More walks…
Ahh, I noted that I have been walking a lot the past days!
After my walk last Tuesday, Julie, my officemate asked me to walk on Thursday. That means we had to go down the stairs from our office on the 26th floor up to the ground floor then walk around 4 kilometers to our ride. Unlike, in our previous walk, he was able to finish the walk this time… guess he was prepared since he was in rubber shoes. Me.. I am always prepared for walking since I wear comfy flat shoes (it is overused that is why it is more comfy!)
And then yesterday, I walked from Sanctuario de San Antonio (in McKinley, Forbes) to Greenbelt chapel (with a stopover for a mass) then headed to Mandarin Hotel for Mitch Valdes' performance.
Now my legs ache a bit, but just a tiny weeny bit! But I sure had a good time!
Lady Charlie wondered if there are places in Manila where one could walk. Actually, there are a lot of places you can walk in my area. I wonder if she is asking if it is safe to walk in Manila…
Sometimes when I do my walk at night in Manila and I am alone, people would ask me if I am not scared. Well, when I walk I do not carry a lot of cash (actually I have so very little cash!) and I usually place my knapsack in my front… plus I am 5’10” with long strides and dressed in denims and flat shoes (sometimes rubber shoes so I could easily run if I want to)… so I would say I am not afraid!
It is very seldom that I get to walk leisurely (I walk a lot going to work but it is always a hurried walk) that I actually enjoy the peace I get from it. An evening walk is also nicer since you get to see the lights plus you don’t see the dirt too much... unless I am walking in a park or in greenbelt which is okay anytime of the day except when the sun is real hot!
When my friends and I went to Sydney and Melbourne in 2000… we got to visit a lot of place just by walking from our hotel. I was thinking that time, how come Manila can’t be that way!
The buildings in Manila actually have good architecture, the post office and the City hall dome have particularly nice designs. I was really amazed when the Manila city government fixed a lot of plazas and parks (of course, I did not like it when they even converted Avenida, a main road into a plaza… I thought of that as too much). I know it is costing the government a lot of money but it sure removes the eyesore plus it actually invites people to walk… even have picnics.
It is good to walk along Roxas Blvd.’s Baywalk… and looking at the sun set in Manila Bay in Luneta is great! I haven’t been to WOW Philippines in Intramuros but there was a time a saw a lot of Taiwanese tourists riding a fleet of calesas from the Post office… I was sure they were going for a joy ride around the city and I actually felt great looking at them… when I get a chance to walk in Binondo and I cross the bridge from Reina Regente going to the post office, I would walk really slow and just marvel at the reflection of light on the water in Jones bridge… and if I am lucky and the Post office building is lighted, I would enjoy the sight even more!
Manila is not really a walker’s haven yet… if you want to walk.. go to Makati! They have great malls and really made the place walkable… from the MRT in EDSA you could go to ShoeMart… then cross a bridge to Glorietta…then to Landmark and a nice bridge going to the greenbelt area… if you are going to offices in Ayala, they made elevated covered pedestrian walks in Dela Rosa Avenue that connects to buildings and parking lots.. they have well lighted underpasses to help you cross to the other street. The interconnection of shopping malls came a bit lit compared to Hongkong which had it for a long time already (Unlike in Makati, you won’t even know what building you are anymore… you just walk and shop and walk. In Makati you know you’re crossing another building because of the security guards that check on you!) Anyway, the end result is great (ahh Lady Charlie come home and visit…Window shopping is fun in Makati… if you want bargain though, then walk the streets in Divisoria and you’ll certainly get your money’s worth!)
I think Quezon City is catching up too… the Gateway mall in Cubao has really lifted the place and now they are landscaping a lot of the streets…but UP is still the best place to walk or jog with its old shady trees and of course there is always the Quezon Circle that you can go to…
Ahh.. this has been a long post… my hands certainly walked… I mean typed a long mile. It is nice to think of nice places to walk around Metro Manila… I feel like walking some more!
After my walk last Tuesday, Julie, my officemate asked me to walk on Thursday. That means we had to go down the stairs from our office on the 26th floor up to the ground floor then walk around 4 kilometers to our ride. Unlike, in our previous walk, he was able to finish the walk this time… guess he was prepared since he was in rubber shoes. Me.. I am always prepared for walking since I wear comfy flat shoes (it is overused that is why it is more comfy!)
