yup.. Indian counterpart namin... nagvisit sya dito to attend to matters regarding our project... lead kasi sya ng isang group namin...

well.. tingin ko kasi may pagkamanyak din un kaya nabiktima ehh.. heheheh....:D

btw what's the meaning of tongue-in-cheek.

It's an adjective. Meaning kidding, trivial, playful, fun-loving, frivolous or facetious.

"And that concludes our lesson for today!" :)

(that was tongue-in-cheek. :D)

I don't think the Powerplant Mall at Rockwell is a qualified success. It's only ever busy in the daytimes, and even then, it's empty. The problem is that Rockwell is too secluded from the rest of Makati to be as attractive as its more central competition, like Greenbelt.

I dont think its a failure though... Quite a lot of ppl go there during the day and the night too. The bowling alley is full whenever i go there. And the restaurants are packed during night time.

I heard they are going to build a military mall inside Camp Aguinaldo. I dont think that will succeed...:D

Before you go on slamming Harrison Plaza and calling for its demolition, you should really go visit and actually shop in it. Despite what people may think and say about it, Harrisson Plaza is a THRIVING mall. It's always full of shoppers and the majority of their shops do good business and have been doing so for years and years. Rustans department store renovated a few years ago and still looks fresh and classy inside. They've also just renovated the Rustans Supermarket Food Court. SM Department Store just finished renovating last year and looks brand new inside. The Bench branch is huge and busy. Same with National Bookstore, and this branch is much much better stocked than the one in Robinsons Place Manila (I was able to buy an architecture book here that even Powerbooks G4 didn't have). Cinderella just finished renovation and looks very chic, with huge Esprit and Naf Naf boutiques inside. There's a huge branch of Guess. Toby's Sports, JB Music, Odyssey, Mercury Drug, Abensons and Blims are obviously doing well and are all well-maintained and well-stocked. Image Electronics is one of the few shops in the Metro where you can get the latest cutting edge HT equipment, and I think they do better business than even the much snootier HT stores in Shangri-la Plaza (I often see people actually buying stuff like plasma TVs instead of just admiring them). The only other video rental store that even comes close to matching Image's DVD collection would be Video TakeOut in Rockwell (I know for sure because I'm a member of both). Jollibee, McDonald's, Max's, Seattle's Best, Video City, Let's Face It and Goldilocks just put up new branches within the mall relatively recently. Subway shutdown its Robinsons Ermita branch but continues to operate the one in HP. Is this the picture of a mall in decline? I definitely don't think so.

The tiangge is actually only mostly isolated to that big open space in the middle next to where they put the Christmas tree. It's no different than the ones you'll find in Greenhills, Robinsons, and Goldcrest and Park Square in Ayala.

Harrisson Plaza may be no Greenbelt 3/4 or Podium, but it's no Coastal Mall either. Its only big flop was the Cinemas which were unfortunately built with no provisions for renovation. Despite that, till the end, the HP cinemas never sunk to 2nd-run theater status. Maybe someday they'll figure out what to do with the space.

I like HP because it's not just any other cookie cutter mall. It has some tenants that have stayed with it for decades, and some shops you won't find anywhere else. And it's totally lacking in pretension.

mga robinson's na natapatan ng SM can also be considered unsuccesfull. (except maybe the one in pampanga)

I don't know. Robinson's Galleria in Ortigas is a pretty good mall-- I actually prefer it to SM MegaMall next door despite its crazy layout. The stores are different from the ones you find at all the SM Malls. It also gets extremely busy.

What is the name of the mall across the street from Rizal Park? Not SM City Manila... the one on the western side of Taft. That mall used to have ok stores but as soon as SM City Manila opened, it's become a Tiangge kind of place.

Masagana?

Robinson's Galleria is a good mall. I just hate some of their cinema seats.... gives your neck an angle that hurts after the movie. ALso their parking stinks. Garbage scent big time. Comfort room sucks too.

mga robinson's na natapatan ng SM can also be considered unsuccesfull. (except maybe the one in pampanga)
yeah. :sleepy:

What is the name of the mall across the street from Rizal Park? Not SM City Manila... the one on the western side of Taft. That mall used to have ok stores but as soon as SM City Manila opened, it's become a Tiangge kind of place.

That's Times Plaza. It's not really a mall, more like an office tower with a podium. A few call centers are based there. They had to close down the food court, which was pretty good before. At least the Jollibee and Pancake House there still seem to be doing good business. OK location pa naman sana.

Here are some pics of Gateway that I took Aug 9.
Side facing Shopwise (former site of fiesta carnival)
http://www.geocities.com/a_ofngol/gw1.txt

Side facing Shopwise
http://www.geocities.com/a_ofngol/gw2.txt

Side facing Shopwise
http://www.geocities.com/a_ofngol/gw3.txt

Side facing Gen. Araneta Ave.
http://www.geocities.com/a_ofngol/gw4.txt

Side facing Gen. Araneta Ave. at Gen. Roxas Ave. - No curtain wall
http://www.geocities.com/a_ofngol/gw_malvar-araneta.txt

awesome! :) nice mall...

i always eat merienda at Pancake house times :)

COD Dept. Store Cubao closed down and the building is now Puregold Express.
http://www.geocities.com/a_ofngol/cod_puregold.txt

We used to go there every Christmas to watch their xmas show.

Gaisano Dept. Store Cubao (at the left side of the picture) was also unsuccessful.

puregold express? what's that...

Puregold is a supermarket chain. Relatively successful, comparable to WalterMart. They have other branches in QC and along Shaw boulevard, and one soon to open beside the succesful Pavilion Mall (partly developed by Ayala) in Binan, Laguna.

COD and Gaisano were successful during their time, however they didn't do anything to help improve the situation during the years when Cubao was in decline so they both went down with the ship. The EarthLife New Age center at the top floor of COD was a really cool place. I wish I'd gone back to buy some of the interesting things and books there before it closed down.

i remember there was this huge "hukay" beside SONY service center cubao, infront of the COD building... is it now up? or still a hukay up to now

It is still a hukay until now.
It's filled with water kaya nagmukhang lagoon or articifial lake tapos tinubuan na rin ng mga halaman ung paligid so it's not much of an eyesore as it used to be.
Ano ba dapat yung itatayo dun sa hukay na yon, anyone knows?

Some hotel I think, supposed to be QC's first 5 star (mauunahan na ng Crowne Plaza in Ortigas). The Aranetas really dropped the ball during the last 3 decades.

nice!!! what a great addition to Araneta Center... I've been trying to figure this out for quite a while now, but who knows where the Megatren connects? is it really connected like the one in SM Makati, or do you have to go down? thanks for the shots btw!!

nice!!! what a great addition to Araneta Center... I've been trying to figure this out for quite a while now, but who knows where the Megatren connects? is it really connected like the one in SM Makati, or do you have to go down? thanks for the shots btw!!

at the cubao station of the megatren... you go down the farthest staircase/escalator (to katipunan side, kase dalawa ung labasan isang anonas exit and araneta center exit) beneath it u'll find another train dock....tapos nandun ung exit pa-gateway... ngayon it's still closed but bare ung ginagawang mall... it's the most spacious connection i've seen from a train... but right now passengers have to settle themselves sa makshift staircase na super mauga that is supposed to be a fire exit for the gateway mall...

Cge na, wag na mainis.
Think positive, ganyan lang yata talaga kapag cute. (Haha, joke lang - pero jokes are half meant).
So, moral lesson: Wag sumandal sa railings ng mga mall. :bash:

Btw, taga Uste ka rin pala Kenneth (mbassyambassador). Gusto mo meet tau minsan :colgate: dito lang ako sa eng'g.


wah! Wah-la lang...! teka layo mo! taga eng ka right? ngyek kakatamad maglakad!

San ba kayo madalas mag lunch? Kasi 3 hours lunch break namin pag wenesday so pwede dun na lang ako magla-lunch sa kakainan nyo.

Sana meron magpost ng rendering nung proposed hotel.

Puregold is a supermarket chain. Relatively successful, comparable to WalterMart. They have other branches in QC and along Shaw boulevard, and one soon to open beside the succesful Pavilion Mall (partly developed by Ayala) in Binan, Laguna.

COD and Gaisano were successful during their time, however they didn't do anything to help improve the situation during the years when Cubao was in decline so they both went down with the ship. The EarthLife New Age center at the top floor of COD was a really cool place. I wish I'd gone back to buy some of the interesting things and books there before it closed down.

I don't think a supermarket can fully occupy a 7 storey building.
Pano yung ibang floors? Kasi diba nung bukas pa yung COD,
the upper floors of the building are empty, as in sayang talaga yung space.
Saka wala namang matinong parking dun sa lugar na yon diba.

i agree. i remember the parking spaces of COD where the ones at the back of the building lang na isang row.

San ba kayo madalas mag lunch? Kasi 3 hours lunch break namin pag wenesday so pwede dun na lang ako magla-lunch sa kakainan nyo.

hmmm....wednesday... wala akong klase... pero pupunta ako tomorrow i-checheck out ko mga regular friends ko (irreg kase ako eh) what time lunch niyo?

