9 parallel to the Cinta Costera have biking and skating lanes.
Parque Recreativo Omar (Avenida Belisario Porras and Calle 74), on the northeast side of the city, is Panamá City’s second-largest metropolitan park and a great venue for jogging around its 2-mile (3.5 km) path.
Panamá has a skateboarders association: Asociación Panameña de Patinaje (507-260-4652; panamapatin@hot mail.com).
Bowling
You’d imagine that a city blessed (many locals would say cursed) for decades with such a strong U.S. presence would be equally blessed with bowling alleys. Bolos El Dorado (507-260-2511; www.boloseldorado.com; Avenida Ricardo J. Alfaro), in the El Dorado Mall, is a world-class facility with 24 bowling lanes plus pool tables. Likewise, Albrook Bowling (507-391-2641; mercadeo@albrookbowling.com; daily 11–11), in Albrook Mall, has 36 lanes and a pro shop.
Aficionados should contact the Asociación de Boliche de Panamá (507-236-6830; apabol@hucusa.com).
Bust of Omar Torrijos, Parque Recreativo Omar, Panamá City
Fitness Facilities
Most tourist hotels have gyms. Parque Recreativo Omar (Avenida Belisario Porras and Calle 74) has a swimming pool, tennis courts, baseball court, and soccer pitch.
Golf
The semi-private Summit Golf and Resort (507-232-4653; www.summitgolfpanama.com) has a 6,626-yard, par-72 championship course just a 20-minute drive north of the city on the Gaillard highway.
Your other option is the 72-par layout at The Tucán Country Club and Resort (507-211-3472 or 800-456-6016; www.tucancountryclub.com).
Hiking and Horseback Riding
The Clayton Equestrian Club (507-232-6272; Friendship Road) offers equestrian training.
Cerro Ancón and Parque Natural Metropolitano (see Nature and Gardens) have hiking trails.
Racquet Sports
Many hotels have tennis courts. Club Raqueta de Panamá (507-260-6884; off Avenida Juan Pablo II, La Loceria; www.clubraquetapanama.com; Monday through Friday 8 AM–10 PM, Saturday 9–6, Sunday 10–4) has three squash and one racquetball courts; short-term memberships are offered. The Piscina Adan Gordon swimming pool (507-500-5320; Avenida Cuba and Avenida Justo Arosemena, La Exposición) has tennis courts open to the public.
Water Sports
Sailing trips and sportfishing are offered by Panamá Yacht Tours (507-263-5044; www.panamayachtours.com).
Licensed sailors can charter craft at the Flamenco Yacht Club (507-314-0665; www.fuerteamador.com) and the Balboa Yacht Club (507-228-5794; Calzada de Amador), just south of the Bridge of the Americas.
SHOPPING
The capital city doesn’t lack for opportunity, and shopaholics can fill days hunting out bargains. Several markets are dedicated to arts and crafts, from Balboa in the west to Panamá Viejo in the east. Upscale art galleries and clothes boutiques concentrate in Bella Vista, El Cangrejo, and Marbella, where the major shopping malls are also located.
Art
The Bella Vista district is a node for high-stakes galleries. Try Galería Habitante (507-264-6470; http://galeriahabitante.com; Calle Uruguay #16, Bella Vista), which sells contemporary works by leading Panamanian and Latin American artists, as does Galería Imagen (507-226-8989; imagen@pty.com; Calle 50 and Calle 77, El Dorado).
Books and Music
Your starting point should be Exedra Books (506-264-4252; www.exedrabooks.com; Vía España and Vía Brasil), which is well-stocked with both English and Spanish titles.
For a quirky bibliophile’s delight, head to Librería Argosy (507-223-5344; Vía Argentina and Vía España, El Cangrejo), where dusty antiquarian books rub up against plenty of newer titles. It has scores of books about Panamá.
Shopping Malls
Albrook Mall (507-303-6255; www.albrookmall.com: Avenida Marginal, Corregimiento de Ancón, Ancón; Monday through Thursday 10–8, Friday and Saturday 10–9, Sunday 10:30–8) This mammoth mall takes up nearly 5 million square feet (460,0000 sq m) near Aeropuerto Marcos A Gelabert. More than one hundred stores span the spectrum.
