Hailed by the New York Times a decade ago as "Panama City Rising," the capital is now "risen," a luminous star that's taken its rightful place in the firmament.
Before, there were dreams… Like high-tech "smart" towers and smarter hospitals.
Air-conditioned buses to replace the rattletrap diablo rojos ("red devils") that machine-gunned down city roads belching black exhaust.
How about a subway? And parks… Oh, how we envied the parks of Buenos Aires and Mexico City. It seemed we'd never get there.
But then… we did. Look out to the horizon and you'll see. There's no pie left in this Panamanian sky.
And the city offerings—the art galleries, the gleaming malls, the golf courses… the corvina, ceviche, and craft-brew cervezas—oh that's where the fun begins…
An elevator rockets me down to the building's swanky lobby (décor style: maximalist overdrive, courtesy of Phillippe Starck), where I wait for my Uber.
A stream of cars flows by along busy Balboa Avenue, their tail lights painting streaks of yellow and orange against the tall windows. It's 7 p.m. on a Thursday, and some of the best restaurants and nightspots in Latin America sit right outside my door.
As I step out into the night, red lipstick and high heels on, my heart is light. I'm back in the city—my city—and ready for some of that glitz, some of that glamour.
Everything at Your Fingertips
For 17 years I lived here. Then in 2022, I decamped to the beach community of Coronado. As it's just 65 miles away, I come back all the time. Sometimes just for the day or a weekend with my closest friends, sometimes longer.
This is an extended stay. Over the next two weeks, I'll hit all my favorite spots and make new discoveries, too. Panama is the city that always surprises.
I'm already off to a good start. My Airbnb apartment in the fabulous Yoo Panama & Arts Tower complex is everything I wanted and more. City living at its absolute best. On site I've got access to several restaurants, including Azahar—a stunner that looks like it belongs in Soho. (Soho, London, SoHo Manhattan… take your pick.)
Across the street is the Cinta Costera, one of the world's great city promenades and a place where I've spent countless happy hours. It's filled with flowers and trees, bike and pedestrian paths, tennis and basketball courts, and more—all of it spanning our warm, sunny, hurricane-free stretch of the Pacific ocean.
I can also walk (yes, even in heels) to a little gem of a market called Foodie for just about anything from rosé and paté to batteries and paper towels. Or to Urraca Park, where there are often free fairs and concerts (and it's decked out to the nines at Christmastime).
Or to Meze, for some of the best Greek food in the world… Café Unido, for some of the best coffee in the world… or Taberna La Malagueña, my gold-star go-to for no-frills tapas and no-frills prices. (Order the spicy shrimp that comes to your table in a skillet of bubbling hot garlic oil… and stay for the weekly flamenco show, it's the real deal.)
In approximately 15 minutes I can also walk—in sneakers—to my chiropractor in the Royal Center/Paitilla Hospital mini medical village; an upscale Riba Smith supermarket; the Deli K kosher supermarket; King's Food Indian market; Multicentro, a mall with a Hard Rock Café and casino; Soban Korean (glass noodles! Korean pancakes!); and Maru Korean Dessert Café (get the cute goldfish-shaped Bungeo Croffle with the gooey center and die happy).
In fact, there are so many amenities and services within a short walk or $4 Uber ride from here, I feel ridiculous owning a car. If I move back to the city, it would be tempting to sell it.
Then again, apartments in town do tend to come with parking spots… and there are beaches, mountains, and national parks just one to two hours away.
For years, a whispered promise carried on the ocean breeze… past the bright orange detour signs and traffic cones… past squadrons of massive mustard yellow machines that earned us the punny moniker "City of Cranes."
Change was coming. Behind the chicken wire and the barricades, it was coalescing.
Today you can look around and see, the promise of Panama City has been fulfilled.
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