11:30 to 12:30. So ano plano mo?

i like the material they use in Gateway's facade. i havent seen anything like that in MM, the Podium would be the nearest looking. more glass less concrete in the facade. awesome pics, even though the weather didnt really help

yup. I love the materials and design of Gateway. Looks really modern. I just noticed those little things sticking out of the edges of the roof. the stretch of horizontal slotted bars. my dad sent me a copy of BluPrint (issue no.4) through a friend and it featured the new Medical City (in Ortigas Ave? the plans have Rockwell Sidewalk labelled on them. does Ortigas Ave pass through Rockwell Center?). the author said the little bars were actually put in place to shield the sun away from the buildings. I have no idea how it works, but... yeah. you guys probably know what those are called. re: the New Medical City, it has to be one of the world's classiest, most beautiful hotels - err, I meant hopsitals. I mean, seriously... it can beat most of Manila's 4/5-star hotels. and it's pretty big too. extremely well planned. designed by one of the country's best - Francisco Mañosa. three towers - Nursing Towers A/B and a Medical Arts building for doctor offices - 13/14/18 storeys tall respectively. the exterior looks like the big expensive hospitals you get in movies in the US and the inside is just absolutely HOT! granite, wood, glass, stainless steel, metal. so sleek and modern. kinda makes you want to be admitted into the hospital (although I know how bad that is, especially when it somebody from your family). so... this is way, way off topic, but yeah. didn't know where else to share it. hehe...

i like the material they use in Gateway's facade. i havent seen anything like that in MM, the Podium would be the nearest looking. more glass less concrete in the facade. awesome pics, even though the weather didnt really help

Oo nga, bad weather.
Most of the pictures came out blurry because the cam focuses on the water droplets on the window instead of the subject being photographed.

@ aBSENT, what issue of Bluprint do you have? I got an issue of M-zone, bought that u guess, last year that features The new Medical City. I checked out the recent issue of bluprint but it did not roused much of my interest, so i didn't bother to get my own copy.

@ Absent - Yeah i saw the New Medical City. Its are really fine hospital. Very world Class. It is one of the best in the country along with The Asian Hospital and the future St. Luke's in BGC. Yes, it is in Ortigas Ave which is far from Rockwell. Ortigas Ave does not go to Rockwell, they must have made a mistake.

With the Medical City, I also saw it. It's pretty massive looking, more like a hotel than a hospital. It sucks that we have to pay for the services and it's not free unlike other countries. The architecture of the hospital is also pretty good.

@ aBSENT, what issue of Bluprint do you have? I got an issue of M-zone, bought that u guess, last year that features The new Medical City. I checked out the recent issue of bluprint but it did not roused much of my interest, so i didn't bother to get my own copy.

I got Volume 4 2004 (it's bi-monthly, so I guess July-August). what's M-zone? it was in last year's issue already?

I heard Asian Hospital is one of the best in the country. I just hate how they had to import next to everything in there. they deserve to be in the red. I read in an article on Inquirer, I think, that they're only breaking even from construction costs this year because of their refusal to accept anything other than imported.

is St. Luke's being constructed already? oh yeah, is the old Medical City closed? cuz that's what it says on the feature, but my aunt told me they are keeping it open cuz people were complaining about the parking charges at the new complex. god, how much can parking cost that an awesome, spanking new facility can't compensate? haha!!

Is this a thread for hospitals now ? Not about malls anymore.

hihi... well i think its time 4 us to create a new thread bout hospitals, & other important civic structures that continues to accesorize metro manila. for instance, during the marcos regime, imelda, with her hilarious 'edifice' complex, was the pioneer of these so called 'civic' structures w/in d city. she's behind d ccp, heart ctr, kidney ctr, lung ctr, manila film ctr- w/c most say is being haunted by spirits, and stuff!

well then go ahead, start the thread!! Feel free to.

but anyways, no St. Luke's in BGC hasnt started yet. I think it will start Q4 of this year or Q1 of 2005

oi nood tayo gig minsan sa mayrics pag astig banda. tas inuman na rin. :cheers:

oi nood tayo gig minsan sa mayrics pag astig banda. tas inuman na rin. :cheers:

haha! mayrics kid! nandun ako alot of times... at ilang beses naring nalasing!...kaso masyadong polluted ung area na un... lumalabas sa aircon nila usok ng sigarilyo! haha!...

The Asian Hospital is over-equipped but understaffed. And the staff that they do have are over-qualified. If you think this is a good thing, it isn't. They have almost no middle-range staff (residents, junior nurses) who in other hospitals make up the bulk of the workforce. It's all mostly consultants and senior nurses. What usually happens is that when a patient checks in they almost always assume the most complicated diagnosis and start treating the patient as such. The way their system works, some patients' funds are bled dry before they can get well.

I've seen and heard of a lot of patients who are admitted into Asian Hospital, are treated by them for weeks without getting well, always being prescribed expensive tests, procedures, and drugs, until they run out of money and have no choice but to transfer to a public hospital like PGH where the doctors look at the case and figure out that most of what they did at Asian was mostly unnecessary or even inappropriate. Once at the PGH ER we had a patient who was transferred from Asian because they basically ran out of money, when we were asking the attending physician who accompanied the patient what his case was, he could barely answer our questions.

Until they beef up their staff and gain a better reputation, I'm not trusting any of my loved ones to the care of Asian. For simple illnesses that need hospitalization but no fancy procedures, I'd still go with the PGH pay admitting section (best doctors, best staff, best value). For illnesses that require a more high-tech facility, I'll still choose St. Luke's (good doctors, great facilities, good reputation ).

haha! mayrics kid! nandun ako alot of times... at ilang beses naring nalasing!...kaso masyadong polluted ung area na un... lumalabas sa aircon nila usok ng sigarilyo! haha!...

baka nagkita na tayo doon. kaya lang gabi ang punta ko kasi di ako taga uste e. saya nga dun e. la lang. :)

BLUE WAVE COMPLEX: A LEISURE PLACE BY THE BAY

MANILA, February 29, 2004 (STAR) Riding on the wave of the popularity of leisure and entertainment facilities around Metro Manila, Federal Land Corp. recently opened Blue Wave Complex, a commercial complex that houses dining establishments and retail outlets.

The two-hectare Blue Wave sits on a 40-hectare property called Metropolitan Park, which is owned by Federal Land. The area is home to a Petron Mega Station, the residential condominium Bay Gardens, the Toyota Manila Bay showroom, a Metrobank branch, the Manila Doctors College set to open in June, and Le Pavilion, an activity venue, such as conferences, shopping markets and even grand weddings.

Among Blue Wave’s popular dining establishments are Pizza Hut, Jollibee, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Starbucks.

"The al fresco dining was like a magnet that attracted customers. The customers are arriving regularly to enjoy the novelty of open air dining," says Federal Brent Oil Corporation general manager Jerry Angchay.

Aside from the fast food joints, a mix of world-class restaurants occupy Blue Wave, including Plato Platina, an Italian restaurant whose cozy interiors add class to an intimate dining experience. The restaurant is owned by young couple Ced and Ces Ramirez, whose love for Italian food is obvious in Plato Platina. Its breakfast buffet, available daily from 6 a.m., at a reasonable P195, has attracted a growing list of clientele.

"We welcome these new and small-scale companies that have nice ideas about starting their businesses with us," says Angchay. Federal Brent Oil Corporation, a sister company of Federal Land, manages the operation of these establishments.

Other restaurants in the complex are the Japanese restaurant Kimono Ken, Congee House offering Chinese fare, Great Palate serving seafood specials, Different Twist Pretzel and AmeriCafe, and Hao Asian Fusion featuring Asian cuisine. Gerry’s Grill is also set to open a two-level dining area in the complex in the coming months.

Non-dining establishments present at Blue Wave are Proline, a sports retail shop, Fotografia photo studio, Ruiz Derma Salon, Bay Spa, PCL Yoo Han Travel and Smart Business Center.

Angchay says Blue Wave was conceptualized following the success of the Petron Mega Station at the Metropolitan Park, which has become a corner landmark in the area. It houses Pancake House, Chowking and the convenience and snack shop Treats.

The restaurants at Blue Wave face a patio called the Courtyard, which is an ideal venue for outdoor concerts and other activities. It also accommodates spillover diners when the restaurants lay out al fresco dining areas.

Angchay says benches will soon be installed around the patio to offer seating for patrons. "Anyone can go here and relax, enjoy their coffee and food, read a book while savoring the breeze, which comes from the sea," she adds.

Other establishments in the drawing board include Manila Doctors Hospital and a sports complex.

Opened only in December 2003, Blue Wave has become the newest stopover for motorists traveling the stretch of Roxas Blvd., before entering the Coastal Road or going south to Cavite and Laguna. The complex follows a Mediterranean design that is made attractive by the warm colors of the building.

http://www.clickthecity.com/img2/cityshots/20040705.jpg
Picture courtesy of ClickTheCity.com City Shots.

Does anyone have more pictures and info because I haven't been there?
Nice design, but can this be considered a mall?

what ugly architecture. it looks like that place is in the Nevada desert

Whatever happened to this mall in Caloocan City near the Bonifacio circle ? Nagbukas pa ba ito or hindi na , di na kasi ako nakakapunta doon mga 3-4 years na. Updates anyone , or any photos of it now . Maganda pa naman sana .

what's up with Festival Mall and Metropolis Alabang? it's still there, but no real traffic.

what's up with Festival Mall and Metropolis Alabang? it's still there, but no real traffic.
nothing is new. :sleepy:

Whatever happened to this mall in Caloocan City near the Bonifacio circle ? Nagbukas pa ba ito or hindi na , di na kasi ako nakakapunta doon mga 3-4 years na. Updates anyone , or any photos of it now . Maganda pa naman sana .

It's opened na. IT's Araneta Square, beside Ever. Colorful mall. Market segment target : C,D,E I think. :)

I think its design is a typical light commercial area in LA... ala "casa" style. I think it's nice.

Well in Festival they just recently opened SM Supermarket, Robinsons Department store, and Handyman hardware. Does this make Festival the only mall with stores owned by SM, Robinsons, and Rustans all in one roof?

Well in Festival they just recently opened SM Supermarket, Robinsons Department store, and Handyman hardware. Does this make Festival the only mall with stores owned by SM, Robinsons, and Rustans all in one roof?

Robinsons Galleria has a Watsons store in it, eh diba watson is a liscenced brand of SM... tapos sa rockwell may SM appliance Center... haha this is nice diversity..