Multicentro Mall (507-208-2500; www.multicentropanama.com.pa; Avenida Balboa, Marbella) Everything from high-end boutiques to stores selling art, perfume, and electronics. Also a casino, multiplex cinema, and 30 restaurants.
Multiplaza Pacific (507-302-5280; www.mallmultiplazapacific.com; Vía Israel, Punta Pacífico) Competes with Multicentral with 52 shops, 7 department stores, and plenty of service facilities.
Tailor of Panamá
When Pierce Brosnan and Geoffrey Rush came to Panamá in 2000 to film the screen version of John le Carré’s novel The Tailor of Panamá they knew to visit La Fortuna to be fitted with bespoke suits. There’s a good reason that autographed photographs of José Abadi posing with Bosnan and Rush are proudly displayed in the store: This tailor’s shop is the real-life model for Pendel and Braithwaite Limitada, El sastre de Panamá in le Carré’s richly textured spy thriller.
In operation since 1925, La Fortuna has been drawing the panameño elite for decades. Just as in le Carré’s novel, where anybody of importance in the country passes through Harry Pendel’s doors, so everyone from General Noriega to Panamanian presidents, U.S. generals, and foreign ambassadors and spies have been dressed by La Fortuna’s owner José Abadi and his son, Adán, who now tends the store and its cadre of highly skilled tailors. In fact, late Dictator-President Omar Torrijos supposedly joked that Abadi was the only man he would drop his trousers for. No doubt, La Fortuna’s fitting rooms have been privy to more secrets than a priest’s confession box.
José Abadi, the “Tailor of Panamá,” Panamá City
For maps, head to the Instituto Geográfico Nacional Tommy Guardía (507-236-1844; www.ignpanama.gob.pa; Calle 57 Oeste and Avenida 6a. A Norte), on the Universidad de Panamá campus.
Clothing and Accessories
Boutiqe Breebaart (507-264-0159; Calle Abel Bravo #5, Obarrio). Dutch fashion designer Hélène Breebaart melds Kuna molas into her contemporary skirts and dresses, which have adorned the likes of Miss Panamá.
La Fortuna (507-263-6434; Vía España, 100 yards east of Via Argentina; Monday through Saturday 9-6) This is the place to be fitted out for an off-the-rack shirt or bespoke hand-stitched suit, including a quintessentially Panamanian guayabera. For six decades, La Fortuna has been the sastre (tailor) of choice for ambassadors, generals, and members of Panamá’s asamblea. A precisely fitted bespoke suit takes about two weeks and requires two fittings; expect to pay around $500.
Polleras y Artesanias (507-228-8671; hiramcortez@yahoo.es; Avenida A and Calle 8A, Casco Viejo; Monday through Saturday 10–5:30) If you’re hankering to buy a hand-made pollera (Panamá’s exquisite traditional woman’s dress) or perhaps a man’s traditional montuño shirt, then make a beeline for this tiny shop.
Crafts and Jewelry
Centro de Artesanías Internacional, (507-6529-0678; Avenida Arnulfo Arias Madris, Balboa) In the former YMCA building, this indigenous-run market offers a full range of quality crafts, from masks to molas.
Esmeralda y Arte Precolombino (507-228-9126; Calle 1, Edificio 844, Casco Viejo) A treasure trove of emerald, gold, and silver jewelry, and raw stones.
Galería de Artes Indígenas (507-228-9557; ero7777@yahoo.com; Plaza de Francia, Casco Viejo) Tucked into Las Bóvedas, it sells a large selection of indigenous crafts, souvenirs, and fine art pieces.
Karavan Gallery (507-228-5161; Calle 3ra and Arco Chato, Casco Viejo) Small it may be, but this well-lit trove is packed with quality molas, Panamanian folk art, jewelry, and sculptures.
La Ronda (507-211-1001; souvenirslaronda@yahoo.com; Calle 1ra, Casco Viejo) Specializes in quality indigenous crafts representing the finest of Kuna molas, Emberá-Wounaan baskets, Ngöbe jewelry, and sombreros montuños and polleras).
Mercado de Buhonerías y Artesanias (Avenida 4 Sur and Calle 23 Este, Calidonia; daily 8–6) Mainly indigenous artisans attend this outdoor market selling hammocks, sombreros montuños, and crafts. It’s tucked just east of Plaza Cinco de Mayo.
