About Panama City
Nearly one million people live in this vibrant metropolis located at the Pacific terminus of the Panama Canal. It is a city of skyscrapers, parks, resplendent suburbs, historic monuments from the city’s Spanish past (Old Panama was burned by Pirate Henry Morgan in 1671) and a charming section known as Casco Antiguo or Colonial Panama, which was constructed inland after the destruction of the first city. UNESCO recently declared the Casco Antiguo “Patrimony of Humanity.”
At the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel Locks, visitors can watch ships go through the Panama Canal. For shopping, there’s the Avenida Central in Panama, the free port of the Tocumen International Airport, the giant modern malls on the way to the airport and the commercial areas near the hotels.
Panama City is a city of easy cosmopolitan living, a delightful combination of the historic and the ultra-modern. It is one also of the safest cities in the Americas. There are actually three Panama Cities: the historical ruins of the 16th century city called Panama Viejo, the 17th century Spanish colonial Casco Viejo section of the city and the modern skyscraper city with its prosperous business district and Manhattan-like skyline. Because Panama has long been an international crossroads, Panamanians are friendly and skilled in relating people from around the world. A lively nightlife, great restaurants, historical sectors, the only rainforest within city limits in the world the Metropolitan Natural Park and beautiful residential neighborhoods add to the city’s charm.
Panama City is known for its lively nightlife. Panamanians love a party, a fact reflected in a variety of nightspots including discos, pubs, nightclubs and casinos. It all takes place in three sectors of the city: the business district, The Amador Causeway and Casco Viejo, a historic section of the city with a great ambiance due to the abundance of Spanish colonial period buildings.
Path between the seas-beyond the attraction of its famous canal, Panama is surprisingly cosmopolitan and increasingly popular.
“I was trying to let people know that Panama City isn’t the boonies”, he said….”we have tall buildings! We have cell phones! Indeed. Visitors are usually shocked that Panama City is so large nearly a million people live there, 2.7 million in the entire country and cosmopolitan. Whereas much of South America looks to Europe, and Spain above all, for a sense of cultural heritage, Panama is unique in how much it cleaves to America. The US Dollar is the currency of choice, The Miami Herald was dropped outside my door each morning at the Intercontinental Miramar, and nearly everyone I met spoke al least some English. In other words, there are many tall buildings, many cell phones, and many gracious citizens so thoroughly conversant in American slang that they can use a word like “boonies”.
Baltimore Sun-March 2004
“Panama is now where Costa Rica was 10 years ago. Panama is getting ready to explode.”
National Geographic Traveler-December 2004
“Panama’s latest attractions is the Gamboa Rainforest Resort, a stunning $30 million hotel on the banks of the Chagres River that offers eco-tourism with 24-hour room service, a very 21st century mix of self-indulgence with nature friendly touch. In the heart of what was once The Panama Canal Zone, where the River Chagres flows into Lake Gatun, this 110 room hotel provided both total luxury and quiet.”
Exploring Panama’s Beaches and Forests. New York Times-February 2002.
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