Escapism and Reminiscing

Ever thought of being somewhere else instead? The four corners of your room start to kill you slowly. If you live in a tropical area like mine, you’re likened to a melting butter if your room lacks air conditioning. And not even YouTube and the 100-channel universe could make up their resources to entertain you. Just go ahead. Dress up smartly, open the door and step out of your house. But where will you go?

You would probably just go somewhere else that would be glitzy or cool enough for your senses. I live in one of the most chaotic metropolises of the world. Manila is a melting pot of cultures. Ambience varies on each place where a certain culture is prevalent. Binondo district houses Manila Chinatown because of the large Filipino-Chinese community that resides there. Intramuros is the fortress city that was built the Spaniards nearly 500 years ago. It looks like an old Spanish-era town with cobblestone roads and Spanish-inspired architecture.

But for me nothing would beat the glitzy and urban atmosphere of the country’s prime Central Business District in Makati City. Dubbed as the “Philippines’ Wall Street”, the Makati CBD is home to the headquarters of the top Philippine companies and multinational corporations. The stretch of Ayala Avenue, the CBD’s main thoroughfare, is also called the “Millionaire’s Strip”. Until about nearly two decades ago, Makati CBD didn’t look as it is today. The land where it stands is formerly the Nielson Airport, Manila’s international airport of the ‘30s and ‘40s. Ayala Avenue and Paseo de Roxas are where the airport’s two former runways are located. Makati Avenue used to be the main taxiway and the main passenger terminal and apron are located on where Ayala Center now stands.

After the airport was transferred to its present site at Nichols Field in Pasay City in the late ‘40s, the land underwent a face lift to transform it into a CBD. The runways and taxiways were transformed into roads and the airport facilities were handed over to the Ayala Corporation, the airport’s land owners. The original Nielson Airport tower is still on its original form and site, now housing the Philippine Heritage Library.

Former President Marcos issued building restrictions along Ayala Avenue in the 1970s and 1980s. The buildings should be no more than 12 stories high and strictly no parking along the avenue. The height restriction has since been lifted but the parking has still to be done on the back streets so as not to create congestions along Ayala Avenue. Many new skyscrapers were built giving the place a highly cosmopolitan culture, as it now also serves as an entertainment hub.

A few kilometers east of the Makati CBD lay another fantastic place to spend time at. It is the Bonifacio Global City (BGC). Contrary to what the name suggests, it isn’t really a city at all as BGC is a part of Taguig City. Rather, BGC is set to be a model of an ideal city. BGC’s urban planning is one of the finest I’ve seen. It houses upscale condominium buildings as well as high-end office buildings like Net One and Bonifacio Technological Center. More high-end and state-of-the-art skyscrapers are slowly beginning to take shape. Major multinational companies have begun to set-up their offices in BGC. Prestigious international schools, hospitals, and entertainment establishments are located there as well.

Those two are my most favorite hang-out spots as they are the only places in Metro Manila where I can have a ‘relaxing’ ambience. Relaxing because going to those places is like a therapy for me. When in reality, those places are hustling and bustling with life, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

I relieve a lot of my childhood memories in Ayala Center, the high-end shopping center located on the mouth of Ayala Avenue. It houses several malls and department stores that are inter-connected through elevated walkways. Back in the days when SM Megamall and the SM Mall of Asia were inexistent, Ayala Center is the place to be for those who live on the south of Metro. Mum frequents me there when I was a baby until I was 3 years old (circa 1990-1992). Back then it wasn’t Glorietta yet. It was called Quad, four malls adjacent to each other meeting at the center. The present-day Glorietta atrium was then an open space where concerts are held. Outside, the place was full of greenery, giving a sense of calm and oasis in the middle of the country’s nerve center. The old Quad looks like 4 dark red bricks facing one another in a circular fashion. Inside, the feeling is very ‘70s or ‘80s, a typical look of the Philippine malls of the yesteryears. A stone’s throw from Quad 1 is the Landmark Department Store. Landmark at that time was Makati’s, if not the country’s, prime department store. We used to eat lunch at the Landmark Foodcourt located on the lower ground level, which also houses the supermarket. Upon riding the escalator, you’ll be greeted with a large red and white signage that indicates where you are heading. It used to be Jollibee that sponsored that signage. Now, it’s McDonald’s.

Nowadays, when I go to the Landmark Foodcourt I never fail to relieve what is probably my oldest recollection of an anecdote. During the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, the Philippines was experiencing a major electricity crisis and blackouts where a common sight. During one of my lunch times at the foodcourt (circa 1991?), I saw a Caucasian kid about the same age as mine seating on the table next to us on the aisle. He was wearing the same fashion statement as mine, tight short shorts and big striped shirts, just some of the remnants of the ‘80s that were left lingering at the time. He smiled and waived at me, and I waived in return. What appears to be his dad arrived with their food and was about to begin lunch. From out of the blue, the kid farted so loud and in no time the whole building plunged into darkness. Emergency lighting went on and people started laughing, perhaps they heard the loud flatulence too.

