Monthly Archives: July 2011

Preparing for the Panama Jazz Festival 2012

Posted in Casco Antiguo, Casco Viejo on July 29, 2011 Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Casco Viejo, Panama Lunch with Panamanian Grammy Award winner Danilo Pérez is an experience on its own.  He is full of energy and information, but most of it all, I always end up loving Panama a bit more after talking to him.  I didn`t know, for example, that Panama was one of the countries that had more “musicians per capita” contributing significantly to jazz.  At every Panama Jazz Festival, he makes a point of dedicating each to a different musician and to celebrate their life and contribution. This year, the 9th edition of the Panama Jazz Festival will be dedicated … Continue reading →

Great Night at Casco Viejo

Posted in Casco Antiguo, Casco Viejo on July 28, 2011 Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off

Casco Antiguo, Panama Everybody excited and dressed up, the National Theatre was buzzing last night.  The performance opened with Panama`s National Orchestra.  The second part blew people away with Alexander Panizza`s impecable technique.  His encore: La Campanella. Standing ovation! After such a fantastic performance, we went straight to Las Clementinas, I had a craving for their “guacho de mariscos” which is a very nice risotto with tomato and seafood sauce.  Lime and home made picante for those who like it spicy! for me, tons of lime! Out of the blue, Carlos, the manager of the restaurant, sat down at the … Continue reading →

Romantic Casco Viejo

Posted in Casco Antiguo, Casco Viejo on July 27, 2011 Tagged , | Comments Off

Casco Antiguo, Panama   Yesterday I was running to Las Clementinas in Casco Viejo to meet a client. So I was walking “full speed ahead”, but as rushed as I was I used two micro seconds to take this photo: a girl modeling with her white dress in the middle of Plaza Catedral. It makes me smile how people come to Casco Viejo because they want it immortalized in their most special photos.  I`ve seen wedding photos, sweet sixteen photos (in Panama is sweet fifteen), and of course there is always the “fashion” category as most magazines in Panama shoot … Continue reading →

International Pianist plays pro Casco Viejo`s Jazz School

Posted in Art, Casco Antiguo, Community on July 25, 2011 Tagged , | Comments Off

Argentinian pianist Alexander Panizza, who is recognized internationally because of its impeccable classical repertoire,  will be performing this week at Casco Viejo`s National Theatre.  Wednesday 27th, at 8 p.m. , all proceeds will go to the Danilo Perez Foundation. For those of you who are not familiar with the Danilo Perez Foundation, they founded Panama`s first Jazz School which is located in Plaza Herrera, Casco Viejo.  Their dream, which today is a reality, was to reach out to the poorest neighborhoods and open their eyes to another world full of possibilities through music. They started small, the first big obstacle … Continue reading →

Art Raffle at Los Del Patio, Casco Viejo

Posted in Casco Antiguo, Casco Viejo on July 20, 2011 Tagged , , | Comments Off

Casco Viejo, Panama This is going to be lots of fun! whenever you put together a group like Jonathan Harper, Brooke Alfaro, Yiyi Ibarra and Sandra Eleta it has to be fun. Their work is really good, and they`ll be joined by other recognized figures in Panama`s art scene such as Cisco Merel, Dona Conlon, Ana Elena Garuz, Isabel de Obaldía, Alicia Viteri, Emily Zhukov and Federico Herrero. The idea: an art raffle! How does it work: they`ll be selling tickets at $500 each. Only ten tickets will be sold, and you`ll be able to exchange the ticket for a … Continue reading →

Fighting to Preserve Our Patrimony

Posted in Casco Antiguo, Casco Viejo on July 20, 2011 Tagged , , | Comments Off

In the last few months, a battle of ideas have been taking place in Panama, concerning Casco Viejo. For more than a year, the government has been exploring options to connect Panama City (modern side) to future private developments in Amador.  Because in the middle is Casco Viejo, our beautiful 300 year old UNESCO World Heritage Site, the method of connecting was said to be a tunnel that would go under 17th Street, which is outside the historic district. After a public bidding was awarded for the tunnel, the government announced that they preferred to do a landfill around Casco … Continue reading →

Renting in Casco Viejo

Posted in Casco Antiguo, Casco Viejo on July 19, 2011 Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Casco Viejo, Panama From time to time we like to publish a “snapshot” of what is available and comment. These past months rentals have been quite active,  with leases being renewed,  new leases being signed and apartments coming to market. One of the frequently asked questions is whether is better to rent furnished or unfurnished.  In Casco Viejo, we never have a hundred options of each. They come and go in waves. Sometimes we won`t have a single unit furnished, and others is all we have.  The key is knowing what you absolutely need, because once you decide you need … Continue reading →

Celebration of La Bastille, at Casco Viejo

Posted in Casco Antiguo, Casco Viejo on July 15, 2011 Tagged , | Comments Off

Last night, the French community in Panama gathered at Casco Viejo, around the historic “Plaza Francia” (or French Plaza) to celebrate La Bastille Day.  Plaza Francia is one of Casco Viejo`s best known icons, built in honor of the French who initiated the construction of the Panama Canal.   Today, Casco Viejo is home to a growing number of French neighbors, from the regional director to Channel, to developers and journalists. Fireworks closed the evening. People strolled by Las Bovedas, enjoying the tropical breeze and peaceful marine landscape.  This morning, when we went for our walk, sunlight was bathing the “rooster” … Continue reading →

Arco Properties Launches New Website

Posted in Uncategorized on July 12, 2011 Comments Off

We are proud to present our new Arco Properties website.  Exploring our listings in Casco Viejo will be easier with tools such as Google Maps and easy icons letting you know about amenities for each one.  Casco Life has all the bits and pieces about day to day life in Casco Viejo, from an updated list of restaurants, galleries and hotels, to schools nearby and how much they cost. One thing we learned through this process is that there is no specific point where you can say “it is 100% finished, done”.  This will be an ongoing project! One of … Continue reading →