Despite the rise of more modern, taller “city halls” with more modern amenities, especially the city halls of some of the cities in the metropolis, there is this certain appeal and charm whenever one sees the city hall building of Manila. Maybe it’s partly because it is the city hall of the nation’s capital city. Maybe it’s because of its classic architecture that it has been able to maintain. Whatever the case may be, the Manila City Hall is itself an iconic structure that has managed to become the symbol of the city it represents, something that not all local government office buildings have managed to achieve. The city hall…
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The SkyDeck at Bayleaf Hotel
Despite being a popular tourist destination, it’s interesting to note that there are only a few hotels, well 2 to be precise, operating in Intramuros itself. Make no mistake though, these hotels have their own unique charms that make them stand out. I wrote about one of them in a previous entry which operate an electric chariot tour. And there’s the “new kid in town,” so to speak, called The Bayleaf. Opened in November 2011, The Bayleaf was named after the other name for the laurel, which is a nameplay as well to the Laurel family who own and operate this hotel along with the nearby Lyceum of the Philippines…
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The Jai Alai in Manila
It has been called “the game of a thousand thrills.” Being a bit familiar with the sport, it boggles why the game of jai alai as been dubbed as such when other sports like basketball or football can also lay claim to that tag. Nevertheless, Filipinos seem to have such an understated love affair with this game, overshadowed as it is these days due to the popularity of the aforementioned sports. Being a sport of Basque origin, (jai alai means “happy feast” in the Basque language) it was fitting that the Basques, or at least Hispanics with Basque heritage, would introduce this sport in the country. Some accounts relate that…
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Reminiscing the cinematic glitter: the old movie theaters of downtown Manila (Final part: south Santa Cruz and Binondo)
At the height of the glory days of downtown Manila, movie theaters were sprouting not only along Rizal Avenue but also in nearby streets as well in the downtown area as a whole. One such street, Florentino Torres, which ran perpendicular to Rizal Avenue was once home to two prominent movie theaters, the Deluxe and Republic theaters. Republic was no longer standing by the 1990s as a commercial building that bears its name stands today. Deluxe, which was a landmark in itself in its twilight years thanks in part to its proximity to Ambos Mundos Restaurant, was gone during the mid-2000s and a modern-looking commercial building now stands in its…