Mercado Nacional de Artesanias (Vía Cincuentenario, Panamá Viejo; daily 9–5) This crafts market staffed by indigenous peoples has the usual full complement of Emberá chaquiras, Kuna molas, and Ngöbe-Buglé jewelry.
Mi Pueblito (Avenida de los Mártires; daily 9–5; admission $1) This contrived shopping complex—My Little Village—at the eastern foot of Cerro Ancón is a triptych featuring three stereotypical villages representing indigenous, Afro-Caribbean, and Spanish-colonial cultures. While ostensibly intended as a museum, including folkloric performances on Friday and Saturday evenings, it’s really a hard-core shopping complex where you’ll find almost every conceivable craft item made in Panamá.
Museo de la Esmeralda (507-262-1665; Calle 6, Plaza de la Catedral, Casco Viejo) Despite its name and its small museum featuring life-sized recreations of miners at work, this is a commercial jewelry store. Visitors can expect a strong sales pitch.
Reprosa (507-271-0033; www.reprosa.com; Avenida Samuel Loew and Calle 54, Obarrio; daily 9–6) Fine contemporary jewelry including uncut Colombian emeralds and pre-Columbian gold replicas (huacas).
Miscellany
Okay, you might not visit here to buy a whole fresh-caught snapper or octopus, but the Mercado de Mariscos (Avenida Eloy Alfaro and Calle 15 Este) is worth a visit to watch fishmongers hawking Neptune’s larder, brought in by gaily painted fishing boats that tie up at the wharfs at the southern end of the Cinta Costera. You can buy a whole fish and haul it upstairs to the restaurant, which will prepare it for you to your desire.
Photographers are served by Panafoto (507-263-0102; Calle 50 and Calle 49A Este, Bella Vista), which stocks cameras, lenses, etc. plus binocular and scopes for the birding crowd.
Good to Know About
The Office of Casco Antiguo tourist information office (507-209-6300; www.cascoantiguo.gob.pa; Bóveda 1, Plaza de Francia) is an excellent resource and sells a superb map of the old city ($5).
Casco Antiguo, Panamá City
Isla Taboga
Floating in the Golfo de Panamá, some 11 miles (18 km) south of Panamá City, this laid-back island is a popular destination for day-tripping city folk on weekends and holidays. It has a quasi-Mediterranean feel and is colloquially known as the “island of flowers” due to its abundance of endemic Taboga roses, plus bougainvillea and hibiscus, splashing the landscape with color. Sights are few, but it has some lovely beaches and a laid-back aura conducive to relaxation.
After Pizarro’s conquest of the Inca Empire in 1526, the isle became a key transshipment point for Inca treasures and for pearls from the Islas de Perlas. During the French Canal construction effort, in the 1880s, it served as a sanatorium due to its relatively cool and dry climate. French impressionist painter Paul Gauguin (1848–1903) washed up here in 1887 to live “on fish and fruit for nothing…without anxiety for the day or for the morrow.” Isla Taboga’s real estate was already priced at a premium, however, and Gauguin was reduced to laboring on the canal until he earned enough money to sail on. Needless to say, the U.S. military set up shop here during WWI to guard the entrance to the Canal.
Sites
The sole settlement is San Pedro, nestled in a horseshoe-shaped cove backed by forested hills.
The town plaza is anchored by the tiny yet lovely Iglesia San Pedro; the church dates back to 1524 and is one of the oldest in the Americas. If possible, time your arrival for July 16 when islanders parade a statue of Nuestra Señora del Carmen; the statue, which normally resides in the church, is borne to the shore and loaded aboard a garlanded boat for a tour around the isle. A stone statue of Carmen may be seen on Calle Francisco Pizzaro.
Fishing boats add metaphorical and literal color to Playa La Restinga, the village’s sheltered (and somewhat littered) brown sand beach. Low tide exposes a tombolo (sand bar) permitting brief access to Isla El Morro. Other beaches can be accessed by water taxi; ask one of the fishing boats to run you out to good snorkeling spots. You can follow the main road (Calle Francisco Pizarro) left from the ferry dock to reach the summit of Cerro de la Cruz for fine views of the isle and gulf. En route you’ll pass the overgrown ruins of a Spanish cannon embrasure and abandoned WWII bunkers. Beyond the turnoff for Cerro de la Cruz, the road snakes uphill to Cerro La Vigia (1,008 feet/307 m)—the isle’s highest point; it’s a 3-mile (5 km) hike—with U.S. military gun emplacements now forming a mirador (lookout).
