Diamonds and Designers

     So, everyone that thinks Panama is a little Third World country, with thatch-roofed huts and barefoot citizens, please raise your hand. That's what I thought. We have been to the city (and in Panama, that translates to Panama City) twice this week, and a more cosmopolitan scene you cannot find. Of course there are not-so-nice neighborhoods, street vendors and performers, simple bodegas and the like. However, you can also find fabulously decorated penthouse condominiums, exclusive boutiques, designer fashions and gourmet dining establishments.

Photo of Panama City taken from a 38th floor condo.

         The Multiplaza Mall was one of the places in the city that we checked out this week. We had never been there before, but we had heard that it was a shopping center catering to the more sophisticated and discriminating tastes. It is immaculately clean, exquisitely appointed, and the stores bear such distiguished names as Versace, Louis Vuitton, and Cartier. Look out, Beverly Hills!

Stores at Multiplaza 

     Tony Roma's can be found here, as well as P.F. Chang. The MAC cosmetic store caught my eye, and they boast a new Nickelodeon retail store for all the SpongeBob aficionados out there. The movie theater looked to be as nice as any I had ever seen. We did not have time to walk every square inch of the mall, but it is without a doubt more posh than most. And NO, I didn't buy anything. It was fun to just walk around. Yet another facet of this fascinating place!