Last time, it was exactly Friday the 13th. Well then, April 13th falls on a Saturday this year. No bad luck this time.
And yes, Keihancarl here. Right now, I'm off to another excursion (a mall-hopping adventure), from Masinag to Sta. Mesa... a.k.a. the LRT-2 East-West route.
I decided to wear all-black for this trip, save for the socks which are red. I don’t feel like wearing the black fleece coat and the black fingerless gloves for now due to extremely hot weather.
I left home a little early, hoping to reach Cubao before noon (I got there at exactly 11:00 AM). Checking Google Maps, it was light to moderate along the way, except in the Northern Fairview portion of Commonwealth Avenue.
Reaching LRT Araneta Center-Cubao Station, I reloaded my beep card and get inside the platform. The escalators in that station aren't operational due to the ongoing maintenance, as well as in other stations (particularly in Gilmore and Santolan stations).
As usual, there were condom ads in some LRT-2 stations.
I got off at LRT Katipunan station and took a short jeepney ride to my first destination, UP Town Center.
I visited a few shops, including Mumuso, Fully Booked, and Biblio (at the Urban Turf area).
I head back to LRT Katipunan Station, taking the train to LRT Santolan Station. I was greeted by a long queue of people going out of the platform. One of the Beep card machines broke down and is currently being fixed.
Heading to my next stop, Robinsons Metro East.
I just noticed the LRT Emerald Station nearing completion. I took a couple of pictures and went inside the mall.
I then had lunch at Bonchon Chicken, just an order of fried mandu dumplings with rice. I only checked Booksale's branch in that mall.
Next stop, Sta. Lucia Grand East mall. I didn't check any of the shops there.
The upper ground entrance on the Marcos Highway side is being renovated at the moment.
The jungle-themed centerpiece looks awesome. The pink flamingos too.
Next stop, SM City Masinag. Again, I only checked a few shops.
And this is the upcoming LRT Masinag station, as seen from the footbridge. It is higher than the mall beside it. The viaduct is incredibly higher too. Just imagine climbing down the station's fire exit...
Next stop, Ayala Malls Feliz. I checked a few shops and then visited the rooftop park.
The rooftop park looks nice, but there's no fake grass to sit on, unlike the ones in Glorietta and Circuit malls.
One can have a nice view of the Sierra Madre (pictured) and the Eastwood and Ortigas skylines from there.
Next stop, SM City Marikina. Looks like there's a little redevelopment going on in the main entrance, possibly more retail spaces for restaurants.
Outside, there's a road being constructed between the mall and the Marikina River.
And then I visited its neighbor Riverbanks Mall. I was only passing by the area.
The former restaurant and bar remained empty and unoccupied since my first visit in 2012. At least the statue of a drunken man is still there. Quite a lovely sight to behold, I must say.
Entering LRT Katipunan Station for the third time, I then rode the train to LRT Gilmore Station. Getting off, I saw a stall selling computer parts and laptop accessories.
Next stop, Robinsons Magnolia. I didn't check any of the shops there.
There’s a BT21 store by the mall’s entrance, selling various BT21 merchandise. BT21 is a group of cute characters created by Korean boy band BTS.
Looks like the expansion area is nearing completion. Gotta do something about the park, though. Anyway, I decided to have siomai at the mall's food court for a late afternoon snack and then head back to LRT Gilmore station.
For a while, I ditched riding the train to LRT V. Mapa Station in favor of taking a jeep to Gregorio Araneta Avenue. To be honest, it is quite a hassle taking a 5-minute walk between the mall and nearest LRT-2 station (LRT Gilmore Station). Well, I decided to ride the train this time, and it was actually more convenient and comfortable than riding the jeep, even if I have to endure a 5-minute walk...
Yes, that’s where my next destination is. Next stop, SM City Sta. Mesa.
Some parts of the mall's cinema level are currently being renovated. Of course, I checked Booksale’s branch in that mall, and there were a couple of interesting manga books... but I couldn’t buy them due to budget constraints. Quite a shame, that is.
