My office is a mess!!!!! But my frustration of putting all in boxes and dealing with transferring phones is only balanced by the excitement of moving to our own headquarters. Yes!!!!

Surfing the web I found this good set of virtual tours of Casco Antiguo. Check them out! we also have a section in the website that shows a couple, but these guys have different views, so between the two you can get good visuals of the historic city. The photos aren´t that good, so go straight to the map and click on the red dots.

As Christmas approaches, the city goes crazy. Yesterday, Panama´s traditional Christmas Parade took over Avenida Balboa. Thousands of kids running around, piling up to see the cars and trucks dressed up with miscellaneous Christmas themes. But where are all these props made? you would be surprised to know that the "Factory of Dreams" carved in foam is in Casco Viejo. More specifically, next to the Cathedral, run not by Santa but by Franz.

Clara and Jennifer are one of our favorite Casconians outside Casco. They are so nice and cook so well that we almost forgive them not being in Casco Viejo. But not for long! I hope... After a long absence

One of the fondest memories I have of Christmas is going to visit my grandmother ( a former Casconian, waaaayyyy back when…) and spend hours either making or playing with the Christmas Model Town. We call it “el nacimiento” which in few words describes a small town made out of toys featuring the Christian nativity scene. You could go all the way up with those things, there where those who took the entire garage in their homes and did a real mini Israel out of it.

Just came back from Miami Art Basel. These fairs are great because it is like an open discussion not only on social issues but on what beauty is for each one. Casco Antiguo has beautiful buildings, parks and scenes, it is true... but nothing beats the beauty of its people. And not beauty in the conventional magazine-model type but on the beauty of feeling just great even if you are wearing hair rolls that are twice the size of your head. And orange.

Skaters welcome to San Felipe! With the double purpose of keeping kids out of the streets and keeping them in good shape, we are sponsoring space for a Skate Park within one of our buildings. The guys from Flow (the skate and surf store) donated the materials, some equipment and training, and the kids brought their enthusiasm.

Last night, the Casco Antiguo community came together to celebrate the opening of Galeria Vida and Entre Pulgas. They took the opportunity to close up Calle 3era (behind Hotel Central) and have a neighborhood party with food and drinks for everyone. It was Christmas spirit all over, as right on the corner, Casa Gongora had the choir concert, singing traditional and Panamanian Christmas Carrols

One of the fondest memories I have of Christmas is going to visit my grandmother ( a former Casconian, waaaayyyy back when…) and spend hours either making or playing with the Christmas Model Town. We call it “el nacimiento” which in few words describes a small town made out of toys featuring the Christian nativity scene. You could go all the way up with those things, there where those who took the entire garage in their homes and did a real mini Israel out of it.

Yesterday I had a fantastic evening with a client who is looking to move to Casco Antiguo next year. It was very interesting to hear him out, not only why he was moving out from the States (the financial crisis, the lack of opportunities for a young guy to get a business going unless you had a lot of cash) but also his view on why Panama (and Casco Viejo, of course) is his best strategy under the difficult circumstances.

Today I was having lunch at Casuale (calle 1era) and saw this historic photo... which I happened to have the current angle! freaky, no?

Panama, and more importantly (for us) Casco Antiguo got featured at CNBC European Business December edition. Check out the article here!