The Blue Wave is currently packing them in.

But I wonder how it will be affected when the nearby SM Mall of Asia opens in 2005.

I would think that the family shoppers and grocers would flock to the SM Mall of Asia but the yuppies would opt for the more quiet, cafe ambience of the Blue Wave.

I hope there's enough business for everybody.

Well in Festival they just recently opened SM Supermarket, Robinsons Department store, and Handyman hardware. Does this make Festival the only mall with stores owned by SM, Robinsons, and Rustans all in one roof?




Festivall Mall has that distinction : The beauty of being a stand-alone mall ,
or not part of any chain of malls .

Savemore Supermarket = SM Group
Shopwise Supercenter = Rustan's Group
Robinsons Dept. Store /Handyman = Robinsons
ACE Hardware = affiliated with SM
Watsons = affiliated with SM

has the top floor been fully occupied?

btw, their facilities are awesome. but the building layout is quite confusing.

some stalls at the top floor are not open yet... well if you go there all the time, you won't be confused anymore... hehehe.. and yeah, they have good facilities. especially the cinemas which I think is one of the bests in metro manila...

what ugly architecture. it looks like that place is in the Nevada desert

I think it has beautiful architecture...

Robinsons Galleria has a Watsons store in it, eh diba watson is a liscenced brand of SM... tapos sa rockwell may SM appliance Center... haha this is nice diversity..
well, that's because they don't have a drug store counterpart to compete with it.....so, pag nagkaroon ng drugstore ang robinsons, it's almost sure na i-ban nila yan...

anyway, meron rin naman sun cellular sa SM malls

I second the motion

certainly it being located in Manila Bay makes it a very visible sight. but this type of architecture is just off considering it's location

Not really, imo. I drove past by it, and i thought it looked nice in its location. Should there be taller buildings in the future, it will still look unique to the area.

I've passed by it several times and it looks appropriate for the location. Since the reclamation area is so vast and grassy, it's like a prairie, these ground-hugging, rambling type developments make more sense. It's almost like a mission architecture type layout. I definitely prefer it to Eastwood.

The SM Mall might not affect Blue Wave much since it's mostly just restaurants and convenience outlets for the nearby condos. It's very close to Cuneta Astrodome, the DFA and the DTI as well. Die-hard shoppers and mallers will go to SM, but those who just want a bite to eat or want to grab a few essentials will stick to the Blue Wave. It's comparable to those gigantic gasoline stations that are sprouting up along NLEX and SLEX, except with more of a concept. The open-air aspect also makes it attractive to smokers, the roomy parking space is also a plus.

maybe not right now due to the vast emptiness of the reclaimed land.

has the top floor been fully occupied?

btw, their facilities are awesome. but the building layout is quite confusing.__________________


The layout of Festival Mall is symmetrical , its not confusing as compared to other big malls . A few visits there will make a shopper accustomed to it. Its actually a theme mall and a combination of shopping and entertaiment facilities under one roof.

I agree. The layout of Festival Mall is quite simple. I like it, even if its your first time inside, it is easy to find your way through.

well it has been years since we've been there. then it was still empty at most

go to festival on a weekend, and its stuffed.

even during weekday nights, there are quite a number of people there. but still not as much as Glorietta, of course!

stuffed as in a lot of people, or stuff as in cramped?

stuffed as in a lot of people. the mall is spacious...

I like the spacious atrium of Festival mall , it is not crampy when shows are held there because it can accomodate more people fronting the stage itself and those on the railings of the upper floors. Watching free shows there on the atrium area is somehow convenient compared to the other malls in the Southern Metro.

What will be built on the rest of San Lazaro?
SM will be occupying only ¼ of the 16 hectare land.
Are there any big time developers taking interest in San Lazaro?

http://www.geocities.com/aaron_ofngol/lazaro.txt.

thomasian can you give a bigger version of the pics....we can't read the details

OK, here it is.

http://www.geocities.com/a_ofngol/san_lazaro.txt

I found an article about SM and the San Lazaro Complex.

They mentioned ALI's interest in the complex.
Maybe someone here can give more information about that.
Here's the article.

DEVELOPER STILL CONFIDENT OF MEETING TARGET OPENING
SM San Lazaro project hangs

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By IRMA ISIP
The site is in old Manila, decrepit, bordered by roach-smelling wooden houses but it is one of the few remaining large tracks of land available in Manila and most everyone knows where it is, being the San Lazaro race track.

SM Prime Holdings Inc. saw the possibility in the property and now Ayala Land Inc. seems to be interested also.

There are plans that the 16-hectare Sta. Cruz property will be developed ala-Eastwood City.

With SM as anchor establisment, ALI can ring the SM property with residential, office towers plus a cluster of shops and eateries.

SM has started clearing operations for the mall that will occupy one-fourth of the property.

A group, however, led by former tourism secretary Gemma Cruz Araneta, officials at the Manila City Hall said, was able to secure a court order halting the demolition of the Manila Jockey Club main building, citing its historical value.

The building is beautiful alright but as MJCI vice president for corporate affairs Henry Kahn said, it is not that old and "nothing to preserve" since the original building was gutted by fire in 1971.

Manila mayor Lito Atienza, bloodied by conservationists' wrath over his demolition of the Jai-Alai building in Taft and his monstrous Parking building at the Mehan Gardens, was reported to be more accommodating this time.

But SM feels it can meet the scheduled mall opening by 2005.

SM and the Manila Jockey Club Inc. (MJCI) has wrapped up the purchase of the lot paying P600 million for the property at P15,000 per square meter.

Kahn said the MJCI in its last board meeting has received a proposal from ALI to co-venture with it on a property development but there are no specific details.

Kahn said as a precondition in the SM contract, MJCI could not put up another mall within the complex.

Meanwhile MJCI, the country's premier race club and the oldest horse racing club in the Far East, last March 2 transferred its horseracing facilities to its new home, a 77-hectare property in Carmona, Cavite.

Kahn also said there are other proposals to develop San Lazaro into a business park similar to the Eastwood City enclave, complete with housing since a lot of students live in the area.

"There were many proposals in the past - from hospitals to condominium to cemeteries but none has materialized until SM put its money where its mouth is," Kahn said.

The official said the development of the mall would hopefully spur the economic growth in the area.

The SM mall will be where the grandstand and the racetracks are located.

It will face Tayuman and Governor Forbes streets.

While MJC, founded in 1867 is over 100 years old, San Lazaro itself is not 100 years old since it was originally in Sta. Mesa.

"It was not an old building. There is nothing to preserve. What SM should preserve is the name San Lazaro because we have always been known as San Lazaro hippodrome," Kahn added.

The SM official said with the establishment of the SM mall, there would be more job opportunities for the people in the area which is already highly urbanized and filled with residential houses and condominiums.

Commercial and retail establishments line up major thoroughfares specifically Governor Forbes, Tayuman, Rizal avenue, Jose Abad Santos, Tomas Mapua and Dimasalang.

The official added that this would become a destination point for shoppers from surrounding barangays.

The area where the old houses are, some said, can even be spruced up like what Singapore did to its old houses which later on became tourist attractions.

There are 14 existing SM shopping malls. These are located in SM North Edsa, SM City Sta. Mesa, SM Megmall, SM City Cebu, SM Southmall Las Piñas, SM City Bacoor, SM City Fairview, SM City Iloilo, SM City Manila, SM City Pampanga, SM Super Center Sucat, SM City Davao, SM City Bicutan, and SM City Cagayan de Oro.

MJC's profile is a property development and in gaming. In 2002, revenues reached P469.8 million half of which or P262 million are from club races.

The publicly listed firm is trading at P7.50 to P8 share.

i hope they develop it into something "green" like greenbelt.

wow

Good news on the Harbourview Mall Project. I just came from the CCP and concrete structures have already been put up. They're working really fast because I didn't notice anything 10 days ago when I last passed by and now there are at least 2 levels already. I'm not sure but comparing what they're putting up and what's on the rendering it looks like they may have scaled down the project a bit. I hope it still turns out well though, it would be a shame if it joins the ranks of "malls that did not succeed".

hmm... I hope this would be a good one....

hey i just discovered... eveytime an SM Opens there seems to be something bad is happening in the country...

SM north = Edsa Revolution
SM megamall = Pinatubo Eruption
SM Fairview = Asian econimic crisis
The Podium = Edsa II
SM MoA = Physcal(sp) crisis

Fiscal crisis? hehehe..nah, its not that bad yet. We can solve it.

but anyways, Henry Sy shouldnt open anymore SM malls if thats the case!:D hehe. nah, lots of other SM malls have opened without anything bad happening.

SM San Lazaro is already past the second level.
I've seen the rendering on the site and it looks quite good for an SM, will try to takes pictures of it next time.

how about the one in San Fernando interchange? anything damaging happened around that time?

SM Pampanga? hmm...i dont think anything bad happened.

but i think when SM Bictan opened, EDSA II happened.

SM Bicutan, have they opened the whole complex? last time i saw it, i only saw one half opened.

one more thing, i hate how SM Bicutan and SM Pampanga are placed near tollway interchanges. it causes traffic, and more inconveniece on peak days for shoppers. it's not like they create their own roads for entrance/exit. in San Fernando right now it's not that bad, but in Bicutan, man it can be a bitch.

Actually, SM Pampanga and Robinsons Starmills San Fernando is causing huge traffic jams in the San Fernando toll exit. I was stuck there for almost an hour.
There are skyway ramps in the Bictan interchange, but not many people use the skyway so, it has very little effect.

Yes, the whole of SM Bictan is open. Both sides. And since it is at both sides of the street, it causes huge traffic jams. But sometimes, it isnt that bad.

hey i just discovered... eveytime an SM Opens there seems to be something bad is happening in the country...

