Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
between the two areas on a vast tract of reclaimed land, alongside a promenade complete
with trees, benches and leisure facilities for city residents to enjoy. The jury is still out on the
project, which appears to have provided more concrete than anything else.
Mercado de Mariscos
Mon-Sat 6am-6pm; closed first Mon of the month for fumigation
At the southern end of the Cinta Costera stands the distinctive blue-roofed
Mercado de Mar-
iscos
. A fabulous place to wander around, it sells all shapes and sizes of seafood, some wav-
ing their antennae at you from tanks. Tuck into an enormous
ceviche
for $3, or choose a fish
to fry yourself or take upstairs to
Restaurante de Mariscos
,
where for a few dollars they'll
cook it for you.
Monumento a Vasco Núñez de Balboa and around
The boulevard's main attraction, midway along, is the magnificent
Monumento a Vasco
Núñez de Balboa
. Erected in 1913, it shows the sixteenth-century explorer atop a globe,
sword in one hand and flag in the other; once looking out in perpetual triumph on the southern
ocean he “discovered”, he now seems a tad lost in the traffic. Set back across Avenida Balboa
is the grand Neoclassical facade of
Hospital Santo Tomás
, the largest public medical facility
in the country.
Parque Urracá
A further 800m along the embankment from the Balboa monument, the pleasant
Parque Ur-
racá
is named after the indigenous
chief
who famously defeated the Spaniards and later es-
caped from captivity. Hemmed in by high-rises, this welcome green space comes alive in the
late afternoons at weekends as locals congregate to play football and socialize.
Punta Paitilla, Punta Pacífica and San Francisco
Jutting out into the sea at the northeastern end of the bay, the artificial peninsula of
Punta
Paitilla
, packed with over fifty shimmering skyscrapers, constitutes one of Panama City's
most emblematic views. Built around 1970, the forty-storey high-rises containing luxury
apartments, many of which lie empty due to absent or fictitious owners, became one of the
most exclusive residential areas and - with a synagogue and various kosher food stores and
restaurants in the vicinity - a major Jewish neighbourhood. There are no specific sights but
the area is pleasant enough to wander through if only to experience the eerily deserted streets
squeezed between precarious-looking tower blocks, where your only human encounter is
likely to be with an aproned domestic servant out on an errand.
Round the headland, the more recently built skyscrapers of
Punta Pacífica
- many still un-
der construction - house yet more opulent ocean-view residences, with the sail-shaped Trump
Tower easily the most distinctive. Both exclusive enclaves form part of the broader district
of
San Francisco
, which is also gradually falling prey to the city's skyscraper addiction. The
area's two main landmarks are the
Centro de Convenciones ATLAPA
, the city's main con-
