~manila, you're not that ugly

window shopping in Cubao (Marikina Shoe) Expo

I first visited the Marikina Shoe Expo (now called– and perhaps more aptly– the Cubao Expo) with my girl friends in 2005. Back then the area lived up to its name as a shoe depot–there were really just shoe shops everywhere! I remember telling friends that Marikina Shoe Expo was the place to get customized shoes done, even knee high boots in various leather colors!

Two Saturdays ago (March 27), I went back to Cubao Expo for Anton’s Photoblogging class, and was happy to just walk around this  U-street in Cubao and be curious again.

Parking is still available inside, although I don’t remember it being so expensive (I paid P50 for a little over 3 hours of parking)!

There was a street tiangge on that day though, which took up most of the slots…

First order of business: FOOD.

Was happy to see Bellini’s still standing amidst all the change that has taken place since 2005…

…and even happier to take home fresh homemade sundried tomatoes:

Arugula pizza is quickly becoming a staple in Italian restaurants, Yellow Cab included (oh Dear Darla, so yum!). I remember first tasting this in Breakfast at Antonio’s in Tagaytay, and was nice to see it again in Bellini’s

Anton was able to ask his friend (I’m bad with names, sorry!) who owns the furniture shop across Mogwai to give us an informal tour of the Cubao Expo… super thank you for letting us in on the little details that make this place what it is–an organic market for artists, start up entrepreneurs, avid collectors and just about every curious onlooker out there!

First stop after lunch was Mang Ernie’s Vintage shop, which had all sorts of memorabilia from paintings and signed autographs…

…to old clocks and Venetian masks…

Look at that ingenious CD reused as a clock.  Notice the bike chain wheel (ano ba tawag diyan?) as bolster.  Nice!

Also there was everyone’s no-fail favorite senti piece: the old Magnolia milk bottle that mom converted into water bottles for the fridge.

These vintage dolls looked arresting, but the memory they triggered in me was Chucky and Child’s Play! No thank you po!

For serious snowglobe collectors, a must-visit is My Breathing Space:

I think they have all the Disney girls covered…

And look at this giant Tinkerbell!

Another new cutie store is The Bead Lady, which really just brought me back to my childhood (think Ego in Ratatouille!).

I just kept thinking “ang sarap maging bata ngayon!” while going through all the arts and crafts here.

Look at these painted bangles…

…and these kissing pigs!

I wanted to take home all these mini dolls!

This vintage clothing store has no real name, and you have to go through a narrow hallway and stairway to get to it–

But given it’s been here for a good while now (8 years if I remember correctly), it must have some serious vintage fashion fans.

Here’s the owner (I think his name is Joey) showing us his vintage sunglasses…

The I Love You store is another clothing store in Cubao Expo. You’ll find it on the second floor of the small bar across Bellini’s.. Saw these interesting beltbags there (P500):

Other highlights: Heritage, an art store selling Philippine art and memorabilia (including old stamps, books,and magazines–I wanted to get all those Architectural Digests!)…

These postcards shown below have profiles of local artists and some sample works that show their signature style, including one of my favorites–Hermes Alegre! They’re a great way to get an overview of Pinoy painters today:

This short tour on a lazy Saturday afternoon definitely put Cubao Expo back on my list of favorite hole-in-the-walls in Manila.   Will visit again, maybe with more shopping money but also with more willpower to keep myself from just picking up every pretty thing I see!  THANKS again Anton

A few things to remember:

• There’s no real opening time for the shops, so even at 3pm, we found some of them still closed.  A good time to visit while the sun is still up would be 4:30-5pm.
• There’s also lots of parking available next door, in an open parking area outside Cubao Expo.

View more pictures of my Cubao Expo phototrip on flickr.