After lunch, we then go shopping on the upper floors. The toys department was a paradise for me. All the coolest and latest toys of my time were there, and in some occasions mum, dad, or uncle bought some of my favorites. I can’t exactly remember what are all those but two of them stand out. One is the Bugs Bunny stuffed toy. It had rubber teeth back then, unlike now where it’s just a piece of cloth. All whiskers are now either missing or mutilated. I hated those whiskers when I was a kid. The other one is the Garfield stuffed toy. Its eyes back then were made of hard plastic; nowadays every part is made of cotton. It was a bit tougher than other stuffed toys and flatter than any other Garfield stuffed toys. Those two are still in my old toy cabinet, stored for posterity or perhaps they’re waiting for their new playmate (could be my kids!).

The sidewalk patterns around Landmark are one of the place’s icons. I had fun looking and walking on those radiating circular patterns. And somewhere in the corner I would see the frothy root beer signage, an ad style that is very ‘80s. None of it is left today. The good thing though, is that much of Landmark hasn’t changed at all. Many remnants of the past can still be seen, and felt. The building wasn’t altered and outside it still sports the typical ‘70s department store look. Inside, very little has changed. The department store still looks and feels like the yesteryears. The supermarket conveyor belt counters are still working fine. Except for the ceiling above the cosmetics department, Landmark retains its glory of the days gone by.

Greenbelt then wasn’t the high-end shopping and restaurant hub that it is today. It used to be an oasis. The fish pond is home to kois and visitors can feed them. An open-air chapel is located nearby which celebrates mass on Saturdays and Sundays.

The moment you enter SM Makati, it feels like you're stuck in time. Built in 1967 and one of the city's oldest department stores, SM Makati retained its '70s layout throughout much of its life until it was given a major overhaul in 2004. Inside, a vast array of shelves goes all the way as far as the eye can see. It was one of the largest department stores I've seen. The layout though is very chaotic. Escalators were scattered across the area and a lack of signage for directions tends to make even the most frequent shoppers to get lost. SM Makati is where my first trike was bought when I was 2 years old.

The present-day Glorietta 4 carpark used to house Fairmart Department Store. I don’t remember anything about Fairmart anymore, since it was our least frequented place. Rustan’s Department Store wasn’t the huge concrete monolith that we see today. Back then, it was bathed in colors. It was covered in shiny blue glass and other colored glass decorated the exterior. Whenever I remember how Ayala Center looked like on those days, I can’t avoid comparing the place to Singapore. The pictures of Singapore I saw at that time were very much the same as Ayala’s; Lush greenery and cleanliness amidst the face of modernity and economic prowess. Even Changi Airport reminds me of those.

The Ayala Center trips were cut off for a long time when nearby malls SM Megamall and Shangri-la Plaza were opened in 1993. Since then, most of my childhood malling experience would be concentrated on those two. It took several years before I finally set foot again on Ayala Center. I used to come with my dad and uncle whenever they go to their bosses in Makati. I was already on fourth grade when I stepped again on Ayala Center after many years of not having been there. I eagerly went on every cranny and nook to relieve what was left of my early memories of that place. So much has changed after only 7 years.

Nowadays, I go there just by myself to unwind and reminisce. Greenbelt’s lush greenery still never fails to soothe me. There is no other place that has so much meaning and memory to me than Ayala Center.

When Market!Market! opened in 2004, it opened the doors for further commercial development of BGC. Market!Market! to me is the place to be whenever I’m frustrated to go to Japan. For me, it is the most ‘Japanized’ mall in the country as it houses several Japanese shops, restaurants, and caters numerous Japanese grocery items too. It is where I first cherished my Tensai Terebikun nostalgia. Every year, I never fail to go there for a ‘pilgrimage’ to reminisce my Tensai memories. But now, there is more to that.

Ever since I tried on the new route to Market!Market! via The Fort Bus, I saw how the rest of BGC is being developed. From the moment the bus disembarks from EDSA terminal, you’re taken into what seems to be the future of Philippine urban planning. I prefer to sit in front of the bus to take advantage of the view as it passes by. BGC doesn’t look and feel like the Philippines. My eyes are glued to everything I see. The new high rises, posh parks, high-end establishments, and the orderliness of the place. At daytime, BGC is like Singapore; modern architecture, clean streets, and strict discipline. But at night, BGC is like Bangkok. Nightlife there is so vibrant. Many internationally-famous restaurants found their way on BGC to cater for the upper class Filipinos and for middle class folks who treat themselves for a taste of just experiencing the food and entertainment there.

I used to tell gimmicks just to get to those places. Whenever I feel like dropping-by, I just go ahead and cast off my worries when I get there. Escapism by the way of cosmopolitan and urban areas is a therapy to me. It makes me forget the flaws of living a normal life as a suburban kid.

So the next time you feel weary or bored to death, why not step out of your door and explore the city you live in?