Monday, January 09, 2006

The Metro's great public places

Urbano dela Cruz launched the Search for the 10 best urban places in Metro Manila. The qualifications are as follows:
  • must be a publicly accessible place (i.e. - you don't have to pay to get in, or buy anything to get in)

  • preferably outdoor, or largely outdoor

  • democratic (not just for the burgis)

  • must contribute to making life in our metropolis just a little bit better
Go to his blog and share your thoughts. My choices are:

1. Baywalk (Manila)
2. UP Sunken Garden
3. Manila Cathedral
4. Las Pinas Church
5. The Wall (Intramuros)
6. Chinatown
7. Liwasang Bomnifacio
8. Plaza Miranda
9. CCP
10. San Sebastian Church

I like Baywalk for its sunset, the people and the seabreeze. Manila City government did a good job in sprucing up the place a few years back. (Manila Bay photo from Manila Photos.)

Sunken garden for the greens and the sight of young people studying, chatting and doing their own things. It energizes and inspires me to watch the kids who, in a few years time, will rule this country (oh well, some of them anyways).

Manila Cathedral for its architecture, the dome and history. A conquistador's remains were interred there, right?

Las Pinas Church for the bamboo organs and the courtyard.


The Wall, especially those fronting Mapua, Lyceum and Letran. I had great memories of The Wall. It was our tambayan back in college. After classes in Mapua we'd buy a Tanduay lapad and we'd chitchat and drink at The Wall until we're pretty smashed. hehehe. (The Wall Photo from Webster.)

Chinatown for the sights, the sounds and the smell. Love the food there.

Liwasang Bonifacio and Plaza Miranda because these two places symbolize freedom of speech and assembly. I attended countless rallies there!

After a rock concert at the Coconut Palace 15 years ago we decided to spend the night at the CCP's lawn! Libreng tulog. May guard ka pa. Hahaha. Remember our drunken stupor days, Reggie and Orly?

San Sebastian because of its awesome Gothic spires and it is the only steel church in Asia.

So there.

8 comments:

The Guy in Red Sneakers said...

fond memories sa Intramuros. ditto with San Sebastian.

haven't been to the Sunken Garden.

btw, we're the implementing arm of that supplemental feeding program by GMA. oo, it's for pa-pogi lang nga.

may bagong version na ito, the food-for-school. we give out (in coop with DepEd and DSWD and NFA) 1 kilo of rice to a child for every day of attendance to school. since maliit lang ang pondo, yung pinaka-vulnerable to hunger and malnutrition na area lang ang binibigyan. also, limited lang to Grades one and two -- MUNA.

why am i saying this..? wala lang, for info. te he he.

ps. like your blog. brooding. i like to brood, too.

happy new year.

The Guy in Red Sneakers said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Sedricke said...

for me, ayala avenue and intramuros. both time extremes.

nice site btw.

Kiss My Mike said...

great choices!

i'm with you on most of them, especially Baywalk and especially during sunsets!

twistedman said...

erick: thanks for dropping by. dole outs like food rationing, subsidies on rice are fine with me as long as the government is doing something on the policy side like slowing down or scrapping liberalization to cushion its impact on local enterprises. how can we create jobs if we are killing our businesses by lowering our tariffs to ridiculous level? we are flooding our markets with cheap goods from china and this is not good for our wrokers as well as the local manufacturers.

sedrick: i like ayala too especially during rallies. hehehe

kiss my mike: yup baywalk is great. thanks for visiting po. :->

Sidney said...

Great choices!
Baywalk together with Paco Park are my favorites.

The Guy in Red Sneakers said...

yes. dole-outs are what they are lang talaga. it serves the purpose kasi of instant pa-pogi (which this administration REALLY, REALLY (i can not emphasize this enough) need.

that we allow ourselves na gamitin NIYA is a short essay altogether.

what we're aiming for talaga are better policies and action plans on combatting hunger LONG-TERM.

salamat i have someone to talk about it.

been in my chest kasi.

i'm also against trade liberalization. all these cheap clothes and imitation stuffs are killing local enterprise, i agree.

not related -- i remember MY drunken stupor days. Hahaha. Sana maulit sila ulit.

Anonymous said...

That's a great story. Waiting for more. Detective private investigator degree covert surveillance