And it's time to head back to Araneta Center. It only took me 10-15 minutes to get there.
I only checked Fully Booked at the Gateway Mall, as well as the three-level National Bookstore beside it.
I checked the mall’s garden area, and it sure looks good with the blue lights.
And yes, Gateway Mall is currently being expanded right now.
After that, I decided to have a hotdog sandwich at 7-11 and it's time to go home. I skipped Ali Mall for now due to time constraints. Traffic is heavy in some parts of Commonwealth, but light in most parts of the road. I managed to get home at around 9:30 PM. It was a 12-hour mall-hopping trip with selfies and pictures on the side.
I managed to get through this entire mall-hopping trip. I mean, visiting ten malls within a 12-hour period on a scorching hot day can be pretty exhausting at times.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to POF 2019: Asobu and the Cloverleaf-Valenzuela-Manila mall-hopping trip, both in May. Until next time!
All pics are uploaded to my private Instagram account, @kcox105.
It’s me Keihancarl once again. So much has happened in the last few weeks, but now I’m back to my usual habit of writing posts and stories... and of course, mall-hopping.
The malls along the LRT-2 route are the ones I’ve visited on this mall-hopping trip. And it looks like there’s another one to join the list.
I was thinking if I should wear anything other than an all-black outfit, but I still ended up wearing the latter. After all, I look good in all-black anyway.
En route to my first destination, traffic was a little heavy in some parts of Commonwealth Avenue, but I find it tolerable. I took the LRT-2 to Katipunan Avenue, then a jeepney ride to my first stop: UP Town Center.
I suddenly noticed that my face was a little dirty, possibly due to pollution. And since I tend to touch my face at times, my right hand is also dirty as well. I then head to the washroom and tried to wash the grime-like dirt on my face and my right hand but I find it a little difficult to wash and wipe off.
I only visited a few shops and then I head back to LRT Katipunan Station, with the next stop on the two malls located at the Pasig-Cainta junction.
I had lunch at Robinsons Metro East and then visited its neighboring mall Sta. Lucia East Mall.
Again, I only visited a few shops in these malls and continued east to SM Masinag.
Traffic was surprisingly light along that part of Marcos Highway, unlike the last time. Anyway, I only checked one of the bookshops in that mall and headed back west, to my next destination.
Ayala Malls Feliz opened early this year, and it looks quite massive. Anyway, I checked a few shops and took some time checking every corner of the mall. The department store and supermarket are not yet open as of the moment.
I then headed to the two malls by the Marikina River: SM Marikina and the Riverbanks Center. I didn’t check any of the shops on the two malls.
At that time, it already started raining but luckily it was not that heavy that I need to worry about getting soaked. I even took some selfies by the riverbank area with my umbrella in one hand and the monopod on the other.
And it’s time to head to the two malls on the western side of Manila. For the third time, I head back to the LRT Katipunan station and board the train going to Recto.
There was (I think) a presentation/program in Robinsons Magnolia, and the mall’s expansion is still ongoing.
Meanwhile, I only visited a couple of shops in SM Sta. Mesa. Nothing much, really.
I then headed back to Araneta Center and had an early dinner at a supermarket.
I visited a couple of shops in the area, and they’re all bookstores. Gateway Mall’s garden area is open, but there was an ongoing dinner date with a musician to serenade the diners.
And it’s time to head back to Fairview. Again, there’s heavy traffic in some parts of Commonwealth Avenue, but I didn’t mind it that much. I was getting exhausted from all the walking.
I somehow managed to cram all eleven malls in a single mall-hopping trip. Except for the traffic at Commonwealth Avenue, everything else went smoothly as expected.
For the next two weekends, there’s an upcoming otaku event and another mall-hopping trip focusing primarily on Manila and Valenzuela areas. I am really looking forward to these.
Some of the pics are uploaded to my private Instagram account, @kcox105.
