I moved to Roosevelt a few weeks back, and my new apartment is a short jeep ride away from SM North…read moreEDSA and Trinoma. I discovered, then, that Quezon City is, apparently, the land of ridiculously overcrowded malls. The horror! It's to be expected, I guess, since this is the end of the line for most commuters, and going into the nearest mall is the best way to hide from the sun. Still though, when you adjust to the sheer number of people, you get to see that SM North has a lot to offer. Touted as one of (if not THE) biggest malls in the country, it occupies a whole city block and is made up of several separate buildings. Seriously, this place is so big, I haven't fully explored it even though I've been here so many times. It might have to do with the fact that I can't seem to find out how to go from the main mall to the other buildings - but I'll find a way! Dora, I need your map!

I love going back to SM Malls when Im in the Philippines but it gives so much hassle especially…read morewhen you have a baby/toddlers. Not trying to compare but even a little mall strips in the US has a separate changing station for the babies (or they have a changing table at least on the woman's restroom). I was glad to know at first that SM Malls have provided a Nursing Station where you can also change your baby's diaper. But to my dismay, SM North Edsa in QC refused to let us change my one year old daughter's diaper in their Nursing Station because she has poop on her diaper. The attendant say its solely for nursing purposes but I can change her diaper if she only has pee. We tried to begged but no to avail. She led us to the Prestige Customer Service Lounge but they wont let us in because we are not a Prestige Member. We tried to explain that we were not allowed to use the regular chaging/nursing station because its new and has a lot of restrictions. My husband also tried to offer to pay just to change my baby's diaper. They only allow us when my husband raised his voice, but I still saw the girl receptionist giving us an annoyed face when she asked for his ID. Im very disappointed with SM Malls because we even spent 30,000 pesos on their airbnb property near SM North Edsa (The Grass Residences). Hopefully they will try to improve their policies when it comes to changing/nursing station because most of their consumers are family with babies and toddlers.

Paseo de Magallanes is my family's go to place whenever we don't feel like going to the busy side…read moreof Makati for dinner. It has almost everything - restaurants, grocery, salon, dental clinic, banks, camera repair shops, coffee shops, and more! Parking is not expensive, but can get full during weekends especially in front of the restaurants and the grocery store (Rustan's). It's also a great meet up point, like how my friends and I hangout here before the road trip to Tagaytay or Batangas. I also drop off some of my friends who carpool with me when going home. This place is very accessible and has many establishments, and I highly recommend this to those who would like to avoid large crowds and heavy traffic.

Paseo de Magallanes is a commercial area near the Southern Luzon Express Way. Being from…read moreMagallanes, this area makes life so much easier for me. It's pretty much complete. It has all the banks, a grocery store and a lot of places where you can eat and/or drink. My favorite hang out spot is Cafe Breton. Whenever I want to get out of the house but don't want to fight through the traffic, this is my go to place. There's also a flower shop for special occasions and parlors too. A laundry shop, camera and laptop repair places, you name it, it's probably there. The only thing missing really is a drug store!

I went to the new UP shopping center for the first time in years. It completely changed! But it…read morestill had the essentials every UP student has. Theirs boba, a copy center at every corner, and lots of great places to eat. They also have a little shopping market at the bottom. It really is very similar to the old shopping center before. I love looking at the shops upstairs to look at the UP gear. They have so many selections. I may have bought at least 3 shirts while I am there. At the food court, you can get a lot of yummy food for a great value or price. They have a lot of Korean stalls, but also a lot of Filipino food places. One place we ate at there is Goto King. It is still a little empty. There were empty shops still, but maybe soon it will fill up. Everyone was also nice and accommodating. Can't wait to visit again when I come back to the Philippines.

There are times, as a teacher, that I need to have loads of my worksheets and test papers copied…read more And even if I graduated already, the first place I go to is UP-Diliman's Shopping Center. PROS: Xerox mamser! This is the ultimate place for photocopying and infringement of books' copyrights! The whole strip is littered with stalls that can print, copy, bind, laminate, or even type whatever that needs doing - even a whole textbook. Professors even have their own endorsed stall where you could go to grab all the copies of this semester's readings; They have computer/internet shops for that quick cramming of the paper you're supposed to submit an hour ago; Rodics is there! And right behind it is the Coop, for your grocery needs. SC has it all - a pharmacy, optical shop, even a fruit stand. CONS: Need to use the bathroom? Pay 5 pesos; Make sure you keep an eye on your things. There's a lot of people who come and go SC so it's easy to lose stuff; The strip itself can get pretty hot and crowded. TL;DR: The place where the average Isko/Iska can get anything that they need to survive - food and readings.

