TheExpatJournals.com

Had a guest in town last night who is buying a building to renovate in Casco Viejo. So we went to Manolo Caracol’s for dinner and then walking around. First, the turnover in staff at Manolo’s resulted in a very different menu from everything I had ever had there. Always an enjoyable experience, but I’m not so sure it stacked up against what it used to be in terms of food. (more…)

If all proceeds ahead, I’ll be moving back to Casco Viejo at the end of this month. La Cresta sucks! I now have a new comparison to NYC…this place is a mini version of the upper east side…without any of the conveniences. I think of the Robin Williams line about the Upper East Side in the Fisher Kings. To put it into context, the holy grail was apparently hidden there and he said (and I paraphrase from memory…long ago at that), “Who knew there was anything Divine on the upper east side?” (more…)

It seems that in life, everything is a trade off. I sit here on my terraza in La Cresta and am soothed by the up close view of a hummingbird while listening to a gecko sound off nearby. It’s light enough to see the hummingbird and that means the birds are beginning to chirp. This little guy is primarily green. There is another I’ve seen in the afternoon that is the most brilliant red and green in the light. And the quiet. It is so very quiet. (more…)

I’m writing this on my last night living in Casco Viejo…for now. I’m taking a rather Zen approach about ‘accidentally’ taking the apartment in La Cresta. I said goodbye to Manuela today. I recently looked at the photo of her from last summer and boy has that girl aged. She went grey and now she’s white around her eyes. I told her that I had seen two Springer Spaniels being walked in LaCresta. Bet no one knows their names the way EVERYONE knows Manuela’s name around here. Springers seem very rare down here. From afar and as a result of Manuela, Susan GG up in Bocas provides me with a vicarious thrill of watching a Springer puppy grow up. (more…)

Well, it feels akin to that in-between hair stage on this board right now. There are lots of things happening in the neighborhood, but I’m not well enough informed to actually write about any of it.
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Comment: You should start a Panama branch of Zagat’s dining out guide. What a good review of food and restaurants. I’m a former New Yorker - born upper East Side, lived on Christopher street until moving to New England.

Question: What NYC neighborhood might Casco Viejo compare to in terms of safety (if a comparison can be made)?

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