my nostalgia

where i work, words like reactivating, urbanization, revitalization, redevelopment, conservation, preservation, restoration, master planning, environmental degradation, green architecture and sustainability are used as often as yes and no.

what we do is actually a great combination : building (new structures)... preserving (cultural heritage areas)... renew "dying" or deteriorating areas -- in concept, that is, except for the building part. that one we actually do. the preserving and renewing is left up to the concerned cities or municipalities. we just come up with a master plan study and of course, a series of recommendations on how to go about it. sounds grand? even better -- it is fascinating.

i must be in the right place then because one, i have had this fascination with old houses since i was a kid... a tudor is actually on my wish list. but our native bahay na bato will do quite very nicely -- like the ones in Ilocos Sur. i have three options in mind: have a house built just like it, live in Vigan, or snap back to my senses.

now why do i want a house made of stone? i'm not sure... pretty, i guess. and perhaps symbolic. or it could have been influenced by the story of the three little pigs--house made of straw, wood and stone. ha-ha!

i want an old-looking house from the spanish era, that's why. those thick adobe stone walls, wide arching doors, capiz windows, strong decorative columns and brick floors... with a house like that, who needs furnitures?

now where was i? oh, two. i enjoy going to particular places in Manila like Avenida, Quiapo, Escolta, and Binondo. my grandfather used to tell me that they were the commercial areas in the late 1800. that Escolta used to be what Ayala is now. Avenida Rizal is wher e you would go if you want to watch a movie (or go window-shopping -- malls weren't put up till the late 1970s), were movie houses lined along the avenue -- Lords & Jennets, Ideal, Odeon, Roxan are the ones i recall...

i remember when Avenida Rizal was a busy street jampacked with jeepneys. there was no light rail transit (LRT) then. my mom and i used to frequent Good Earth Emporium, a department store with a fastfood resto at the basement. it became Uniwide later, but i think they occupied only a portion of it.

till now, i enjoy walking along MacArthur bridge overlooking the brown waters of Pasig River. as a kid, i would always look out for Feati, a university with a slogan "look up young man, look up" written on it's walls. the top of its building isn't visible till you get somewhere near the middle of the bridge.

but what i miss about Avenida Rizal is Alemar's Bookstore. i wonder what happened to it. they always had a mountain of books placed on a wooden box stand on sale. i've been able to acquire several hard-to-find-books from those piles.

Avenida Rizal has been transformed into a wide stretch of pedestrian walk and i like it the way it is now. it showcases the blending of the old and the new, the contrast between the tiled pavement and the greek inspired architecture of the old Prudential Bank building (the groundfloor of which is now South Supermarket). though the streets are always teeming with vendors and pedestrians, there are several unoccupied buildings, mostly former moviehouses.

further along Avenida Rizal, turning left at C.M.Recto Avenue is a favorite noodle house called Pinsec where they serve great tasting beef mami. my former hub and i used to eat there regularly when i was pregnant with my son R. it's still there.

whenever i am in Escolta, i am sure to pass by Tropical Hut Hamburger. a tropical hamburger meal is what i eat -- always. at the foot of Jones Bridge, stands Savory Restaurant (i think they were the ones who pioneered the chicken gravy thing when everyone else was serving catsup). the only other Savory branch i know is along Shaw Boulevard but i do not know if they are operational.

for gold jewelries and buddha figurines, Ongpin is where i go. and of course, the special miki-bihon with unidentifiable toppings from Delicious Restaurant in G. Puyat St. (located just around the fire station). not to mention the steaming hot "litid" soup with sanque (star anise). i brought an officemate there once. we have been roaming the streets of Binondo the whole morning canvassing locksets for an office project. we were so hungry we were willing to eat anything. i suddenly remembered Delicious and coaxed him to walk a few streets for a special lunch. we ordered hototay soup, machang, special miki-bihon, quiquiam & litid soup. he ate too much, had indigestion after and blamed it on me.

the intersecting streets will then lead me to Binondo. walking through Carvajal Street has this aura much like being transported into another world (or another time). the alley is filled with fruits and other food items not available elsewhere. i once wanted to make an abalone dish but didn't know where to buy. during one of our trips to Holland Hopia along Carvajal, i saw two or three vendors selling the elusive abalone and some other sea foods i am not familiar with.

each trip i make around these places in Manila often culminates at Binondo Church. i remember walking down its aisle some twenty years ago but i was somewhat dazed i couldn't even recall how the altar looked like.

anyway... what i'm really trying to say is : i love these places. there's something about downtown Manila that pulls you back again. and again. and again. sure, i enjoy shopping and eating in air-conditioned malls, it's convenient, "safer" and clean. but whenever i feel the urge to experience life, Manila is where i want to be.

(wish i had taken these treasure of photos...i just found them all on the net from different sources. amazing.)