From time to time, the Urban Roamer has been asked about traveling in Manila. Stuff like what to do or some helpful tips. While there has been some information shared about those things from time to time, I realized I never really talked about that matter a bit in depth. With the help of some friends, I hope this article would be of help for all travelers who want to check out what this city has to offer. After all, Manila is more than just the Philippines’s bustling capital. As we have seen here in the Urban Roamer for years now, there is a cultural and historical hub that locals and tourists…
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Book Fair Roaming: Manila International Book Fair 2016
It’s that time of the year again! The Urban Roamer has once again made its way at the Manila International Book Fair. Would you believe this is already the 37th edition of this event? As can be expected of such events, the venue (which again is the SMX Convention Center) is packed with a lot of visitors coming in to check out the titles being sold and the new titles being introduced. Unlike last year, there were no trends to watch out for in this year’s MIBF. At least that’s from this roamer’s perspective. Still there were many interesting things to see in the recent MIBF that still makes it…
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The Henry and The Conrad: Exploring Two Pasay Hotels
Pasay City today is one place in the metropolis which has a conflicted identity brought about by the many changes that came upon this part of the metropolis over the last 70 years or so. There is the Old Pasay, at least remains of the old genteel neighborhood where some of the Manila’s elite families lived, especially before the war and in the early postwar years. Then there is the Modern Pasay of today, suffering in urban squalor, decay, and congestion brought about by the emergence of the urban poor populace who lived in the city as the elites moved out to escape the creeping urbanization. And of course, there…
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Bright Lights Dimming: The Nearing Demise(?) of Broadway Centrum
Given the state of how the Philippine television industry works, we do not really have much venues that broadcast TV programs which are located outside the studio complex of the broadcaster. Then again, such venues like New York City’s Ed Sullivan Theater where US late night program The Late Show (of both David Letterman and Stephen Colbert) are a rarity themselves. There is, however, one notable example broadcast venue located beyond the studio complex, of GMA Network in this case. Today, this urban roaming takes us to that Quezon City landmark known as Broadway Centrum. Knowing its geography and history gives one the impression that its name connotes more than…
