Must visit if you're in the area on a Saturday morning. This market is held every Saturday morning…read moreat Jaime Velasquez Park in Makati. The market offers a wide variety ranging from Fresh produce, fruits , local Filipino snacks, seafood & a ton of food vendors. I loved the pumelo & went back to buy more. It gets busy so get there early. There's so much to choose from and wanted to try a little if everything. It's a great spot for a snack or lunch. Many vendors offer free samples. There are tables to sit but you can find a seat in the park to enjoy your food. I had a great time here. They also sell beautiful fresh flowers.

Just being here with all the plethora of food choices. In a setting right out of a movie, what more…read morecan you ask for. Considering you're in Makati a bougie neighborhood pricing is actually reasonable. They have everything, so I'm just going to tell you what we have. Puto bong bong made infront of you and Illocos empanadas fried fresh are the standouts. Just come here and take in life.

If Baywalk in Roxas Boulevard was the traditional place to see the Manila Bay Sunset, Seaside…read moreBoulevard is its louder, brasher, less refined cousin. Those who remember the Baywalk during the last decade when it was still overrun by bars and cafes will feel right at home here at Seaside Boulevard. There are days (Weekends in particular) where it feels like the whole populace of Cavite is in the bayside, and yes it is exactly as scary as it sounds. But do try to come over on a weekday, where the crowd's much thinner. Then at least you can stop and appreciate the restaurants lined up along the boulevard, as well as the fun rides and leisure activities dotting the stretch.

I wanted to visit the oldest Chinatown in the world so we made a stop here on our trip. I figured…read moresince we were on vacation we needed to visit something historical. We took a rideshare from our hotel. We crossed the Jones Bridge then drove under the Binondo Chinatown Arch. We got dropped off on Ongpin Street and walked to the Binondo Church then stopped by Eng Bee Tin for Hopia. It was crowded but a fun experience. I'm glad we got to check out the neighborhood.

The World's oldest Chinatown! (MANILA Philippines)…read more We booked a van to drop us off at Lucky Chinatown Mall and came here on New Year's Day. From there we rode a tuk-tuk cart (a 3-wheeled gas passenger novelty taxi tricycle). That thing fit 8 of us inside plus the driver and his toddler so ten total). It dropped us off at Ongpin Street. I would've thought that the place would be empty because of the holiday but surprisingly many businesses and vendors were open. We came back a couple of days after and the streets had a more vibrant and bustling atmosphere. Ongpin Street in Manila is lined with restaurants and many shops including jewelry stores. There were many shops to pop into. You can find the Ongpin Northbridge Arch, and the Chinatown Welcome Arch and the Arch of Good Will at the end of Ongpin Street (cross-street Ronquillo Street). It ends on Juan Luna Street. Review #3287

I am one who evelieves that art is everywhere and can be anything. For graffiti artists, the city…read moreis their canvas. This particular wall strikes me, not only because it's right by an intersection, but because the two biggest pieces contrast with each other so much. The first one is a cartoon, with eye-catchig colors of predominantly green and pink, it gives off a silly feeling of happiness and fun. I guess I'm attracted to it because that's pretty much who I am. The second one is a topless woman, mostly in shades of gray and black, with colored patterns radiating from her. She has a strong facial expression and her arms have what looks like tattoos. To me, she is a woman brave enough the be herself and bare herself to the world. Pretty much who I want to be. Each one is beautiful in its own and I just had to stop and take a photo of each. Because art is love and is meant to be shared, here I am sharing it with you.

When I want to buy local souvenirs, I usually go to Kultura Filipino or to Filipiniana. Both are…read morelocated in Makati, close to my place. And both offer all the traditional symbols of the Philippines - barong tagalogs, pinneaple fiber clothes and table runners, t-shirts, Mother Pearl picture frames, pearl and coral jewelry and so on. I particularly prefer Kultura Filipino, because I have the feeling it's better served. Actually I think the store is bigger. Anyway, I prefer it. But when I don't want to cross Glorietta to get to the SM building, I go to Filipiniana, inside The Landmark. I highly recommend it for those times you have to buy a gift for a foreigner friend or buy some souvenirs to your family when you go back home on vacations.

If you're a foreigner or balikbayan looking for authentic and inexpensive Filipino souvenirs and…read moregoods, you have to stop by the Filipiniana section of Landmark. The large section is dedication just for Filipino crafts, products and food and I love how you have so many options to choose from. I'm not a foreigner or a balikbayan and I'm not looking for souvenirs but I do love going around this section and buying things. I love being a Filipino and I'm certainly proud of our skills, talents, culture and food. In this part of the department store, you'll find any kind of souvenir you want. It's basically a one-stop-shop. You can find gorgeous handmade and local artisan crafted furniture, home accessories, jewelry, clothes, traditional costumes and even yummy Filipino food snacks like peanut brittle and the famous dried mangoes! I always bring my foreign friends and family members from the States to this store and they always buy so many things and come out of the store happy and satisfied.

On most weekends, you'll find that bazaar-like set up along the row of restaurants from Cafe…read moreMediterranean towards Razons. This is Gourmet Gathering that has been happening on-and-off along different parts of Greenbelt 1 since 2010. The schedule also changes depending on the season. This week, for instance, I've been seeing them there since Wednesday. Other times, they start on a Friday and are there until Sunday. The merchants also change every weekend but there are some mainstays that you'd see there consistently. There's DEC which offers some really good siomai and other ready-to-eat food like tawilis, chicken cordon bleu, embutido and more. There's that place with the tiny cupcakes and the really yummy red velvet cupcake. I think they're called Cukay's. Beetins Pasalubong has lettuce chips, kamote chips, ukoy chips and more. Victoria's offers fruits, salted eggs and taho. There's that place selling gem cookies and other old school Pinoy snacks. You'll also find that stall that sells the nuts, dried fruits, candied fruits and other cool ingredients you can use for baking. Make sure you drop by Greenbelt on Fridays to catch your favorite gourmet merchants. There are often more of them here near Christmas time.