SM north = Edsa Revolution
SM megamall = Pinatubo Eruption
SM Fairview = Asian econimic crisis
The Podium = Edsa II
SM MoA = Physcal(sp) crisis
you forgot one more SM centerpoint = 1987 coup d' etat did i spell it right?

there's one article where they're mentioning bout this coincidence....they say it's a testament that henry sy is a risk maker and it pays off big time.....he got a cheap price for acquiring the lot for sm north edsa and sm centerpoint during time of crisis....i guess it also shows his committment for investing in the philippines :)

you forgot one more SM centerpoint = 1987 coup d'etat did i spell it right?

Yes, that's correct. :)

Gateway has now updated its website.
It now has an interactive map of the mall in Flash format (as well as a map in PDF format) and directory of tenants.

The renderings of gateway were also revised, you would notice it if you are very particular on details.

For those who don't know, here's the link to the website of Gateway.
http://www.gatewaymall.com.ph/

Here's the link to the PDF Mall map.
It would be better to right click it and select Save target as... than viewing it in IE.
http://www.gatewaymall.com.ph/printmap.pdf

wow, the stores are actually high-class brands! Great! I will surely visit =)

Market Market opens September 15! I will definitely go this week, (get some pictures and stuff) It's sad they don't have a website though -- If they have one, I'd really want to see it! Lol.

market! market! is gonna open soon. Now the non-existent traffic in that portion of C-5 will be gone! nooo!

hey Phil based forumers...go to market market on Thursday night. That would be the first day of their 4 or 3-day opening celebration. There will be fireworks at 7 pm. Im not sure how long would that last. For sure it will be more than 10 minutes...and it's programmed so its not gonna be an impromptu firework but something that was arranged. Be sure to bring your cams and position yourselves near Pacific Plaza Towers to be able to see everything. Haha...sounds like we;re gonna raid an NPA camp. :D I want to go but i simply can't. Im on a night shift. And i can't even go up to the rooftop to see the fireworks. What do you think? is anyone going there? i wanna see some firework pics! I got some during their opening last June. This one, i think is another soft opening, since some parts of the Mall is still unfinished.

Today yung opening ng Market2x! di ba , hope anybody here can share some pix how does it look inside . Balak ko din puntahan yan within this year , wag lang muna now kasi baka amoy pintura pa , saka na pag marami ng shops ang opened.

well according to Francis.. the opening was yesterday... we weren't able to get there...

Robinson's Pioneer...from MRT

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid139/p89e339dcb14e817aa11114ad0aca3b2b/f6fa6d67.jpg

Robinsons Pioneer? is that a new mall with a different name? is that the Gateway mall that changed names? :?

yes...

yeah. it was supposedly Robinsons Metro Gateway.

market market's opening is 4-day long. so it will end up till sunday! with numerous big stars queued to give free concerts.

I just came from having lunch at Market Market. Interesting concept, it's like a market+mall+tiangge. Construction-wise, the mall isn't anything to marvel at, but it's ok enough. It looks like the Ayalas were planning to target this mall squarely at the middle-class to lower-middle class market (i.e. Taguig residents) but it looks like they were unsuccessful with this because I got to see a fair amount of Forbes and Dasma residents walking about. :) It feels most like an instant, all-under-one-roof version of Greenhills.

Unless they're putting up a parking complex somewhere nearby I predict that parking space will soon be a problem, the mall was operating at around half-capacity and yet the parking area was already around 80% full.

I've just visited market market.. whoa! it's a chaos there! just too many people! I think it's for the class D and E market.. it's not yet full.. i don't think the class A and B will frequent that place.. it's too crowded and noisy.. the stalls inside the mall isn't 100% occupied yet.. it's a common mall.. with just tiangges on the side.. I'm not coming back there! lol

What are your top 3 malls in Metro Manila ?

What are your top 3 malls in Metro Manila ?

Megamall has to be #1.

My top 3:

1 - Megamall (definitely one of the best malls even in Asia)
2 - Glorietta (almost everything you'd need for a mall is there)
3 - Rockwell (clean surroundings and good bookstore!) =)

1. G4
2. GB3
3. Festival

1.GB
2.Shangrila
3.Robinsons Place Manila

Top 3 Malls ( Big )

1. Festival Supermall
2. Glorietta
3. Shangrila / SM Southmall

( Medium )

1. SM City - Manila
2. Robinson Galleria
3. Greenbelt / Alabang Town Ctr.

( Small )

1. SM City - Bicutan
2. Powerplant Mall


Promising :

1. Gateway Mall ( Cubao )
2. Waltermart Pasong Tamo
3. SM Mall of Asia
4. Robinson's Pioneer

1. Greenbelt
2. Alabang Town Center
3. Rockwell Power Plant

im not into SM malls.

1. Greenbelts
2. Glorietta
3. Shangri-la Plaza

also good:
- Festival Mall
- Powerplant Mall
- SM Megamall
- All Robinsons Starmills malls

Promising:
- Gateway Araneta Center Mall
- SM Mall of Asia

Shangrila Plaza? is that the one in ortigas with.. who was the actress, pops (?), as model? i haven't been there much, but my vague memories of it was that it had interesting places to go. isn't there some kind of a sciencetorium thing there?

I dont know if Ripley's Believe it or not museum is still there, but it used to...is that what ur talking about?

it's Ripleys (also not sure if it's still there) and Quantum X also, i think... :)

i seriously dont know the names:D but i remember there was a ripleys there

What's Quantum X all about?

i can't really remember exactly but it's like they're more on the visual-tour-sci-fi related stuffs. what I do remember is that we had this "visual ride" thingy sort of a Rialto-like ride (the one in EK) and we also toured their philippine mythology - the "aswangs", "kapres", etc - boots, featuring life-size-moving figures with several sound and light effects. it's pretty amazing back then. :)

hmmm...sounds interesting. Is it still there?

Top 3 Malls ( Big )

1. Festival Supermall
2. Glorietta
3. Shangrila / SM Southmall

( Medium )

1. SM City - Manila
2. Robinson Galleria
3. Greenbelt / Alabang Town Ctr.

( Small )

1. SM City - Bicutan
2. Powerplant Mall


Promising :

1. Gateway Mall ( Cubao )
2. Waltermart Pasong Tamo
3. SM Mall of Asia
4. Robinson's Pioneer
i would say i would had have this same choice if i divided it into small medium large too...except....i prefer greenbelt rather than galleria

SM Southmall? that place was quite boring last time i visited it. any changes to it since 2000?

hmmm...sounds interesting. Is it still there?

im not too sure.. it is really long long time ago.

SM Southmall? that place was quite boring last time i visited it. any changes to it since 2000?
[QUOTE][PHP]


SM southmall is currently renovating a portion of it on the 2nd and top floor ( above its ice-skating rink , which is also closed nowadays ) . The name is something like SM-Arena , which i presume similar to Gameworx in Festival mall .

I dont know if Ripley's Believe it or not museum is still there, but it used to...is that what ur talking about?


Ripley's has long been out of the Shangri-La Mall... it was now replaced by a different establishment.... Shangri-La is at the corner of EDSA and Shaw Blvd.

top 3 for me would be..
Greenbelt
Shangri-La
SM Megamall

SM Southmall? that place was quite boring last time i visited it. any changes to it since 2000?
[QUOTE][PHP]


SM southmall is currently renovating a portion of it on the 2nd and top floor ( above its ice-skating rink , which is also closed nowadays ) . The name is something like SM-Arena , which i presume similar to Gameworx in Festival mall .

alright. that's cool. i remember the only cool thing about is was that huge toy shop. :D

Shangri-la Mall just opened their new THX cinema.. and it's expensive.. I think more expensive than GB3 and Powerplant cinemas.. I just don't know if it's better..

tried it 2 months ago... sound system was so cool! ... yup, mga 150 ata or 120 if am not mistaken

hhmmm... architecturally... I liked how the Shangri-La is designed.. especially its interior... very elegant and spacious... with that criss-crossed escalators....

are you sure that's the new cinema? I read somewhere that it was in the 200+ rate..

tried it 2 months ago... sound system was so cool! ... yup, mga 150 ata or 120 if am not mistaken

yup am sure. it's the new cinema. 2 are on the first level tapos may parang escalators paaakyat to two more new ones... ganda nga eh...

At one instance int he movie, someone shouted behind "Riddick!".. i looked back... it was the sound system pala... i was so ashamed. hehe :)

Price is parang 150 ata... pag premier, 250 or something

SM Southmall? that place was quite boring last time i visited it. any changes to it since 2000?

Since 2000, almost the entire second floor has been renovated. Before, the second floor was mostly home furnitures, but since then they have converted the rear area to a Cyberzone and activity area with cafes and cybercafes. Opposite the Cyberzone, they are constructing the Arena, which I think would be something like GameworX in Filinvest Mall.

In addition to the Arena, they are halve almost finished replacing all the mall floors with new tiles. The new tiles have more grip and are softer underfoot, and I find it less tiring to walk on (it would be better for their business too, since people will walk around longer). The floor material of the entrance stairway in front is being replaced with some sort of cobbles/clay tile too, I think to be in line with the Las Piñas historical corridor theme.

The lighting design and most of the existing lights in the mall area and the department store have been replaced too, so the mall is becoming much brighter now.

cool. very cool then. their parking was very big, place for expansion. :)

Shangri-la Mall just opened their new THX cinema.. and it's expensive.. I think more expensive than GB3 and Powerplant cinemas.. I just don't know if it's better..

Yeah, the Premiere Cinema in Shang.
It's really very very expensive at PhP 295, I think it's the most expensive cinema in MM right now.
I don't think it's a THX cinema though.



yup am sure. it's the new cinema. 2 are on the first level tapos may parang escalators paaakyat to two more new ones... ganda nga eh...

