Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 232-7204; Calle Tomas Guardia 583, Ancón; US$4-10; 8am-6:30pm Mon-Sat)
Serving
country breakfasts and baguette sandwiches, this adorable outdoor garden cafe is a great
addition to Ancon Hill. Tití monkeys watch over as you enjoy fresh salads, split a pizza
or dip into baked goods with a cup of organic coffee roasted in-house. They also sell
goods from a nearby farm.
THE SECRET LIFE OF THE CAUSEWAY
All four of the Causeway islands once comprised Fort Grant, which was established
in 1913 to guard the southern entrance to the canal. Between 1913 and WWII, the
USA made Fort Grant into the most powerful defense complex in the world.
In 1928 two 14in guns with ranges up to 44km were brought to Panama. Moun-
ted on railway carriages, they could be moved across the isthmus via the Panama
Railroad to defend either entrance to the canal (the Pacific-side emplacement for
the railroad guns was on Culebra). You can still see the tracks today on the drive-
way leading up to the Centro de Exhibiciones Marinas. The concrete rooms nearby,
now used by marine-center staff, once housed the guns' ammunition.
In 1941 the Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor showed that carrier-based aircraft
could attack successfully far beyond the range of artillery. Suddenly obsolete,
many of the big guns were retired from service even before the end of WWII.
However, in 1942 the US military was still determined to bulk up their defenses,
and paid the enormous cost of US$400,000 to build a command post on Isla Fla-
menco.
The Causeway, its four islands and a chunk of the peninsula leading to the
Causeway, were turned over to Panama in October 1979 in compliance with the
Torrijos-Carter Treaty of 1977. Today, part of the Fuerte Amador shopping center is
built on a massively protected bombproof structure that was needed 'for use in
case of emergency and vital to the security of important data,' according to the US
general who ordered its construction. Even today, the US military will not disclose
what data was so important that it needed to be stored at the center of a rock is-
land.
Drinking & Nightlife
Bars and clubs open and close with alarming frequency in Panama City, though generally
speaking, nightlife is stylish, sophisticated and fairly pricey. The well-to-do denizens of
the capital love a good scene, so it's worth scrubbing up, donning some nice threads and
parting with a bit of dough. You might regret blowing your budget the next morning, but
that's the price you pay to party with the beautiful people.