Salcedo Village is the place I chose to live and to raise my baby. Before making this decision, I…read moretook many aspects into consideration. One of them was the possibility of doing everything without a car. I mean, I can go walking everywhere I need - the market, the mall, the restaurants, the cafes, the laundry. All services I need are available. Here's a list of things I do and that are just a few steps from my place: I go to the pilates, I go to gym, I take a walk in Ayala Triangle Gardens or Jaime Velasquez Park, I go to many wonderful restaurantes (La Creperie, Wild Flour, Tsumura, Mendokoro Ramenba, Poco Deli, Blackbird and so on), I grab a coffee at Starbucks or CBTL....everything without a car! Salcedo Village hosts two lovely parks (Ayala Triangle Gardens and Jaime Velasquez Park) that are green oasis in the middle of Makati's busy Central Business District. This single fact would already justify living here, but there's much more :) The location is very good, it's easy to take a jeepney and MRT/LRT, it's full of expats and also filipinos enjoying the best in Makati. Oh, and it's close to Makati Medical Center, in case you need. So, when visiting Manila, don't forget to highlight on your map this fantastic area bordered by Ayala Avenue, Paseo de Roxas, Makati Avenue and Gil Puyat Avenue.

If you want the same dainty and homey feel that Legazpi Village gives you, then look no further…read morethan across Ayala Avenue, Salcedo Village Salcedo Village almost has the same ambiance as Legazpi Village but with more of a homey, residential feel added into it. They have more condominiums and apartments lining the streets than offices so it is easier to relax and unwind here. Couple that with a wide array of restaurants they have in the book, and you'll find yourself coming here everyday after work. Must tries are: 1. Coffee in Commune 2. Homecooked meals in Simple Palate 3. Wines in Terry's Selection 4. Dessert in Claudette's If you happen to drop by on a Saturday, visit the Salcedo Market which offers fresh produce and local and international foods!

My love for walking stems from several factors: 1. I am…read morenavigationally impaired. Walking helps me build my mental map, and believe me when I say it takes a long period to build. 2. I come from a family of walkers, on my mother's side. Everybody walks and walks faster than the regular person. You have to walk to catch up with them! 3. Exposure to walkable cities during travel makes me wish Manila is a walking city too. Which is why, when I saw these Walk BGC signage, with directions and distance guides on landmarks within the BGC area, I was beyond ecstatic. Finally, useful directional signages direction-idiots like me. If BGC can do it, I believe it can be implemented in any city in Metro Manila. And certain areas can be assigned and developed to make it easy for pedestrians to navigate the city. This will definitely help ease traffic congestion and will also encourage tourists and visitors to explore the city more! Good job, BGC!

So I live and work in Makati (on Ayala avenue) and I'm a bit of a lazy bum, so all those…read moreunderpasses when walking from end to end of Ayala Avenue is a bit too much for someone with week knees! This overpass is pretty cool (And useful!), and in the recent years, the folks managing it have invited artists to make the overpass lively with their graffiti! There's also loads of shops lining the overpass, like my favorite Dunkin Donuts store (they never run out of munchkins!) a CDR King, a fruiquet (fruit bouquet...) shop, and a digibabe, among others. What I like about the overpass is that they also have ATMS interspersed between buildings, with security guards so you won't be afraid to make a withdrawal at night. The overpass leads into the Greenbelt-Landmark area, which also leads you to the Ayala MRT station at SM Makati! All in all very good idea to reduce the foot traffic on the main roads and make traversing Ayala avenue that much easier.

As someone who just walks around Makati to get from one place to another (I walk a LOT and I am…read morescared of cabs), I have passed by Dela Rosa Overpass several times. It's a loooong walkway that connects the further end of Dela Rosa to, of course, the mall as it's end point (Greenbelt). But it also connects to other places such as shuttle terminals and other buildings along the road. This place gets really busy, especially during rush hour so you can expect to find establishments along this long stretch such as tea places, snack places, and the like. What makes this overpass not just another urban structure are the murals. You can't miss it of course, as they are bursting with colour, some with messages on them, some with weird creatures, some with cute things. These works of art are very creative indeed, and do liven up your everyday, uneventful walk. Though, I won't consider these murals graffiti as I'm sure these were commissioned, so you can notice the restraint from the artworks as everything is "tamed" and needs to be suitable for eyes of all ages. Nonetheless, if you are new to Makati and want a preview of local urban art, check out this walkway.

We arrived to Legazpi Sunday Market around 10am and it was already bustling with people, especially…read morearound all the food stalls. It was nice to see a variety of things to eat or drink and even purchase like handmade clothing, bags, and trinkets. Since the market is right by the park, you have access to the restrooms and places to sit and eat. So we ended up staying in this area for a good few hours. We had a pleasant time, so we highly recommend checking it out!

Outstanding Sunday market if you want to stroll a bit and have a bite. The vendors were all…read moreextremely friendly, especially the chicharron tita who adopted me on the spot. While it initially appears very small, it's like Harry Potter waved his wand with the spell to make the inside of the tents bigger. It was a veritable maze of delicious goodies. Great spot to walk off a long flight and take in the local eats.