At one instance int he movie, someone shouted behind "Riddick!".. i looked back... it was the sound system pala... i was so ashamed. hehe :)

Price is parang 150 ata... pag premier, 250 or something

Price for Cinema 1 to 4 is 150 while the "Premiere Cinema" (the fifth one) is priced at 295.

I thought the new escalators lead to a new section of the mall, yun pala para sa cinemas pala yun.

At one instance int he movie, someone shouted behind "Riddick!".. i looked back... it was the sound system pala... i was so ashamed. hehe :)



lol. Very cool, i love THX. More and more cinemas in MM have THX. I'll check out the one in Shangri-la plaza this dec.

THX Cinemas of Glorrieta only cost Php 121. I really didn't mind if i was into a THX cinema or what. Another cinema is set to open at FBGC this Dec. I bet this will be one of a kind. THX probably.

so it's not a THX cinema? but just a premiere one? whoa! almost 300 bucks! ano meron don? baka may buffet? lol

Sobra nga expensive nun P295 , you can get that reasonably priced at P100 sa Cinema Gold in Filinvest , sulit na yun for me. Minsan-minsan lang talaga ako manood sa Cinema Gold , kalimitan , I wait na ma- transfer ito sa regular cinemas ( although with digital sound too ) na P75 lang kapag gusto ko yung English movie .

Para lang talaga sa mapepera yung ganung kamahal na bayad sa cinema.

tama..I watch movies para ma-entertain at makapagrelax. baka naman after mo manood don eh mas ma-stressed ka pa sa gastos... ok na sa kin ang mga ayala cinemas

Yah, Amras you're right nakaka stress talaga yung presyo nun P295 , with that amount puede ka na maglibre ng at least two of your family member sa sinehan at least nakapagshare ka pa sa pagpapasaya ng family members mo.

hahaha...i thought Greenbelt 3 cinemas which Php 150 and popcorn/juice are stressful. i never thought there's a cinema more expensive than that. Sulit na sa greenbelt, kasi carpeted and hallway, nice sound, nice seats...expensive food!

Kung sulit na ang Greenbelt, mas sulit siguro ang Market! Market! @ PhP 75 and PhP 100 (does that mean they have premiere and deluxe seats or it only means they have a regular and a more expensive cinema?).

Another question is maganda ba talaga ang cinemas ng Market! Market!?
Reserved seating ba dun? at carpeted ba yung floor?

bigyan nyo na lang ako ng 80 peso movie. satisfied na ako dun. :D

haha. Ako din. :colgate:

and im not into much of the big whopping sounds. basta gumagana at maganda, satisfied parin ako. i'd actually like really big big seats, so as not to feel squished

basta maganda ang movie, malinis ang sinehan, walang gumagawa ng kababalaghan (?!) sa tabi-tabi, ayos na un. :cheers:

hindi reserved seating ang cinemas sa Market Market.. for now maganda pa sya, kasi bago pa.. ka bracket nang SM Cinemas.. kaya lang.. kasama mo sa loob eh mga naka tsinelas.. hehehe

grabe talaga yang premiere cinema nang Shangri-la.. eh with that money.. makakabili ka na nang 5 DVDs sa Greenhills! hehehehehe

I find Greenbelt beautiful , kaya lang hanggang hanga na lang kasi napaka high end din lahat ng stores / resto / cinemas dun I really cannot afford. Di ko trip mag stay dun sa bandong hapon kasi very humid and warm ang sinag ng araw , setback ng al fresco(? ) in a tropical countries like us , kaya nga mas hit sa atin ang fully airconditioned enclosed mall no matter how boxy is it. Kahit nga pumunta ka sa malilim na puno sa GB mainit pa rin ang singaw at halos walang hangin. Mas okay lang GB kapag gabi with all its lights kasi di na mainit nun.

Kahit open space payung GB park na yun , with all the tall building na halos magkakadikit na ay parang wala na ring hangin na nakakapenetrate kaya very humid. Sa Ortigas napansin ko kahit paano may breeze pa yung hangin , maybe because kahit paano ay may gaps pa sa mga buildings there at di pa kasindami ng sa Makati.
I noticed that when I was applying for a job at somewhere in Ortigas ako nag exam , while I was waiting lumabas ako at nagpahangin at nahanginan talaga ako kahit di naman gasino mapuno dun sa lugar and clear skies naman nun . Lilim lang ng mga buildings , pero may breeze pa rin ang hangin sa Ortigas.

i think another reason for the breeze in ortigas is the fact that it's quite elevated. if you try to look at Ortigas area when ur in makati, you would notice that. makati, i guess lower since it used to be a swamp. but believe it or not, that area around PB Com, has a strong breeze of air most of the times. or if you're on rooftops of bldgs.

Your probably right Francis20 that Ortigas is quite elevated than Makati , maybe it depends too on the location you will be situated , there are areas in Makati that's really quite dense with buildings and not much low air passes through it , hence the humidity.

then towers should put their cafeterias at the rooftops of buildings, where the wind has more pressure. hehe...LKG has its canteen at the 11F, GT at the 12F, Enterprise at the 3F...Citibank, one each at the 8F and rooftop, 34F.

actually there are some areas in Makati where you can feel the breeze coming through.. and sometimes the breeze is too strong you feel like you are being pushed back.... these are at the corner of Paseo de Roxas and Benavidez St. where Asia Tower is... and the corner of Paseo de Roxas and Ayala where the Enterprise, BPI and Insular is... the taller buildings block the wind path thus producing strong breeze on those corners.....

maybe u couldnt feel the breeze coz ur staying or walking at street level, but once ur elevated, fresco na cya

yeah that's true it is awfully hot in Makati compared to, well other places in MM. it could be the swamp location, it could also be the skyscrapers blocking the breeze.

When will Gateway mall in Cubao open? I am looking forward to visit this mall , maganda talaga siguro , its about time na may bago nang mall in Cubao and it live up to its promise to deliver.

welll according to their site and advertisements... September... well... we'll wait if it opens tomorrow, Sept 30.. hehehehe:D

hahahaha. hindi pa rin open ang Gateway ngayon - it is supposedly scheduled to open today sept 29.

And it doesn't look like it will open in a month maybe 2 months pa, pero for sure it will open before Christmas.

sana they had provisions para they could show the christmas show that used to appear in C.O.D. during christmas, that will attract the people to go back to Araneta center.

I think that moved to Greenhills last year.

I went to Gateway this afternoon, like what I said earlier it's still closed.

here's the only picture that I was able to take, isa lang kasi nakatingin sakin yung mga guards

Gen. Araneta Ave. Driveway - Gateway Mall
the glass cladding is really nice up close
http://www.geocities.com/aaron_charles_ofngol/Photo_092904_001x.txt

too bad hindi sumsbay sa renovation yung headquarters ng nbs...i mean it's their headquarters right? sana naman pinaganada na rin nila since they're just beside gateway

oo, nga the NBS building has full height glass cladding so madali na lang sigurong pagandahin ito.

ciguro magre-renovate din sila pagka nag-open na ang gateway.

About Gateway, nakalagay na yung mga palm trees sa harap ng gateway, kaso sana mas mataas yung mga palm trees na tinanim nila.

In-mall transport?
NOT BUSINESS AS USUAL By Margaret Jao-Grey
The Philippine Star 09/30/2004

Did you know 1: When it opens, SM Group’s Mall of Asia in the Manila reclamation area will be three times the size of Megamall, prompting talks that majority stockholder Henry Sy is seriously consi-dering the use of some mode of transportation within the mall itself to bring customers with flat feet (and others who can’t walk very far) from one block to the next. * * *
Did you know 2: Chef to Hollywood celebrities and TV cook show host Wolfgang Puck is thinking of putting up a restaurant in the country that may be named either after Mr. Puck or the equally famous Spago brand.

Mr. Puck’s major problem (read: only problem, really) is the logistics needed to ensure that the quality of food to be served in the restaurant would elicit a gastronomic "Oscar" from its Filipino clients, each and every time they come to dine. * * *
The first Philippine outlet of Taco Bell with have its soft launching next week at the Gateway Mall inside the Cubao Commercial Center.

Taco Bell’s Philippine master franchisee is Yum Corp., the same corporation which holds the Philippine franchise for Pizza Hut.

Just like the Pizza Hut franchise, which now number about 120 outlets nationwide, the Taco Bell franchise will not be sub-franchised. In other words, all Taco Bell outlets in the country will be owned by Yum Corp., which is, in turn, majority owned by Jorge Araneta, chairman of Araneta Group, the developer of Cubao Commercial Center.

Pizza Hut and Taco Bell started out at the same time at the old Quad (now part of the Glorietta Mall) inside Ayala Commercial Center. Taco Bell, which was then owned by a group of Filipino investors that included one of the in-laws of the Santos family that owns the chain of Cinderella stores, then expanded to ill-chosen locations and eventually closed.

Yum bagged the Philippine franchise late last year but had to conduct a six-month survey involving 500 people on what they liked about Mexican food.

Within the next 12 months, Yum intends to open two more Taco Bell outlets, one in Makati.

By the way, Taco Bell will be the first store to open in Gateway.

Officially, the P2.5-billion mall will open on Oct. 20, with Rustan’s Department Store as its anchor store. Geared towards the A-B market, the mall intends to offer enhanced customer services such as concierge/personal shoppers found in de luxe hotels (and, thank goodness, no piped in Christmas music).

In large part, that’s the influence of consultant and former Hyatt Hotel (Phils.) general manager Peter Jentes (who even insisted on and got granite floorings similar to the ones found in EDSA Shangri-La Hotel) and of Mr. Araneta, who donated 50-year-old palm trees from his nearby home called Bahay Puti as Gateway’s centerpiece.

As everybody knows, part of the master plan for the redevelopment of the 35-hectare Cubao Commercial Center is to connect LRT-2 along Aurora Blvd. to MRT-3 in EDSA.

