If New York City has a Broadway and its stretch of theaters, Manila had (take note foks, it’s “had”) Rizal Avenue or Avenida Rizal (nicknamed Avenida) with its strip of movie theaters. It was also a pretty long strip that ran from Blumentritt up north all the way down to Plaza Lacson. (or Plaza Goiti as it was called in the old days) One can imagine what the avenue looked like in its heyday, seeing a long stretch of neon signs, especially of movie theaters that lighted up the way. Being the movie theater hub of Manila back then, Avenida was also home to some of the most prominent movie theater…
-
-
Reminiscing the cinematic glitter: the old movie theaters of downtown Manila (Part III: along Recto Avenue)
Claro M. Recto Avenue in Manila is an interesting thoroughfare in that it has served to link Manila’s educational and commercial hubs. As such, the area around that road formerly known as Calle Azcarraga is an area of bustling activity.that has made it a prominent Manila thoroughfare through the years. There were about a dozen or so movie theaters that used to stand along this stretch of the road. Around the University Belt side of Recto alone, there were the Manila Cinema and U-Belt Cinema, (which I don’t know what sites they are now) as well as the “big four” of the U-Belt Recto area which happen to be all located…
-
Reminiscing the cinematic glitter: the old movie theaters of downtown Manila (Part I- an introduction)
Before came the blight, there was the bright. The bright that shone from the dozens of neon signages that illuminated the cityscape which was downtown Manila. For the people who lived in those bygone days, those neon signs were a form of welcome, a respite from those day-to-day struggles or whatever issue of the day that was bothering them. The bright lights would lead them right into a movie theater where they can enjoy the latest movie released in town. Or it could be a comedy act or some performer who will be having a show for that day. Yup, some of those theaters serve a dual purpose as well.…
-
Roaming the Manila North Cemetery
It’s that time of the year once again when the Urban Roamer embarks on a different roaming adventure to visit not a place for the living, but a place for the departed ones. This time, it is a privilege for me to finally get the opportunity to visit the largest public cemetery in Metro Manila today: none other than the Manila North Cemetery. Originally, the Manila North Cemetery was part of a bigger cemetery complex owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila that included what are now the La Loma Cemetery and the Chinese Cemetery. After the allocation of the property to the Chinese community in Manila for the…