Jernie's Hub: February 2010

Friday, February 12, 2010

Around Metro Manila Part2

Tagaytay City

Tagaytay city is a popular tourist destination because of cool climate due to its high altitude. It is situated on top of the Tagaytay Ridge, which is about 2,100 ft above sea level. The city belongs to the province of Cavite, about an hour and a half to 2 hours drive from Manila. . The city itself is a tourist attraction to the local and foreign visitors because it offers a verygood view of the Taal Volcano and Taal Lake in Batangas.

Since we leave in Cavite, a drive to Tagaytay City normally takes only 45 minutes depending on the traffic. Our favorite place to spend a day or an afternoon is the RSM Restaurant. The place is nicely decorated, they offer really good food and their outdoor area overlooking the Taal Volacano and Lake is very well landscaped. They used to have a cultural variety showbut the last time we were there, they didn't have one but a singing group who would serenade the guests.

Spending the evening in Tagaytay is also highly recommended. There are really good places to hang out and will enjoy the night view of the place. I really love it there.

Shangri-la Plaza It is an upscale shopping mall located in Ortigas Center, was my favorite mall during the 90s. It offers a good variety of places for shopping, dining, entertainment, events and services to customers. Parking space is not at all a problem here. In my recollection, this place was much more elegant, in order, spacious and clean before than today. I paused for a moment try to figure out if this is the same place that I used to visit before. Anyway, we roamed around the place, watched the Korean Food Exhibition, did some shopping, took some photos with their Christmas decors and off we go. Visit their website http://www.shangrila-plaza.com/

The Grand Escalators

Korean Food Exhibition

Grandiose and beautiful Christmas Tree

view from the rooftop parking area

The Mega Mall and the skyline behind

The Mega Mall as viewed from the rooftop of the Shangri-la Plaza

Entrance to the parking area

Greenbelt Center and Glorietta Mall

These are located in Makati City. It is said to be the country's first premier lifefstyle center that offers to the customers high end shopping, specialty shopping, entertainment and dining. The outdoor offers a beautifully landscaped garden on which the restaurants and coffee areas around have a very good view. This place is really awesome: from the high-tech parking system, to the posh boutiques, really beautiful interior decorations then out to the garden, its small park leading to the chapel and the restaurants and coffees shops around. I would say, this is one of the best few places in Metro Manila to hang around not only during daytime but evenings as well. The photos below say it all.

Visit as well this website that I came across which shows a 360 degrees view of the place.

http://www.360cities.net/image/manila-makati-greenbelt-2009-philippines

The Chapel

Inside Cafe Havana

Guava Pie and Banana Split

The walk bridge connecting Greenbelt Center to the Glorietta Mall, Landmark
and SM

Greenbelt at night

Inside the new Greenbelt 5

Outdoor Restuarants at Greenbelt 5

Havana Cafe evening

Glorietta Mall

It is another huge mall in Makati City Center, connected to the Greenbelt Center by a walkway bridge. Like the Greenbelt center this is dividedinto 5 areas as well, Glorietta 1 to 5 which houses many shops and restaurants, as well as cinema screens, a gym, arcades and a large central atrium often used to stage special events. It has an activity center, located at the heart of the mall. It is also integrated between Greenbelt Mall, SM Makati, Rustan's Makati and The Landmark, a department store.

On Oct 2007, there was a bomb blast here which reportedly killed 8 and hurt more than a 100 people. When we were there, an area of the mall is restricted to shoppers. I guess for renovation purposes.