This will be done by connecting an LRT-2 station to Gateway, which will be connected through a second-level walkway to Araneta Coliseum and by another walkway to The New Farmer’s Plaza and the MRT-3.

a monorail in Mall of Asia is a good idea. like in those huge airports

nice that Taco Bell is coming to town...:D and so Oct 20 is the new opening date for Gateway huh...:D

Quote:
Originally Posted by cropher
Whatever happened to this mall in Caloocan City near the Bonifacio circle ? Nagbukas pa ba ito or hindi na , di na kasi ako nakakapunta doon mga 3-4 years na. Updates anyone , or any photos of it now . Maganda pa naman sana .


It's opened na. IT's Araneta Square, beside Ever. Colorful mall. Market segment target : C,D,E I think.
__________________


I just happen to went in Caloocan city today , I visited Araneta Square its a colorful mini mall with low ceiling but nice anyway.

Araneta Square is not the mall I am asking what happen , its named Monumento Plaza before beside a Uniwide Sales store and across Gotesco Grand Central .
Monumento or ( Royal? ) Mall a tall mall probably about 6-7 levels . I peek on the glass and I saw the interiors . Its still empty no stores at all , with a makeshift stage probably on the atrium portion of the mall and the escalators seems unused as it still wrapped with the blue cover . Sayang , mukhang maganda sana kung natapos kasi spacious at high ceiling . Sana i-revive ito because it could have been the most beautiful mall in the Bonifacio circle area in Caloocan city.
Presently yung driveway nito ay ginawang PUJ terminal going to Bulacan province.

oh yeah, yung parang gateway mall type design na puro glass? Yeah i see this....sometimes. Pangit kasi yung area eh...

Siguro nga if natapos at naging operational yung mall na yun in Caloocan ay may pagka-high end compared to other malls in that vicinity. Syempre , pagagandahin naman nila siguro yung paligid nila if operational sila .
May pagka-slim yung structure pero mataas reminds me of Shangrila Plaza sa height. Sana , may stable mall developer na mag take-over , finishing touches sa structure, landscaping at interiors na lang siguro ang aayusin dun at okay na .

the former Plaza Fair beside Gateway will be converted to a call center.

hi there, pls. check the following sites:

aranetacenter.net
ayalamalls.com.ph -im not so sure kung totoong pics ng market2x ung nandon
praiserealty.com.ph/eastwood
http://imagesphilippines.com/viewmage.php?id=506
http://sites.k2ia.com/smprime/index.php-lahat ng infos bout sm malls, nandito, w/ tons of pictures from luzon to mindanao, may good pic don ng SM bAguio
http://www.filinvestcorpcity.com/
http://journal.houseonahill.net/index.php/journal/entry/makati-city-then-and-now/- may pic dun ng makati during the 60s
http://www.asiatravel.com/philippines.html- may list don ng hotel rates

Taco Bell....yum:)

Monorail in Mall of Asia would be awesome!:)

Here are some photos during the soft opening of Market! Market! in June!

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid141/p65864a15ce307711cd614452023ed7f7/f6ca0070.jpg

These are trial and error shots.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid141/pc7039b0864dba7d527291535cfb45713/f6ca0093.jpg

And this is the finale with a loud bang along with it.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid141/peaa1127fe09e2a4677577c81b1e2e389/f6ca0019.jpg

Market! Market! is currently packing them in. I heard sa weekends, ubos ang parking spaces.

And sobrang laki daw talaga.

But the question remains: Is it a Mall? Or a Market? Or Both?

Have to check it out soon! ;)

I already went to Market!2x a week ago , I even gave details about it , ang hindi ko pala napagtuunan ng pansin that time ay yung parking space nila , ang nakita ko lang ay yung ground parking on both sides of the mall's entrance at the huge canopy area . Hindi ko napansin kung may iba pang parking space around the mall or kung may multi-level parking ito within the building itself.
Granting na yun lang talaga ( mall's frontage ) ang parking space nila at nandun na rin yung terminals for PUJ's and bus , mukhang hindi nga enough yung parking space na iyon kaya umaapaw kapag weekends , to think na around 50% or so pa lang ang stores na open na inside the mall.

@ Francis20: Great bulb exposure shots! Looks handheld so I dunno how you were able to pull off sharp shots of the fireworks. :okay:

Yeah, those fireworks pics are cool. I tried pulling shots like those during the Fourth of July but unfortunately, without a tripod, most them came out looking bad.

thanks . i wasn't able to get good shots. i was getting quite nice shots when i realized that the lens is not focused to the right distance. so i missed the chance. ill just wait another month to get good fireworks shots, this time at Greenbelt and G4. Hopefully they will do it as they did last year. i brought along a tripod, but it was raining, so i wasn't able to get into a strategic location.

galing naman ni kuyafrancis. :master: :bow:

I like the spacious atrium of Festival mall , it is not crampy when shows are held there because it can accomodate more people fronting the stage itself and those on the railings of the upper floors.
yeah, agree. :)

@Francis: I know. You're just starting to set-up, the fireworks are delayed, you feel you have all the time in the world, you fine-tune the... wait: The fireworks have begun! Where's the tripod? Am I sure I loaded the film cartridge? Is the ASA right? The fireworks are on the other side! Greenbelt 2 stupid, not G3!... :cry: You get my drift.

By the way, do digicams have bulb exposure functions?

Last year, novermber and december, Ayala center have fireworks at 8 and 9 pm every sat and sun. i have some shots at my imagestation. that was at greenbelt. i didn't know how to use the cam yet that time.
i mounted the film before going to Market Market! But it rained so hard and i didn't know what time will the fireworks start off. so while i was still on the taxi, the firework had already begun, and that's it. i have to set up the whole thing in few seconds, without realizing that the lens is not focused. after the fireworks, i have no choice but to take shots of Essensa and Pacific Plaza, which i posted at the other thread. I went home soaked with the june rain.

Last year, novermber and december, Ayala center have fireworks at 8 and 9 pm every sat and sun. i have some shots at my imagestation. that was at greenbelt. i didn't know how to use the cam yet that time.
i mounted the film before going to Market Market! But it rained so hard and i didn't know what time will the fireworks start off. so while i was still on the taxi, the firework had already begun, and that's it. i have to set up the whole thing in few seconds, without realizing that the lens is not focused. after the fireworks, i have no choice but to take shots of Essensa and Pacific Plaza, which i posted at the other thread. I went home soaked with the june rain.
@Francis:
I like the imagery here. Rainy day in June. On the way to fireworks display...
Flashback to a crisp December night. Fireworks. You fumbling with the camera...
Segue to now... you're still fumbling with the camera... but you're more knowing now...
You'll get it this time. You know you will...
But sadly you were late...
It rains harder... you just stay there with your camera...standing in the rain.

This could be a good premise for a short indie film.

Or a "Lucky Me sotanghon commercial"?

hahahaa....that was funny man!
i came home dripping with rain. and to make things worse, the way home was flooded above my ankle, so my rubber shoes were soaked in the floodwater as well...so im virtually wet from head to toe. and i came home, to find out that i got a new housemate...a weird housemate. so we had story-telling the whole night! we never did eat lucky me sotanghon or canton. i think i just ate cloud 9 chocolates. haha...let's get back to the topic now...which is? fireworks? haha...:D

And the plot thickens... I knew there was food involved as a sub-plot to this story. Cloud 9? It's as good as it's ever been... ;)

You were saying...yeah--back to the topic...

December is just around the corner. Maybe we can make like snipers and post one person each around the EDSA carpark to take pictures of the fireworks. I could stake out the rooftop of Urdaneta apartments, Dvorak can lounge at swankier surroundings up there on the Rennaissance Club, and you can take your own posts wherever suits you. You can all then flaunt your fancy 5MP digicams with the 10x optical zooms while I brandish my ancient SLR with the missing hot shoe... Sounds like an awful lot of fun to me.

I just have no place for drama in my life so I really hope it won't rain.

haha...yeah. let's hope Ayala Center would do it again. It started as early as November. I could position myself near the site, then Power-mad at urdaneta, dvorak at NW Hotel. Who wants to go at Oakwood? hehe...let's do it simultaneously. i can use my old SLR cam probably like what you got Powermad. then let's compare notes! it would be fun!!!

hmmm... isn't it that the fireworks occur every friday and saturday 8pm... on two areas... Greenbelt and Ayala Park?.... hmm.. I think I can station myself on top of the Park Square 1....:D

probably they'll do that again...

no, it's sat and sun, pretty sure with that. not sure with the friday thing. the fireworks near EDSA is better than the one at Greenbelt. but they're equally awesome!

I will not go to the Oakwood rooftop to save my life. :sly:

But, yeah, since the fireworks are launched from the EDSA carpark, Oakwood would be a good vantage point. Intercon would then be your foreground.

There are scheduled Friday fireworks as Christmas day nears.

ahh ok. got that! thanks...:D

some pictures of Market! Market!

http://img94.exs.cx/img94/1766/DSC05173.jpg

http://img94.exs.cx/img94/5895/DSC05174.jpg

http://img94.exs.cx/img94/6201/DSC05175.jpg

http://img94.exs.cx/img94/3916/DSC05176.jpg

http://img94.exs.cx/img94/2702/DSC05177.jpg

http://img94.exs.cx/img94/807/DSC05178.jpg

http://img94.exs.cx/img94/2765/DSC05179.jpg

http://img94.exs.cx/img94/2407/DSC05181.th.jpg (http://img94.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img94&image=DSC05181.jpg)

http://img94.exs.cx/img94/4997/DSC05182.th.jpg (http://img94.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img94&image=DSC05182.jpg)

Looks simple yet modern. Its good a mall, not too classy yet not also generic. And its pretty big. Thanks for the photos, Kiel:)

hmm... what ryan said, nothing special, yet. But it's not to be like Power Plant or The Podium, so i won't be complaining

seems like it captures the ABCDE+++ market.
nice photos Kiel. The activity center looks nice and spacious. Are those palm trees real?

