A day in Panama City— brand-new skyscrapers, and a colonial quarter

Nov. 13, 2007, 12:56PM
By ARTHUR FROMMER King Features

Still reeling from the fact that our Panama City hotel had a full-scale casino of roulette wheels, blackjack dealers, craps tables and slots (nothing had prepared us for Panama's Las Vegas-style gambling), Roberta and I headed for our first morning in town to the city's outstanding quarter of colonial gems, the Casco Viejo district of 17th-century Spanish charm.

Preserved as the conquistadors left it, Casco Viejo vies with Old Havana and Old San Juan in authenticity — but it is beginning to leave the others behind with the restored beauty of its courtyards, and the sparkling tiles and marble that line many of the cafes, restaurants and shops that occupy these historic structures. Just as Panama City's downtown across the bay is transforming itself into a totally unexpected, skyscraper-packed Hong Kong, Casco Viejo is in the process of being restored into the most tastefully attractive area of the city.

Here the district is studded with fun gift shops (potholders and eyeglass containers in the strongly colorful designs — "molas" — of Panama's indigenous Indians, dolls in the ruffled long skirts of Panama's 19th-century women, feather-light Panama hats), the cafes and restaurants are gracious and courtly, the sight of the city's skyline across the water is stunning, the Presidential Palace (currently housing the Honorable Martin Torrijos) is the center of power and is surrounded by military — but friendly — guards, and the chief sightseeing attraction is the Museo del Canal Interoceanico (the museum that relates the history of the Panama Canal — although its inscriptions are in Spanish only, its many visual aids and movies are understood easily). The Canal museum is an indispensable stop, a necessary prelude to your visit to the Miraflores Locks later in the day.

After a $30 lunch for the two of us (including appetizers, main course, two Panama beers and dessert) at the elegant Mostaza Restaurant, we took a cab to the Miraflores Visitors' Center on the outskirts of town for a look at the actual workings of the canal. As we stood on a high outdoor balcony overlooking the Miraflores Locks, an announcer speaking over a loudspeaker in Spanish, English and French explained the intricate workings that lifts these giant vessels to different levels of the artificial waterway. Asian sailors stood on the deck of one enormous container ship, looking up at us tourists as we gazed at them and their ship.

From Miraflores, we visited not one but two successive marketplaces of Panama City, and bought gifts for relatives back home at prices that were a quarter the levels charged in the lobby gift shop of our hotel. The tourism of Panama is centered not simply in Panama City, but to a far greater extent in the picture-perfect, uncrowded beaches (with several large resorts) just outside Panama City, and in the renowned San Blas Islands, Pearl Islands and Bocas del Toro offshore islands, as well as on the Gulf of Chiriqui. It's found in the mountain stretches of Boquete, housing rain forests, coffee plantations, and Embera and Kuna Indians — a superb setting for tourism.

Just as Americans began flocking to Costa Rica a decade ago, they're now going to what might become the new hot spot of Central America, Panama. You should consider a trip.

Panama vs. Miami, part II

Continued from Part I of Know your Competition: Panama City; where Miami and Panama City are compared as candidates for the FTAA secretariat.

Parallels:

Panama City is a force to be reckoned with. Currently, there are plans to build approximately 107 residential properties (20 floors and up) valued at $3.5 billion. It is definitely Latin America’s boomtown. Two of the proposed projects are vying to be the tallest in the southern half of the hemisphere. Many of the projects are extremely impressive but I have to admit not altogether original. The Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower looks like a replica of Dubai’s Burj al Arab.













The Faros del Panama development has a similar architectural concept to Riyadh’s Al Faisal Tower: the difference is that instead of a sphere at the pinnacle there is cube. In a parallel to Miami’s boom, some of the project names are the same: Platinum, Ice, Acualina, and Ocean One. Surely this was not intended but it is ironic nevertheless. Panama City, after all, has its sights set on countering Miami’s trade influence in the hemisphere.

