The district of Chakana is situated three thousand metres above sea level and atop Ecuador's third-tallest mountain, this is the home of the Beanstalk space elevator. It is home to several buildings catering to serving the Beanstalk directly, including warehouses awaiting goods to be taken up the space elevator and tourist spots surround themselves the modern wonder of the world. The Beanstalk stands tall as the tallest standing structure in the megacity, it could even be seen from other districts. Everything in the district surrounds the megastructure and lives under the shadow of the largest transit centre in the world.
Given the importance of the Beanstalk, the space elevator is policed heavily by the NAPD and Prisec outfits to ensure that it is running smoothly without incident. The import of Helium-3 from the moon is vital to Earth. It had just been fifteen years since the Lunar Insurrection and the brief war over the Beanstalk still fresh in the minds of many around the district. Presently, the district provides much employment to the population from the direct operation of the Beanstalk in the Space Elevator Authority (SEA) to the many pop-up tourist stalls dedicated to suckering visitors with a piece of ‘Luna rock’ to take home.
The Beanstalk itself is made up of two individual smaller districts, The Root and The Plaza Del Cielo located above it, the centre of transit and commerce. Not all is grande in Chakana, Eastside is a collection of cramped warehouses and cheap tenements that are never shown on the tourism holovids. Finally, El Centro Historico is a picturesque sector catering to tourists.
Earth Station Terminal
Earth Station Terminal, located at the Root, is a large transformation hub for the local tub-levs of the city as well as the mag-levs that travel outside of New Angeles. The mag-levs often carry raw goods and passengers from around the country planning to go upstalk, preferring to skip the hassle of air travel. There is also a bay dedicated to chartered hoppers that can take passengers directly anywhere in the city, avoiding public transportation altogether. The terminal is chaotic, to say the least, with often lines being changed last minute. Given the low abundance of space at the heart of the Root, transportation lines are often layered atop each other by several levels. Even with the number of projection screens and standing bioroid guides, navigating the terminal is difficult at all hours of the day.
Museum of Space Travel
Those passing through Plaza Del Cielo will find it difficult to miss the Museum of Space Travel, catching all those who are planning to make their way to the stars for the first time in their lives. The museum chronicles the human journey to the stars and aspirations for future plans. Some exhibits featured include a miniature scale of the beanstalk and the Midway station and the Challenger Planetoid. There are also hands-on exhibits that are popular with children including replicas of Neil Armstrong's boots and a playpen with a cloned dog of a mixed breed, which is said to be a close replica of Laika, the first animal to orbit around the Earth. The museum has censored all historic mishaps and dark histories revolving around space travel.
Straight to the Moon
Owned by Carmen Torres, the quaint cafe and shop are found in El Centro Historico. Everything in Straight to the Moon is obnoxiously moon-themed and it is a large draw for tourists year-round. There are moon-decorated lattes, apple pies with moon-cratered crusts, and even the odd moon-shaped mooncakes. There are spinning chandeliers in the form of archaic satellites over the heads of the customers, the floors are textured to feel like the moon's surface (the best of Carmen's imagination), and some booths are made to look like fictional lunar caves with cool lighting. The walls are lined with various merchandise, clothes with moon prints, and moon plushies of various sizes. Carmen has never left Earth.
Skyway Shops
Skyway Shops is a shopping plaza found on a network of building rooftops and sky platforms neighboring a good view of the Beanstalk. Upscale shops and expensive boutiques are all found here with each congregation of stores connected by an automated bridge walkway. Some parts of the plaza have reinforced glass flooring, allowing visitors to see the city below at the Skyway Shops' high elevation, if so inclined. Needless to say, this plaza seems to cater to mostly ristie clientele as the Skyway Shops are only reachable by hopper and the occasional tourist bus. Buckyweave-reinforced designer suits and handbags to keep teacup giraffes are found here.