I dunno if it catches the "A" market.. we have to see in a couple of months, since not everything yet is still in place..

but isn't it supposed to be a wet, but not wet market like place?

i think it's more for the C, D & E market.. mostly people from Taguig are going there.. there's a jeepney access via C5.. cinema prices are the same as SM I think.

kindda dark

the pics? imo they're perfectly fine.... :?

seems like it captures the ABCDE+++ market.
nice photos Kiel. The activity center looks nice and spacious. Are those palm trees real?__________________

The palm trees are not real because it has a palm for its trunk and a big , big pineapple on its top , the pineapple crown are then again palm leaves .

It is quite spacious , but dimly lit since its roof does not have provision for skylights to pass through , and it will surely consume lots of energy to light it up on daytimes .

But it is a nice mall.

I went shopping in cubao the other day, and I was surprised to find that the malls in that area were so glitzy! However, its mostly show. In ali mall, there was only one frigging atm, and it didn't work, so I was hard-pressed to find shops that accepted credit cards. But, that didn't stop me from buying everything in sight :D

Sa Ayala center ka dapat ng shop. Para khit savings card pede. Pede ba yun sa iba? Ewan.

I'm a southerner, so I usually shop in town :) I'm just shocked at the lack of amenities up north. No ayala mall would ever have a single spot that isn't 20 paces or so from an ATM, or a toilet, for that matter.

Yeah, I would think the positioning for Market! Market! is kinda all over the place. You would think it'll be AB broad C because it's in BGC. But it's also just a stone's throw away from the DE Taguig crowd (I'm just talking in very broad marketing terms here. I don't wanna start anything along the lines of 'who said Taguig was a DE market?') Just thinking out loud...

Taco Bell is US regional cusine and not Mexican...you will not find Burritos or yellow crunchy tacos in Mexico.

And the BCD market from makati outskirts, i mean those who live on those places called ***mbo. CEMBO, REMBO, PEMBO, whatever those names mean. Oh, there'd be an A market from that place courtesy of our co-forumer Wierdo.

And the BCD market from makati outskirts, i mean those who live on those places called ***mbo. CEMBO, REMBO, PEMBO, whatever those names mean. Oh, there'd be an A market from that place courtesy of our co-forumer Wierdo.

And the rich-boy debates just keep on coming! :laugh:

sorry...i mispelled that. it's Weirdo. haha...
but he would deny it anyway. never mind. i wonder where's he now. he was one of the post-now-like-there's-no-tomorrow forumer before. probably he's off for a term break.

pretty busy bloke now.. hmm.. he's online in MSN now but he's not posting. probably hanging out in one of those new malls;)

just heard from my bro's gf who's working for Robinsons that Robinsons Pioneer is going to open on November 17, Wednesday.... why wednesday? well according to her, the Gokongweis had it Feng Shui-ed.... :D

Taco Bell is US regional cusine and not Mexican...you will not find Burritos or yellow crunchy tacos in Mexico.

Blah... There's a reason why we call it Taco Hell here... Yuck. So many better real taquerias. Calling Taco Bell mexican cuisine is like calling Pizza Hut Italian.

hi guys i am new around anyway the Philippines surely has some of the most well organized shopping malls in asia but come to think of it do we need all these many malls... soon we well have the SM mall of asia, the Gateway malls, etal malls... maybe we should seat down and rethink do we need all this malls??? or we need other forms of development other than shopping malls... considering the zoning... shopping malls lined up the whole edsa is this proper zoning??? i believe for our country to have a sustainable development... we should implement urban sprawls wherein a balance mix-use of development can be attained...it's not that i am against development of classy shopping malls all i am saying we must put up, establish and fast tract our industrial zones more and developing a world-class seaport and international airport on the east coast of luzon after attaining a sustainable economic growth now we put up malls... another leisure development... we need to concentrate now on rebuilding the philippines as a strong nation economically... kung baga ang mga malls= money going out, industries= money coming in... yon lang comment... thank you for reading...great day

Blah... There's a reason why we call it Taco Hell here... Yuck. So many better real taquerias. Calling Taco Bell mexican cuisine is like calling Pizza Hut Italian.

yeah, americanised-version of regional food. can't wait in years time when they rip-off balot and other pinoy cuisine :lol: :D

hi, a-wire, in response to your post

four years ago when i was still living in the philippines i would have thought we have enough malls for the whole Metro. four years later heaps of them have sprouted, mostly big projects by SM, Robinsons, or other people. i don't see why the government should do anything about it, it's mostly private sector messing around, building, abandoning malls etc. It's a good thing years on some of them still exist. I read an article in Time Magazine talking about the Indian mall boom, but this will be short-lived, because of the lack of infastructure. Malls in the country actually help infastructure, by going to far-out places in the country, and developing malls there, which in turn increase land value, and therefore the basic necessities come along with it.

It's not very professional of an answer, or even near professional, but two cents worth man:D

Why would malls equal money going out? The retail sector is an industry just like any other. It provides employment and pays taxes to the government. Most items that you can purchase in malls are products of Philippine industries. As long as there is demand, malls will be built. And there is definitely still a lot of demand. As a simple example, if you look at malls in more developed countries they aren't quite as full of shoppers as the malls here, even on sale days. This shows that there is still lots of room for growth in the retail sector, and that the market is far from being saturated. I also read that article about Indian malls, and what differentiates the Philippine situation from theirs is that Filipinos actually buy something, even if its just a small purchase, everytime they go malling. Also, we've had a strong malling/shopping culture here since the 1960s, while India just got the ball rolling in the 1990s.

With a few exceptions, almost all malls are private sector projects, the government can't do much to stop someone with money from building a mall if that's what he wants to do with his money. As it is, many more incentives are already being given to industrial zone developers than to mall developers. So you really can't blame the government for getting those malls built. The ratio of failed to succesful malls is still very favorable, and most of those failed malls failed because of major miscalculations and lack of market research by the developers, and not because there isn't a market to sustain them.

Taco Bell is now officially open in Gateway (Read: Taco Bell lang ang open sa Gateway).
I just had their combo #5 which is Cheese Quesadillas and Crunchy Taco-Original with a single serve 16 0z. drink.
Grabe, bitin, ang liit kasi nung serving kaya di masyadong nakakabusog.

I waited for 2 hours kasi dumating ako ng 10:00 hoping na makakakain ako tapos sabi nung Guard may mass pa daw and all of those "opening" ceremonies and stuff, so I decided to take a walk around the Araneta Center and go back after 2 hours.

Maliit lang yung Taco Bell pero ang daming tao kanina, most of them are foreigners, although there are some locals, and the "press" people taking pictures. BTW, I was customer #24 since the opening.

I agree w/ you JudeD. :bow:

also one more note about these failed malls, most of the time when one abandons it, another takes over, refurbishes the building, and again it will be opened.

Metro Manila is such a huge market, that it will almost not saturate with malls. Malls nowadays are places to meet people. Whichever one is the nearest to their homes or workplace, people go there. It's amazing.

@a-wire, they government at the moment doesn't seem like it's interested in developing seaports and int'l airports in Luzon's east coast. I've been noticing an increase of developments in Central Luzon.

I caught an episode of Kontrobersyal last Saturday, it talked about prostitutions in our malls.. yup.. it's happening.. a lot of pickup girls/boys are now making our malls as their target. Bad.. very bad..

It's been that way for many years. There was a Correspondents episode on it 5 years ago, I remember. Certain malls have more of a reputation for having prostitutes than others. Many of them are highschool and college kids who are trying to pay for school. Very sad.

The unnamed Mall with a lot of pickup girls/boys that was shown in Kontrobersyal is Isettan Recto.

It's been that way for many years. There was a Correspondents episode on it 5 years ago, I remember. Certain malls have more of a reputation for having prostitutes than others. Many of them are highschool and college kids who are trying to pay for school. Very sad.
huh? even highschool? so they're only 12-15? tsk, tsk, tsk...that's really sad.

High school students' age range is 13-16, right?

no, it's 11-14 in my case. hehe...
i heard that even these hi-end malls like Shangri la are having those stuffs going on inside. sometimes they do it right inside their restrooms.

High school students' age range is 13-16, right?
sorry, I'm just 12 when I entered HS. :D

yeah, it varies.

13-16? Philippine high schools should have an optional two extra years for further study.. i'll make a new thread for this.

it's present in almost all malls.. I remember walking in megamall.. then may sitsit nang sitsit.. yikes.. bading pala..

same in Glorietta.. sad na talaga.. ang hirap.. the mall management is helpless.. or just don't want to act? how can they? how can they know who's a prosti or not? tsk tsk tsk..

also one more note about these failed malls, most of the time when one abandons it, another takes over, refurbishes the building, and again it will be opened.


one good example would be the refurbished former uniwide at carriedo. it's now sporting a new robinson's supermarket to compete directly to the opposite sm quiapo

paano nga ba? :dunno: Hulihin ang makakapal ang make-up? at maiiksi ang damit? ang mga bading? ask help from "Mission X" team? ewan.

