Panama City is unlike any city I’ve seen in Central America. It’s big and brawny with scores of high rise eye candy surrounding a calm blue bay with tankers and small islands out in the distance.
Just a few blocks behind the tall buildings are many, many streets with much less glamorous neighborhoods.
Panama City has a lovely section called the Casco Viejo, or the Old Quarter. It’s the original center of the city and it has been wonderfully restored.
I went to see the Miraflores Locks in the Panama Canal, which is the most accessable of the major locks from Panama City. The first day I got there at 11:30am and was told the next boat wouldn’t be coming through until 2pm. I was told it would be the same thing the next day, so I dutifully came at 1:30pm the following day…only to be told the next ship wouldn’t pass until 3:30pm. Because of covid the restaurant, museum and IMAX theatre were all closed. I didn’t want to wait outside for 2 hours, so I gave up.
But I did find this fantastic 7 minute video that showed a time lapse version of the 11 hour transit of the entire canal.
I had a very nice Airbnb apartment in a 30 story apartment building right on Balboa Avenue with a great view of the bay.
