2 Best Sights in Tegucigalpa, Honduras

You might not realize it as a bus chugs by belching a cloud of smoke, but Tegucigalpa really is putting forth an effort toward making itself a more pleasant place to live and visit. One of its little gems—it's a work in progress at this writing—is the five-block-long downtown pedestrian mall between the Teatro Nacional Manuel Bonilla and Plaza Morazán. The unusual moniker "Liquidámbar" comes from the genus name for the American sweetgum tree, grown throughout Honduras; locals, however, simply refer to the promenade as the Calle Peatonal (pedestrian street). Bricked pavement, modern iron street lamps, new benches, and tiled colonial-style street signs make Liquidámbar a pleasant place for a stroll. You'll find a few U.S. fast-food places here as well as the ubiquitous Espresso Americano, Honduras's answer to Starbucks. Stores are geared toward local shopping needs rather than much tourist interest. The Champs-Elysées it is not, but we credit the city for creating a pleasant public space for residents and visitors alike.

Crowded night and day, the city's central park—folks here frequently refer to the public space as the Parque Central—is where everyone comes to chat with friends, purchase lottery tickets, have their shoes polished, and listen to free afternoon concerts. As it was recently refurbished with new benches and outdoor seating, you'll want to sit here for a while to admire the cathedral's facade and watch the pigeons playing peekaboo near the equestrian statue of Francisco Morazán, born in Tegucigalpa and president of the Central American Federation in the 1830s, which included Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. On the topic of those pigeons, they seem to have amazingly accurate aim. Watch where you sit.