DINING IN THE CITY

Tapa King - CCP Branch

Was here while waiting for the matinee performance of Virgin Labfest 2. Best for breakfast or afternoon snacks, Tapa King gives you all-time favorite Pinoy meals - oily, heavy, filling! Liempo (pork belly) is at Php 105, Tapa King at Php 110 and to spare yourselves the guilt of taking a few years off your lives, flush the cholesterol all the way with a refreshing tropical smoothie made of several fruits (Php 120 - good for 2 or 3 persons). Mabuhay!

*grimaces and clutches chest*

THE MANILA CENTRAL POST OFFICE

I first posted this on April 22, 2006 and I promised readers to get more photos of it from inside. Finally, 3 months after, here they are. I hope I can get more but really, there isn't much else to see for the meantime.

Each of the over 10 main doors have this crown-like feature; very beautiful!

To the delight of many philatelists, it is now very easy to update your collection of Philippine stamps because a stamp outlet had been established on the right wing

This ubiquitous container of water is used to wet the stamps to make them stick to your envelope(s); this one is really half of a plastic mineral water bottle. Pinoy ingenuity? Maybe.

They who destroyeth, rebuilt. The plaque commemorating the reconstruction of the Post Office building after World War II by the Americans.

No thanks to the invention of the internet and the e-mail, the friendly neighborhood postman is currently out of work

Notice the many lion heads lining the facade.

Detail.

Detail.

Detail.

Detail of the staircases

Post office box for rent here in the basement of this mammoth structure.

Detail of a P.O. Box

As far as the eyes can see...

Torch-like structures on the roof, one on each corner of the building. Notice the use of European and Asian design and symbols

Liwasang Bonifacio is right in front of the Post Office. You can see the Manila City Hall tower above the fountain.

LETRAN'S OFTEN-IGNORED FEATURE

This can be found on the eastern façade of the Colegio de San Juan de Letrán in Intramuros, Manila. The college was founded between 1830 and 1850 by Juan Gerónimo Guerrero, a friar. It belonged to the Dominican order and had a small church of the same name. Who made this, what does it symbolize? From the outside, it's the only part of the college that has this. Are there others inside the campus?







Coated in dust, this beautiful work - obscure and forgotten - exudes an air of mystery.

THE CCP MAIN THEATRE BUILDING

A rare sight - the fabulous fountain is turned ON for the duration of a CCP-sponsored film festival

Sorry. The statue doesn't have any identifying marker. It appears to have been made to be placed in the center of the fountain but they never got around to doing it. Not quite sure though.

The Theater's east side has a blockfull of restaurants (see an earlier entry).

Its northeast side. That's the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The Metropolitan Museum is hidden by the trees of the ASEAN Park. The white building partly hidden by the said trees is the Philippine Navy Headquarters. The tent below across the street is of Figaro, a Filipino-owned coffee shop.

Its north side.

The antenna of the Manila Broadcasting Company mars the view.

The building looks heavy and yet appears to have been thrown up into the air because of its curved base support


The fountain at night