And then yesterday, I walked from Sanctuario de San Antonio (in McKinley, Forbes) to Greenbelt chapel (with a stopover for a mass) then headed to Mandarin Hotel for Mitch Valdes' performance.
Now my legs ache a bit, but just a tiny weeny bit! But I sure had a good time!
Lady Charlie wondered if there are places in Manila where one could walk. Actually, there are a lot of places you can walk in my area. I wonder if she is asking if it is safe to walk in Manila…
Sometimes when I do my walk at night in Manila and I am alone, people would ask me if I am not scared. Well, when I walk I do not carry a lot of cash (actually I have so very little cash!) and I usually place my knapsack in my front… plus I am 5’10” with long strides and dressed in denims and flat shoes (sometimes rubber shoes so I could easily run if I want to)… so I would say I am not afraid!
It is very seldom that I get to walk leisurely (I walk a lot going to work but it is always a hurried walk) that I actually enjoy the peace I get from it. An evening walk is also nicer since you get to see the lights plus you don’t see the dirt too much... unless I am walking in a park or in greenbelt which is okay anytime of the day except when the sun is real hot!
When my friends and I went to Sydney and Melbourne in 2000… we got to visit a lot of place just by walking from our hotel. I was thinking that time, how come Manila can’t be that way!
The buildings in Manila actually have good architecture, the post office and the City hall dome have particularly nice designs. I was really amazed when the Manila city government fixed a lot of plazas and parks (of course, I did not like it when they even converted Avenida, a main road into a plaza… I thought of that as too much). I know it is costing the government a lot of money but it sure removes the eyesore plus it actually invites people to walk… even have picnics.
It is good to walk along Roxas Blvd.’s Baywalk… and looking at the sun set in Manila Bay in Luneta is great! I haven’t been to WOW Philippines in Intramuros but there was a time a saw a lot of Taiwanese tourists riding a fleet of calesas from the Post office… I was sure they were going for a joy ride around the city and I actually felt great looking at them… when I get a chance to walk in Binondo and I cross the bridge from Reina Regente going to the post office, I would walk really slow and just marvel at the reflection of light on the water in Jones bridge… and if I am lucky and the Post office building is lighted, I would enjoy the sight even more!
Manila is not really a walker’s haven yet… if you want to walk.. go to Makati! They have great malls and really made the place walkable… from the MRT in EDSA you could go to ShoeMart… then cross a bridge to Glorietta…then to Landmark and a nice bridge going to the greenbelt area… if you are going to offices in Ayala, they made elevated covered pedestrian walks in Dela Rosa Avenue that connects to buildings and parking lots.. they have well lighted underpasses to help you cross to the other street. The interconnection of shopping malls came a bit lit compared to Hongkong which had it for a long time already (Unlike in Makati, you won’t even know what building you are anymore… you just walk and shop and walk. In Makati you know you’re crossing another building because of the security guards that check on you!) Anyway, the end result is great (ahh Lady Charlie come home and visit…Window shopping is fun in Makati… if you want bargain though, then walk the streets in Divisoria and you’ll certainly get your money’s worth!)
I think Quezon City is catching up too… the Gateway mall in Cubao has really lifted the place and now they are landscaping a lot of the streets…but UP is still the best place to walk or jog with its old shady trees and of course there is always the Quezon Circle that you can go to…
Ahh.. this has been a long post… my hands certainly walked… I mean typed a long mile. It is nice to think of nice places to walk around Metro Manila… I feel like walking some more!
posted by elizabeth | 11:35 PM
2 Comments:
Looks like you really enjoy the walking. And yes, I do mean the safety of walking in Manila.
Thanks for showing me the nice places to walk. Next time I'm in town, I'll try to go to Baywalk in Roxas Blvd.
However, I really don't consider walking inside a mall real walking. I really mean outdoorsy walking or nature walks. Even urban power walks around a city will do but not inside a mall.
You'll enjoy walking in greenbelt garden.
A long time ago.. before they have turned the place into a shopper's haven... I would go to Greenbelt... the chapel, the aviary and even Ayala museum. It had a nice appeal to me then. Now it is so different but it is still beautiful! It is something we can be proud of!
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