In the midst of the western modernism we see today in the Makati Central Business District, there is an element of Filipino-ness one can see behind the tall skyscrapers of glass and concrete. I’m not even talking about the jeepneys that ply along the main thoroughfares of the district but something not many people realize. I am referring to those tin-colored food stalls located along the inner streets of the district that served the lunchtime needs of the working population there. The ones popularly known as the “jollijeeps.”
-
-
Street Art in the Heart of Makati
For a long while, Makati, particularly the central business district area, has been perceived as a stuck-up type of place, where you can’t expect to see “fun” except in the malls located in the CBD. While this is understandable given its stature as a business district, it deprives this part of the metropolis a unique character, other than a dull, grey district that is deprived of “fun” and color…in a literal and figurative sense. Things have changed recently when the Makati Commercial Estate Association decided to give a vibrant atmosphere to an otherwise uninteresting area as it hired a bunch of street artists to decorate some parts of the district,…
-
Mobile Retail Redefined: The Globe Gen3 Store at Greenbelt 4
We Filipinos just love our mobile phones. And that’s pretty much a given, despite the headaches our telecom companies have been giving us for a long while now. Along with this is an evolving savviness that Filipinos have for mobile technology these days. And if connection issues are not enough, mobile companies are finding themselves racing to keep up with the changing trends not only in mobile technology but also in the digital lifestyle of its customers. One company is making an effort to meet this challenge as Globe reopened its store in Greenbelt 4, transforming it into a completely new experience in digital lifestyle called the Globe Gen3 Store.
-
Reading Club 2000: An Open Community “Library” in the City
When we think of libraries, we always think of them as buildings filled with bookshelves and reading desks in a strictly enforced quiet atmosphere. But then there are the open community libraries that thrive in the midst of a busy neighborhood or community that are hidden gems in a bustling city. Today, the Urban Roamer visits one of those libraries that have managed to be one of the most well-known community libraries out there, located in one of Makati’s working class neighborhoods in Barangay La Paz north of the commercial district.