Hablas español?…Say what?
They say that the fastest way to learn a language is to take a lover who speaks no other. Failing that, you can live (even temporarily) in a place where that language is spoken, preferably immersing yourself in a language school for a week, month, or longer. No problem in Panamá, which has several dozen language schools. Here are some to consider:
Habla Ya Panamá Spanish School (507-720-1294; www.hablayapanama.com) Boquete
ILERI Language Institute (507-392-4086; www.ileripanama.com) Panamá City
ILISA Language Institute (507-317-1011; www.ilisa.com/panama) Panamá City
Spanish Panamá (507-213-3121; www.spanishpanama.com) Panamá City
La Lotería
If two hummingbirds fly in a straight line, Panamanians are sure to wager on which will be the winner. They love gambling, as is obvious by the huge number (10,000 nationwide) of licensed lottery-ticket sellers on every street. Twice weekly drawings include a $2,000 first prize, as well as second ($600), and third ($200) prizes. Every last Friday of the month Panamanians hold their breath and pray to win a special drawing called gordito del zodico (little fattie of the Zodiac), with a $600,000 grand prize. Meanwhile, the odds are far more favorable to win los chances, two-number tickets that cost only 25 cents and pay out meager winnings if the numbers correspond to the last two digits of the winning combination.
So popular are the twice-weekly drawings that they are broadcast live on radio and TV. These protracted fiesta- themed affairs draw throngs to La Lotería Nacional de Beneficia (507-207-6800, www.lnb.gob.pa) headquarters, in Parque Victor Julio Gutiérrez, each Wednesday and Sunday afternoon. Traditional folkloric music and dance are featured as local dignitaries gather to watch the four winning lottery balls plucked from a metal cage. The task belongs to three schoolchildren selected for the occasion. Various lottery balls (each containing a single number) are placed in the cage, which is spun by handle for an interminable amount of time before the children step forward to nervously pluck out a ball, which is unscrewed to reveal the winning number. The process is repeated four times to generate the winning combination. (When officials replaced the antiquated spinning cage system in favor of an electronic system, an angry public demanded that the old system be reinstated.)
LODGING AND DINING
Cerrito Tropical B&B and Tropical Apartments (507-390-9999; http://cerritotropicalpanama.com) Tucked on the hillside above town, this hostelry offers three guest rooms plus four self-catering apartments with Wi-Fi, and views to die for. Units differ but all have delightful furnishings. Run by a Canadian-Dutch couple, Cynthia and Hiddo Mulder. Moderate.
Kool Youth Hostel (507-690-2545; luisveron@hotmail.com) This backpackers hostel, a stone’s throw from the pier, has three dorm rooms. It offers free breakfast and has a communal kitchen. Inexpensive.
Hotel Taboga This landmark hotel closed in 2008, but a new development is in the works.
Hotel Vereda Tropical (507-250-2154; www.veredatropicalhotel.com) A lovely Mexican-themed hillside hotel with views over Playa Honda and the gulf. A tinkling fountain, rich ochre, high ceilings, and iron balustrades are highlights. All 12 air-conditioned, individually themed rooms have TVs and balconies, plus irresistibly colorful decor and wrought-iron beds. Myra and Marina are your delightful hosts. A splendid restaurant serves fusion cuisine. Moderate.
Getting There
The Calypso Queen (507-314-1730; Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 8:30 AM and 3 PM; Tuesday and Thursday 8:30 AM; and Saturday, Sunday, and holidays 8 AM, 10:30 AM, 4 PM; $10 round-trip, $7 children) departs from the Playita de Amador beach, next to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, on Isla Naos on Calzada de Amador. The journey takes 45 minutes; watch for whales! You can also hire a water taxi from Balboa Yacht Club.
Scubapanama (507-261-3841; www.scubapanama.com) offers trips to Isla Taboga. Expect to get around by walking, and be prepared for plenty of hills!