What an experience! I watched tons of blogs before coming home and I was super excited. Although…read morethe market is about 15 minutes away, the heat made it little hard to walk. Once we got there, I was overwhelmed with all the great food and flavors. I'm so glad we came, it was hectic, lots of people but the food experience made it worth it.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

The Plaza San Luis Complex is a charming commercial subsection of Intramuros right next to San…read moreAgustin Church. Made up of five reconstructed Spanish colonial era buildings, it reminds me of the shopping area around Mexico City's Zocalo, although on a much smaller scale. We walked around Plaza San Luis a couple of times during my trip to Manila, both to absorb the ambiance and to get lunch at Barbara's and shop for souvenirs. I didn't love the restaurant, but the plaza was lovely. There was a stone courtyard with an old fountain that was particularly attractive. If you're visiting Intramuros, make sure you drop by the Plaza San Luis Complex. I don't know about all the individual businesses, but the area is quite pretty.

I am embarrassed to admit that it took me almost 26 years as a Filipino to actually set food in…read morethis beautiful, historic place. I was lucky that someone was nice enough to take me here, as I am pretty sure I wouldn't have come across this place on my own. Plaza San Luis is a great representation of Spanish colonial architecture that luckily has survived and has been revived into a well-maintained establishment that houses smaller stores, a restaurant, and a museum. Those establishments do deserve reviews on their own, so I would really, really love to talk about how beautiful this courtyard is. It's amazing how this place has retained so much of its old-world feel, with all the plants, the fountain, the stone walls and floors--it's all in the details. It's no wonder that this place is now being offered as an events place that can be rented for special occasions. You can actually do a bit of exploring. You must go up the staircase and see the majestic view of the whole courtyard from the top. It's really beautiful. I really do hope that this place remains well-maintained and taken cared of. It's a gem of a destination that our history and culture cannot afford to lose.

So there's this artist and he goes by the name Garapata Man. Garapata in English means fleas so you…read morecan expect that this guys has some serious wit up his sleeve and I just happen to be a big fan. Other than his merchandise (bags, pillows, shirts) and sticker popping up all over the metro--I've even come across one in the village of Buscalan, Kalinga, one of my favorite and more permanent Garapata installations is the one found in the walkway between the parking lots of Glorietta 4 and 5. It's Garapata simple and straight forward--black and white and featuring brands from Trilogy boutique so I'm assuming it's paid advertising for the shop. But nonetheless, it's good art to look at if you haven't been acquainted with Garapata Man's art. The little painted creatures are so unique that you just have to have a selfie or take a photo by the wall, I know I've done it so many times!

This is an old building, one of the early high-rise buildings that served as a marker for the…read morecommercial business district of Makati. When I held offices here a few years ago, I had no idea of its history or its place in Filipino commerce. All I knew was it was an old building with slow elevators. I got to see he 80s film original, Temptation Island, directed by Joey Gosiengfiao, though. If you haven't seen it, please do so. It's a pinoy film classic! The first scene shows the camera panning and zooming out to reveal the length of the building from the bottom to the top that showcases the Lepanto Building name. I loved this location because I feel, still feel that this stretch of Paseo between Ayala and Makati Ave is the best block in the Makati CBD. Across it is the Ayala Triangle Gardens, and welcome swath of greenery, a place to stroll or jog in the evening. Behind it is Valero street, the back street filled with restaurants and other commercial entities. The stretch is inaccessible to noisy and pollution chigger jeepneys and buses. I just love this area.