Colon sits on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal. Dirty and friendly.
The sidewalk vendors go for several blocks. Additionally, there is a large indoor market-the rain is intense. North Americans really don't blend here.
Cristo Redentor was erected in 1995 at the very north end of the road from Panama City to Colon.

Panamanians and most in Central America love their parks. Parks are well attended from dawn to dusk. Maybe they would rather be there than at home. I think that the same dynamic is at work in the English Pubs (public houses). Meet your friends, shoot the breeze and enjoy the sun. It sure beats working for a living.