Related City of Manila Favorites Tips

Favorite thing: Boiled quail egg then coated with yellow orange mixture of flour then fried. It usually comes on a stick with 5 quail eggs on it for only 10 pesos. Then it is dipped to spicy vinegar with onion and garlic. It can be found every where.

Favorite thing: Here are some very useful tips when going to Metro Manila:

1. Most places will only take cash, so take money with you but be careful how you carry it. Buy a money belt, put your wallet in the front pocket, and for the ladies hold on to your purse/bag very tightly.

Only a few places take credit cards, and if they do sometimes the machine doesn't work and you'd have to end up paying cash anyways. Only the "rich" places would take credit cards like Greenbelt Shops and SM.

2. Taxi's are probably the safest and most convenient way to get around. Always ask before going into the taxi if the driver has a meter in the taxi. If not, just walk away!!

3. Cellphones: unless you have a GSM/World phone, you have to learn how to use the celphone system of the philippines. You have to buy a SIM card from any of the major cellphone carriers and put a "Load" of minutes/money into your account. You can load from a few pesos to anywhere P500 and more. It can be difficult at first, but the more you use it, the more you'll get used to the system.

Fondest memory: Makati and Greenbelt are the best places to shop and dine. There's Glorietta and SM which are all connected by covered walkways. most shops are cheap, except the high-end stores like Gucci, Prada, etc.

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Favorite thing: In case you are in Manila on Chinese New Year, try to experience going to Binondo, Manila's Chinatown. You will be in for an exciting experience as you watch the dragon & lion dance on the streets, buy lucky fuits and Chinese lucky charms peddled on the streets, taste authentic Chinese Cuisine, buy Chinese delicacies like tikoy & hopia, buy Chinese jewelry & house display items, and observe how the Filipino & Chinese cultures blend to offer hospitality to tourists on that festive day..

Fondest memory: I will never forget the excitement of chasing the dragons and lions as they swiftly run dancing on the streets, just to take some souvenir shots. I will also forever cherish my visit to the very beautiful Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz, with its awesome fresco paintings on the ceilings.

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Favorite thing: One of my fondest memories of Manila is the great view of the skyscrapers of the Makati from my hotel room at Renaissance Makati City Hotel. I stayed on the 10th floor facing the city and the photos are taken from my hotel room (lucky to have clear blue sky after a few days of rainy weather in late November 2007).

Favorite thing: Makati City is considered as the Philippines' version of New York's Wall Street and Los Angeles' Beverly Hills by being the country's most major financial, commercial, and economic hub. Many global businesses have chosen and continue to choose to headquarter on this side of Metro Manila.

Here are a few of the places that Makati City takes pride in, and ones that can be visited with just a 50-peso cab ride.

Fondest memory: PBCOM Tower, the tallest structure in Makati. This edifice towers at 848 feet (55 levels), making it as 91st among the world's 200 tallest buildings as reported by the Emporis Standards Committee (ESC). The PBCOM Tower, located on Ayala Avenue, is home to the Philippine Bank of Communications, which occupies the first ten floors, and other burgeoning businesses such as the East-West Bank, Citibank, Convergys, Etelecare, HSBC HDPP, IBM Daksh and ICT. This Makati City skyscraper has a facade that combines function and a hint of elegance through interplay of glass, natural stone, and metal. It was designed by the international architects of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.

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Favorite thing: Ortigas Center is known to be the second-most important commercial and business district after Makati. Ortigas Center has numerous high-rise corporate edifices, residential condominiums, and commercial establishments. This 2007, there are three highlights awaiting its visitors: a unique Filipino- themed shopping center, an exciting event for the arts, and the continued popularity of an Ortigas hotel that has proven itself a truly relaxing place to stay.

Flanking Ortigas Center are the streets of EDSA to its west, Ortigas Avenue to its north, Meralco Avenue to its east and Shaw Boulevard to the south.

Fondest memory: Tiendesitas, a novelty shopping village. For serious Filipiniana collectors on the look-out for that special find, Tiendesitas, a sprawling Pasig City shopping center just a few minutes away from Ortigas Center, is the place to visit. This 30,000-square meter area shopping complex in Pasig City is home to 450 shops selling specialty products from all over the country, from home-made suman (rice cakes) to vintage Filipino comics. The shops at this shopping mall in Pasig City are grouped, according to their wares, into shopping pavilions called villages,' with each village boasting of charming Maranaw-inspired architecture. Tiendesitas is located on Ortigas Avenue corner E. Rodriguez Avenue, Pasig City.

Arts and Music Festival at SM Megatrade. Running from August 23-26 at the Megatrade 3 Hall, SM Megamall shopping center in Ortigas Center, Third Backdoor Ventures’ Arts and Music Festival and Trade Fair is a unique venue for celebrating arts and music, as well as the lifestyle or subculture that inspires the artists from all walks of life to cultivate further their respective crafts. This annual event in Ortigas fuses the expansive world of arts and music with the world of commerce and business in a one-stop-shop trade exposition for buyers and sellers. The entrance fee to the Third Backdoor Ventures’ Arts and Music Festival and Trade Fair is Php100.

Astoria Plaza, a truly popular Ortigas Hotel. The Astoria Plaza is a 35-storey luxury Ortigas hotel that pampers its local and foreign guests alike with Zen-inspired surroundings, giving its Guests a tranquil respite from the hustle and bustle of Ortigas Center. The one- and two-bedroom suites at the Astoria Plaza Hotel in Ortigas Center are tastefully decorated with contemporary furnishings. To ensure total guest comfort and satisfaction, each suite of this Ortigas hotel comes with a spacious living room, dining area and kitchen. Astoria Plaza is located at 15 J. Escriva Drive, Ortigas Business District, Pasig City.

Favorite thing: This location was the location of the palace of the last local King beofe the arrival of the Spanish.

Fort Santiago was erected here and becomes the center of mghty Spanish colonial rule for the next 300 years.

Then it briefly taken by British forces for 2 years in the 18th century.

And then by the Americans when Spain ceded Philippines in 1898.

It was destroyed in World War II, but restored in 1950 as "Shrine of Freedom".

Favorite thing: While driving in Manila area, this disused airplane converted into a restaurant caught my eye and my camera.

Did not have time to stop to try the food on board. But it is one of the interesting places that I remember here and would like to go there if it is still around.

The other restaurant in Manila that I went was the singing restaurant where the chefs, receptionist and waiters and waitresses will sing to the diners with their pots and pans.