Like it's better known-brother Malecón 2000, Malecón El Salado is another attractive waterfront renewal project that's popular with residents. There are several eateries and cafes in a streamlined modern building along the estuary, plus a micro theater named Sala La Bota (tickets $5 to $25) with a funky adjacent coffee shop. Rowboats can also be rented (one to five people per boat).
Locals with kids in tow head to Malecón El Salado on weekend nights to see the ‘dancing fountains’, a choreographed waterworks display at 7pm, 7:30pm and 8pm. The large square just south of the malecón, called the Plaza Rodolfo Baquerizo Moreno, is dominated by a large modernist structure. Expositions and events are held here periodically.