In Metro Manila, you'll find many fine and large shopping centres. In fact, the 3rd. and 4th. largest shopping mall in the world are located right here in Metro-Manila. The 3rd. largest is in the City of Manila (SM Mall of Asia) and the 4th. largest is located in Quezon City (SM City North EDSA). They are really large. One can ride a small shuttle bus that comes along periodically from one wing to the other wing, so you don't have to walk long ends to your favoured store. There's also a very large mall called, SM Mega Mall, and this mall is located in Mandaluyong City, along EDSA boulevard.
A few weeks ago, my wife and I went to Makati City, which is a city located in Metro Manila, and which is actually the downtown core where many businesses, five-star hotels and banks alike are located, including most embassies.
That is where you really can see very trendy shopping centres. Many are buildings connected to eachother and have different names. They are Glorietta and Greenbelt. Glorietta has 4 malls and Greenbelt has 5 malls. Greenbelt 5 has just been opened and this is the classiest of them all, with many high-end stores, only for the rich and famous in the Philippines.
Although, you can really see many ordinary people enjoying lunch in the weekend in many expensive restaurants. My wife and I would hesitate going there because of the prices, but it seems that many Filipinos have money to burn to go there.
We really enjoy walking through the malls in downtown and have lunch at our favoured restaurant, The French Baker, where they serve the best Beef Lasagna and Chicken a la King for a mere P150 for the lasagna and P135 for the Chicken a la King. No wonder, we have to fight for a table every time we go there, because, it's always packed with people who know where to go for a cheap and good lunch that is rather classy, too.
You see more and more people going to the malls now as Christmas approaches. The stores usually decorate very early their Christmas decorations, sometimes as early as the beginning of November and you can sometimes hear Christmas carols already that early to attract customers. It's very nice to be in this atmosphere that early.
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Picture 1) Newest addition inside Greenbelt 5
Picture 2) Facing Greenbelt 3
Picture 3) Inside Greenbelt Park facing some of the Makati City skyscrapers
Picture 4) Inside Greenbelt Park
Picture 5) Inside Greenbelt Park
Picture 6) Inside Greenbelt Park
Picture 7) Makati Avenue
Picture 8) Classy stores
Picture 9) Entrance of Greenbelt 5