I can see myself retiring in the Philippines as a snowbird. I know people who already do it so I'll…read moreprobably follow in their footsteps. Seattle is too expensive. BGC is affordable as long as you know how to manage finances and budget well. Bonifacio High Street has pretty much everything I would need for daily conveniences and comforts. St. Luke's is near High Street so that takes care of health services. Before my vacation I downloaded their local ride-hailing app and used it after landing in Ninoy Aquino International Airport. I couldn't believe how affordable rideshare was in the PI. This pedestrian zone has local and international businesses. We started at Market Market and walked our way down. Minimal noise pollution from cars. It's a business district for retail, entertainment, art, and dining. We ate at a buffet. I couldn't believe how affordable that bill was plus having a credit card that has no foreign transaction fees helped. Some businesses honor the senior citizen discount too. It's quite the perk when you have dual citizenship. It's a welcoming, clean, and modern area. Security was present and I didn't see any homeless people. If this was downtown Seattle you'd see homeless people yelling at the sky, see them sprawled out on benches, and see them sleeping on the ground. No unsightly overhead power lines. It's a nice pedestrianized open space with wide walkways. The urban planners thoughtfully designed the walkways as there are ramps for people with disabilities. High Street is beautifully landscaped incorporating public art. I loved listening to the water elements. It was peaceful walking around during the day. Not a lot of tree cover but the ground floor tenants have awnings to block the blaring sun. At night High Street switches to a lively environment. Lots of families, friends, and co-workers socializing and enjoying themselves since everyone is off work and out of school. I carried a portable fan, had sunblock on, used my sunglasses, drank from my water bottle, and wore comfy shoes. Leave room in your luggage for a major shopping haul.

BGC Bonifacio Global City will always be my first choice whenever I visit Manila, and Bonifacio…read moreHigh Street is most defintely a highlight. This reminds me of Las Ramblas in Barcelona, where wide pedestrian walkways/parks are between several retail. service and restaurants, and where people can stop and rest at benches, stairs/tables right at the center. There is literally a chain, or blocks fn these walkway/parks so we can walk through one, cross a street, the enter another. It's very family oriented. We saw several families playing in the park. It's also very pet-oriented where several people were walking (or carrying) their dogs. It's one big social. The choices of dining are endless, and one can take-out fast food, or stop and dine inside a restaurant. For US residents, it's almost like being in the USA because of the amazing number of US-based restaurants. Best of all, as a female senior citizen I felt perfectly safe walking by myself.

When I still live in the Philippines, I've been going to SM Megamall since it opened in 1991. It…read morewas the biggest mall in the Philippines at that time and had its run for 17 years. Now it is the third largest mall in the Philippines and the thirteenth largest mall in the world with almost 1,000 shops including retail and dining outlets. This mall have almost everything, from specialty stores, clothing, electronics, arcade and video games, hardware, bookstores, sporting goods, restaurants, cafés and food court, movie theaters, and kiosks by merchants. Most of the items are great value for money and service is always on point! They also hold special events and holiday celebrations. Check it out!

I'm so jealous the states side don't have these kind of malls!!!! Everything you need all in one…read morelocation! Great stores, great staff, great food options! I love the mall!!!!

Best , plenty shops, air conditioned, and inexpensive . Good…read morefoods , near hotels, movie theater

Spatial Awareness: I enjoy the layout of the entire mall…read more Instead of one long line-shaped mall, all the buildings more or less revolve around each other, making exploration more pleasant. It's easy to find most places & they have a fair amount of help desks. The place gets really crowded during sale, rush hour, & the holidays. Sales: Sales are so frequent that I'm not sure it's wise to "seize the moment" anymore. If you shop at sales often, you're not really saving anymore, because while you're thinking you spent less & got good deals, you have nearly nothing left & have to wait until your next pay day. Parking: They have parking slots everywhere in different buildings such as The Link. The problem is they get full quickly towards the afternoon. The mall needs more security because people still pass through Wrong Way signs. Lounges: I like that the mall has lounges for cleaner restroom experiences, but doesn't that make you wonder why there is such? Shouldn't all restrooms be well-maintained in the first place? P10/use is big when you do the math. Although, it's still hilarious to see some people hoard toilet paper or paper towels. It's funny, sad, foolish, & clever. But I admit doing this with a runny nose. :)

Robinsons Place Mall is a huge lifestyle center, located in the Ermita district of Manila. It's a…read morebit of an oasis; Robinsons Place is very nice, but the area surrounding it is drab by comparison. And it is more than just a "shopping mall". In addition to retail and grocery stores, restaurants, and salons--it has offices for government services! During my stay in Manila, I purchased meals, goods and services here. It was also interesting to people watch; examine products and brands new to me; and compare the price of goods in the PHL, versus back home.

Robinsons Mall in Manila is one huge shopping mall. I believe I counted 7 levels at this shopping…read moreplace. We only had about an hour to explore, and we only saw a tiny fraction of what Robinsons has to offer. Wifey and I only ate food while we were here, and did some walking to burn off some of the calories. Robinson is one very clean mall. The air conditioning works really well which is great to have in the Philippines. Personally, I enjoy visiting shopping malls in the Philippines as compared to in the U.S.A. Robinsons Mall in Manila is a terrific spot to visit, shop, and cool down all at the same time.

The Power Plant Mall is a five-story, upscale indoor shopping mall in Makati, Philippines. It is…read moreanchored by The Marketplace supermarket, an eight-screen Power Plant Cinema, and a mix of high-end retail tenants. It even has a Roman Catholic chapel called the Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I was interested in visiting this venue because, as the name suggests, this structure was once (literally) a power plant. After the power plant was decommissioned, the structure and land were reimagined. It should be seen as part of a master planned development. It also caters to some adjacent, legacy, high-end communities. This location provided an opportunity for me to people watch; examine products and brands unfamiliar to me; and to price compare goods in the PHL, versus back home. And there seems to be more "exclusive" retailers I didn't see at other shopping centers in Makati.

Loved this mall - it has a lot of great regional shops and it was beautifully decorated for…read moreChristmas!