Via Argentina facelift favors people

PEDESTRIAN needs will take priority in the   upgrading of  Via Argentina, as Panama’s mayor Hose, Isabel Blandon continues a program that will ensure he leaves a lasting mark on the city during his first term in office.

One of his targets is Via Argentina in for a $24.2 million facelift “The main change includes the undergrounding of cables, improving drainage and widening sidewalks,” said Blandon and the traffic  around the Einstein triangle  will be re-routed to make the area more pedestrian friendly.
Arguably  the most European looking of Panama’s “boulevards”. Argentina is  devoid of mega high rises and retains a human dimension that encourages visitors to walk the  avenue, and explore the scores of retail outlets  and dining and wining  spots  from fast food to restaurants  serving Peruvian, Spanish, Mexican and Panamanian dishes.  There is even a New York Bagels, where hunched over their lap tops and tablets you will find an eclectic mix of visitors and locals munching on the product that gave the eatery its name,  washed down by sips from a bottomless coffee cup.

For those who like their suds home brewed, the Rana de Oro pub  overlooks the oversized bust of the oversized thinker Einstein. While ruminating on relativity, or people watching,  from the patio or deciding on a lifetime souvenir from a nearby tattoo parlor you can sample, free of charge the various draft offerings before making your final choice.

Other favored people watching bases are Manolo’s, El Prado and Trapiche all with long local histories and a wide selection of Panamanian dishes.

At the foot of the Avenue, before you reach Via Espana, is Panama’s upscale  Indian restaurant  Avatar, that will always  have you returning for more, as even a gargantuan appetite will not let you sample all of the delicacies  listed on the menu and spiced to your own taste. Oliver couldn’t have asked for more, and unlike the waif you will get a warm welcome from Canadian hosts Avtar and  Sanjay.