A couple of weeks ago, J and I were on our way home but we were still a bit hungry and didn't…read morereally feel like going home yet since it was still early, only 6 pm!
Since we had no plans, we decided to just check out Circuit Makati, the new Ayala development on the site of the old Santa Ana Race Track, which was on our route home. I have passed by the Santa Ana racetrack area since it was still a racetrack and have been seeing the progress of the construction on it, but have never really checked it out yet. I know it's been open for a few months already, but I felt like there was nothing there yet. Anyway, this was my chance to finally see it.
CIRCUIT MAKATI
Parking was free, thankfully. I'm sure once it's fully opened, parking won't be free anymore, so if you're curious to see it, now 's the chance! About half of the establishments are already open, mostly restaurants. Some shops are still closed.
It has an open design, which seems to be the "IN" thing in malls now. It reminded me of the Ayala Serin Mall in Tagaytay. A lot of the space is open air - this is great if you are a nature lover; I think you'd be able to bring your pets, like in Serendra. It also saves the mall on air-conditioning costs. On the other hand, it can get hot, humid, and muggy, and on that night, it was drizzling, too.
However, I appreciate the abundance of plants and little pocket gardens and oasis-like ponds. Pretty.
Circuit Makati is 3-floors high, with 2 long buildings with balcony walkways facing each other. The 2 buildings are connected by several bridges. The little balconies with the orange umbrellas by the water remind me of the ones in The Venetian in Macau. I'm sure it will become a prime spot once Circuit Makati is fully opened.
There's a Grab Taxi stand out front, and I saw signs for a free shuttle service to Makati. Somewhere, I can't figure if it's on the side or behind the mall, there's a kart racing place, and beside it, there's another area like a big, big tennis court where many kids were doing sports things. Haha, I can't tell what sport it was and I was too lazy to walk there to check.
I am actually looking forward to going back there to hang out at CBTL or Starbucks. Why not? Parking is free, and even on a Saturday, there weren't too many people there. Sometimes you just want to hang out at a place where it's not too crowded, almost secluded, 'ya know? Appreciate it while it's still not filled with people. To me, the picture below looks very inviting, because I'm really just an introvert, truly.
However, security still seemed to be a bit lax, maybe because Circuit Makati is still new? I saw a group of more than 10 pre-teen to teenage kids hanging out near one of the pocket gardens, with no visible adult companion around to keep them well-behaved. I don't think a group like this would get past security at other malls. Anyway, it seems safe enough, but best to still be alert and keep to the main areas and avoid the darker areas where a lot of shops are still closed.