Anatomy of a Boom

PC is booming, but it is not clear whether there has been a catalyst to this surge or if momentum has been gradually building over time. In Miami, the city was racked with hurricanes, immigration crises, riots, and political corruption during the decades preceding the current boom. Despite the many obstacles Miami faced, the city resiliently moved forward into the future. The immigration crisis subsided and led to the establishment of a Spanish-speaking foundation, which serves as the basis for Miami’s status as the Gateway to the Americas. The riots and political corruption resulted in changes in the political establishment that created more adequate representation among the minorities. This led to stability, security, and economic success. Panama City, much older than Miami, has seen destructive pirates, revolution, foreign invasion, a dictator deposed, drug cartels, and yadiyadiya! So,why then is PC booming? The answer might be simple: the Panama Canal. Duh. Certainly, long term security and aid provided by the U.S. helped. And, last, its central geographic location: where two continents meet.

Pros:
Today, many Caribbean nations rely heavily on Miami for material support and trade facilitation. Latin American nations consider the city the logical entry point into the U.S. market. However, Panama City is actively reaching out to mitigate Miami’s importance. To bolster Panama City’s hemispheric economic stance, the Panama Canal is undergoing a 5.2 billion dollar expansion that will further expand the critical waterway’s trade role during the new millennium. Tocumen International Airport, Central America’s busiest, just recently underwent major renovations and has flights to almost every major city in the hemisphere.



More Pros:
Panama City has a long history of U.S. intervention. Panama declared independence from Colombia in 1903 with American support; the main condition was that the U.S. would be the controlling interest in a new trans-oceanic canal that was to be built. Although the U.S. government has long since relinquished control of the canal, Panama remains a dollar based economy. Many Panamanians speak English. U.S. citizens compose two-thirds of all foreign visas issued. To some, the quality of life and health care system rivals that of the United States without the high cost. American expatriates feel at home there and make up a big chunk of the buyers market for PC real estate, and it sits right smack in the middle of the Western Hemisphere.














Cons:
The city has its pit falls. It is over 400 years old and still lacks a decent and modern transit system. The public buses look like they were vandalized by Rastafarian loons. Untreated sewage is still pumped out into Panama Bay. Certain poor neighborhoods on the fringes of the capital lack easy access to drinking water. The government has pledged to do more regarding the environment and public transit but the promises remain, well, promises. Familiar? Miami suffers from its own infrastructure improvement lag, but for the most part, the funding is in place and the plans for improvement, in many cases, have already begun. Miami’s public bus and monorail system eclipses what Panama City has for transit at this time—this is no compliment for Miami.



More Cons:
Panama City is also a hot bed of drug trafficking. As infamous as Miami’s drug past and present is, Panama City is at a different level. Recently, Panamanian and U.S. authorities seized a ship with a record breaking 11.5 metric tons of cocaine only to get that record broken by a 19.4 metric ton cocaine bust off of the same Panamanian coast. Much of the drugs that go through Mexico across the U.S. border, at one point or another, went through Panama first. This has resulted in heavy gang violence and involvement in the lucrative drug trade coming from nearby Peru and Colombia. The Panamanian police engage in routine anti-gang sweeps where hundreds get arrested. Drug traffickers have been known to possess machine guns and RPG’s. Panama City in many respects is susceptible to the instability that spills over from neighboring South and Central American countries. The result has been an increase in violent youth gang activity.

Last Glance
When broadly considering the facts, it still remains true that Panama is surging towards a more positive future than just about any other Central American metropolis and arguably South American too. The boom in Panama City is, by far, more speculative than the one in Miami. As much as Panama City impresses one with its English speaking population, it pales in comparison to Miami, which is considered to be the hemisphere’s foremost bilingual metropolis (with the largest presence of foreign born residents in the world). Panama City’s main airport, although recently renovated, does not compare to the massive expansion of Miami International Airport. Also, the city’s lack of a modern transit system, lack of environmental friendliness, heavy drug trafficking, substantial gang violence, and proximity to unstable neighbors, leaves it a questionable FTAA secretariat candidate compared to Miami. This is not to say that Panama City cannot get their act together in time.

Note: Panama City’s construction boom is valued at approximately $3.5 billion. This is chump change when considering Miami’s construction boom, which according to the latest City of Miami large scale development report, is valued at approximately $29 billion.
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