On January 14th, 2019, a beloved part of Miraflores, the Calle de los Pizzas, was put to rest. All 29 locations on the street were shut down in one fell swoop. The move was sudden and completely unannounced. News reports indicate that the local government had been engaged in a long-term covert operation to document illegal activity on the strip. Not that you needed to send in the CIA to figure out what was going on down there. Formally, citations were issued for lack of escape routes, allowing prostitution and drug sales to occur in businesses, and constructing around the trees which are supposed to be public spaces.
However, the Miraflores government isn’t going to simply nuke the place and leave a crater in its wake. Oh no, it seems they have big plans. The closure, at the moment, is for 2 months, and construction is set to begin. So far all that has been officially said is that they’re giving the street a makeover. Will this just be an attempt to gussy up the street and hide the seediness below? Or is Miraflores finally fed up with the shenanigans? Will ownership of these buildings change? So far there are lots of questions, but few answers.
As this place is very close to my heart, I shall most certainly be putting up a more personal take on the issue in the coming days.
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