Well the prostitutes don't look like what we think are prostitutes. They look like normal students in normal student clothes-- jeans and t-shirts. But they usually stand alone, looking over the railing. Don't ask me how I know. I just remember this from the Correspondents report.

e di cila ung hulihin.. :D pano kung may hinahanap pala clang kasama kaya paikot-ikot o kaya nakatingin sa mga dumadaan? then hinuli ang kawawang inosente? patay! :runaway:

haha...there'd be no prostitute if no one's gonna patronize them.
so pag sinitsitan ka ng bading, you should be proud...it only means you look good for their taste. hehehe...last week, i was walking along paseo past midnight, and there was these 2 bading, sinitsitan din ako. i can't see any other guy walking along that way. so i detoured to this BPI ATM near Paseo Center. Eh sinundan pa rin ako. Kala siguro nila pogi ako. Nyay...ampangit pangit ko kaya eh.

tinitingnan pa ba nila mukha? di ba sa katawan? matangkad ka naman. buti hindi ka nila ni-rape. nyakkks! :runaway:

oo nga. tingin ko wala na yun sa mukha. kala nila siguro kung sinong hunk yun. eh kung malayo, medyo nkkaloko pa ako. pero pag nilapitan mo...wala lang.
wala, naglakad na lang ako ng mabilis. dun sa withdraw kong pera, di na ko kumuha ng receipt. eh nahuli sila sa pagpasok, so bago pa lumabas pera niya, malayo na ako....hekhek hek. siguro withdraw siya ng pambayad. haha...
tong isang rummate ko, hinala ko...nag sisideline sa Timog. aalamin ko nga. Jowk. :D

Dapat the moment na sinitsitan ka nila eh humarap ka sa kanila, para pag nakita nila mukha mo...wala lang din :colgate:

hahaha...ayoko, baka kumaripas sila ng takbo. pero malay mo, kasi nagkasunod lang kami lumabas ng Citibank bldg., at magkasunod kami dun sa log-book. paranoid na ata ako.

Dapat the moment na sinitsitan ka nila eh humarap ka sa kanila, para pag nakita nila mukha mo...wala lang din :colgate:
yan cguro style mo ano? hehe. :D Paano nyo iha-handle ang ganung situation? kapag na-corner na kau? uupakan nyo? :runaway: hehe.

i did that once.. inupakan ko talaga.. i was in a bus near the window.. sleeping.. then I woke up as I felt that the guy (gay) besides me has his hand on my lap.. ayun.. eh di laglag sya..

haha... baka naman di nya sinasadya yon at gaya mo ay inaantok siya at accidentally nyang naipatong ang kamay nya sa legs mo.. kawawa naman... hehehe.. :jk:

hmmm.. pano ba yan, mahilig pa naman akong tumambay sa mga railings ng mall. masarap kasi mag-observe ng mga tao eh... pero hindi rin, di naman ako mukhang papable eh... kaya safe pa rin ako. at kung may mag-alok man sa kin, di kakayanin ng powers nila ang presyo ko. dapat magsuot tayo ng badge na "You can't afford me!" para ma-discourage sila... hehehe :weirdo: :bash: :runaway:

Well the prostitutes don't look like what we think are prostitutes. They look like normal students in normal student clothes-- jeans and t-shirts. But they usually stand alone, looking over the railing. Don't ask me how I know. I just remember this from the Correspondents report.

Wrong idea pala talaga yung ginawa ko sa Harisson Plaza, nung napagod ako kaka-ikot sa mall eh tumambay ako dun sa 2nd floor railings tapos maya-maya may lumapit sa akin...... tapos nilayasan ko rin siya.
Dapat pala sinabi ko i'm worth an Eastwood or a Fort Boni Condo.

Dapat ganun ang ilagay mo sa badge mo, siguro naman walang makaka-afford ng Eastwood o Fort Boni na condo at talagang madi-discourage na sila.

:lol: nakakatuwa naman mga experiences nyo. haha.
@Dvorak, inupakan mo naman agad? ang lupit mo naman. :jk:
@amras, kailangan pala papa-ble ang itsura? haha. The word "papable" really makes me laugh. :lol:
@thomasian, paano kung meron palang can-afford? hehe. :jk:

well.. masama talaga pag bagong gising.. actually may folder sya na hawak.. tapos nakapatong sa lap nya.. tapos nasa ilalim yung kamay nya.. kala ko may ipis or something.. nung magising ako.. aba.. kamay pala nya.. napahiya tuloy sya.. as in tumigil pa yung bus.. kala nung driver at conductor kung anong gulo nangyayari.. eh puno pa naman ang bus.. sabi ko di na pwedeng katabi ko yang bakla na yan.. so bumaba na lang sya..

ganun? naawa naman ako sa kanya...pihadong napahiya un. ang tindi ng moral lesson (?) na ibinigay mo. :colgate:

haha. how violent, talagang scene stealer as in sobrang feeling ko napatingin sa inyo lahat ng tao sa bus... wala lang :colgate:

pagsama-samahin kaya natin ang mga experiences ño? Ipadala natin sa "The Correspondents"? eerrr...mali, sa Maala-ala Mo Kaya, title natin..."maruya" este "Kilabot ng mga bading"...:hilarious:

hahaha...anlupit mo naman Dvorak. kawawa naman yung tao, eh kung di naman talaga sinadya? hahaha...pahiya siguro yun. next time pag sinitsitan pa kayo, sabihin niyo...ay papa, di tayo talo. bk bugbugin ka ng jowa ko. hahaahahahaha...me bago ako natutunan sa workmate kong babae...jowa daw ay bf? bat ba napunta dito and usapan natin?

Speaking of mall, mukang sobrang daming mall ang magbubukas this year and next year...

Market Market!
Robinson's Place Pioneer
Gateway Mall
WalterMart Pasong Tamo

ano pa ba?
Hmmm...
SM Fairview Extension

la na ako maisip eh. konti lang pala.
so balik tayo sa experience niyo...

Di ba may bagong mall sa may Recto/Old Bilibid? Para makonekta ang LRT1 at LRT2? At ang Mall of Asia, kelan yon bubukas?

SM Makati (old wing) will open this Friday after it has undergone construction of the extension and the renovation of the two original buildings...

there is also PureGold in Commonwealth Ave. near Luzon Ave...

is the old wing of SM Makati the part that is connected to MRT-3?

@boybaha - what mall is that? we were all wondering if there was gonna be a mall connecting MRT-2 and LRT-1. haha...

nope... the new wing is the one that is connected to Glorietta and MRT3

Taco Bell is now officially open in Gateway (Read: Taco Bell lang ang open sa Gateway).
I just had their combo #5 which is Cheese Quesadillas and Crunchy Taco-Original with a single serve 16 0z. drink.
Grabe, bitin, ang liit kasi nung serving kaya di masyadong nakakabusog.

I waited for 2 hours kasi dumating ako ng 10:00 hoping na makakakain ako tapos sabi nung Guard may mass pa daw and all of those "opening" ceremonies and stuff, so I decided to take a walk around the Araneta Center and go back after 2 hours.

Maliit lang yung Taco Bell pero ang daming tao kanina, most of them are foreigners, although there are some locals, and the "press" people taking pictures. BTW, I was customer #24 since the opening.

I decided to quote my own post, wala kasing nagrereply eh.
I posted it last Monday and until now no one seems to have read it. haha siguro dahil its the last post on the previous page of this thread kaya walang nakabasa.

Anyway, adding to my post, one of the Taco Bell staff said that Gateway set to open on November, she also told me that their store hours now is 10:00am-9:00pm but closing time would be extended to 11:00pm when the mall opens. Does that mean Gateway will be open till 11:00 pm?

OT na tayo. Dapat ilipat ni Mr. Moderator etong discussion na to sa Mega Metro Malls (as fun as the upakan ang prosti discussion is in that thread is)...

Edit: Oops.. I meant to post this as a reply in the BGC thread.

SM Makati (old wing) will open this Friday after it has undergone construction of the extension and the renovation of the two original buildings...

there is also PureGold in Commonwealth Ave. near Luzon Ave...

what's in the new wing now? they have heaps of space now so they should put like "normal" SM stuff like a cinema, skating rink or a bowling alley. and of course the big food courts :yes:

what's in the new wing now? they have heaps of space now so they should put like "normal" SM stuff like a cinema, skating rink or a bowling alley. and of course the big food courts :yes:

Not too sure about this but the whole area of the ground level is occupied by ACE Hardware and Banco de Oro. So the space that's available may not be able to accomodate the other anchors that you mentioned. Will double check on this. Like pau aid, SM Makati will have a grand opening this weekend.

nope...
they just renovated the old food court... and extended their department store space... the only added shops there are SM owned shops like ACE Hardware, ToyKingdom, Surplus Shop, Our Home, Banco De Oro and maybe a French Baker and Watson's which are all SM owned.... they also had a Brownie shop in the department store....

Banco de Oro? meaning it's not all retail right?

will the new annex be used by only the department store?

pffftt.. still boring SM. still no bowling alley :(

Ano kayang amenities meron dun sa old wing ng SM Makati na ni-renovate nila? siguro magiging maayos na talaga ang SM Makati , kasi magulo pa sa ngayon gawa nga ng hindi pa completely open yung old wing na ni-renovate .
I wonder if it has cinemas there at variety of shops , kapag nagkaganon mini SM mall na rin ito .

Banco de Oro? meaning it's not all retail right?

(

The Sys are the majority owners of Banco de Oro.

Or is that why you were wondering why there's a bank in there?

banco de oro is at the ground floor of the old annex bldg where Goldilocks used to be.... and ACE Hardware at the old site of the SM supermarket.... upper floors are going to be ToyKingdom, Our Home, Surplus Shop, and SM Department Store.

I passed by it this morning and they are setting up a stage at the ground floor... they have cleare everything on the floor.. so maybe they'll be having a big program on Friday... tomorrow they'll close the connection to MRT3.. probably for final setups...

The Sys are the majority owners of Banco de Oro.

Or is that why you were wondering why there's a bank in there?

i'm wondering why there's a bank in there.. and what's it doing in a major department store.....:? or at least occupying a pretty big space in it

where would SM Supermarket be now, now that ACE hardware is occupying it's old lot? also how about the electronics area and stuff above the old supermarket?