#lrt-1

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So I’m wearing red and black for this trip. For a while, I’ve been debating between Manila (Binondo + Ermita, plus Monumento in Caloocan and Cloverleaf in Quezon City), BGC (with a short stop at One Ayala Mall later in the evening, where FanFes 2025 is being held), or Makati (Rockwell + Circuit, and possibly, a Binondo side trip). I’ve already revisited the first two in 2023 (except Cloverleaf) and 2024, respectively. Should I decide with the latter instead?

After a period of indecisiveness, I decided on the first one. Well, Manila, it is. Having visited BGC just last year, I think I’m already satisfied with what I’ve seen there… for now, at least. The Rockwell and Circuit areas can wait a little longer. And so are the places I’ve yet to visit (and re-visit) since the pandemic, including Ortigas, Greenhills, and Alabang.

Anyway, I left the house at exactly 10:00 AM. Traffic is surprisingly light on the way to Novaliches. From there, I took the UV Express to Monumento. Initially, I wanted to get off at LRT Balintawak, only to be told that the van would not pass by the area. I was completely baffled at first, but seeing that the UV Express van was passing by the North Luzon Expressway (via Mindanao Avenue), I finally understood. Traffic was terrible along Quirino Highway and Mindanao Avenue (going to North Avenue), anyway. The fare had increased a bit, from 35 (in 2019) to 50 pesos (in 2025). As a result, I decided to skip Cloverleaf (again), knowing that there isn’t anything worth visiting as both Uniqlo and Biblio had already closed. But the trip was faster than expected, and I arrived at Monumento around 11:30 AM.

And I reached my first stop, SM City Grand Central. The UV Express dropped me at the LRT Station, where their new terminal (UV Express) is.

I only checked a few shops, mainly bookstores. As expected, I visited all three bookstores in the mall. The National Book Store branch on the lower ground level really surprised me. On my last visit, the store space appeared to be small. Well, they must be working on the enclosed space at the time. It looks quite larger than I expected.

Biblio was transferred to the fourth level (can't recall where it was previously located) beside the SM Store entrance. And guess what I just saw, there are some small hardbound books that were similar to Harry Potter’s. Yup, an unauthorized parody novel called Barry Trotter by Michael Gerber.

At Fully Booked, an entire shelf was dedicated to collectible toys, including Hirono. There were fewer manga books on the shelves, either.

An e-sports event was held on the fifth floor (SM Skylight Park). I'm still amazed at the mall's biophilic design, just like the other SM mall in Caloocan (but not the nearby SM Sangandaan).

I also took a moment to check the Caloocan City skyline and the LRT [Yamaha] Monumento Station from the food court's window.

Some of the shops from my last visit have closed (including the milk tea shop FRNK) and have been replaced with new ones. So far, the mall is actually doing well, given its prime location and its close proximity to EDSA and the LRT.

The overpass to the other side of the LRT Monumento is the same as last time, still unfinished. So I’m forced to go back to where I crossed (at the other end of the mall, unfortunately), and it’s a little far from the station entrance. But I managed to load up my Beep card before turning back, at least.

And I took the LRT to Tayuman Station. The directional signs now read Dr. A. Santos Station (in Parañaque), a few stops from the previous southern terminus, Baclaran Station. The first phase of the LRT Line 1 Extension to Cavite was finally opened in November 2024. It’ll be a lot easier to go to PITX that way, and I can finally visit the rest of the major malls in Parañaque for the first time. That can wait, though.

Anyway, I finally got to ride the new generation trains, the red ones. It was cooler inside. And it runs a little fast, too. I reached my next stop in about ten minutes, with four stops in between.

On to my next stop, SM City San Lazaro. There was a 3-day mall sale. Fiesta streamers (colored flags) decorated the mall's atrium area. Outside, it rained just a little bit. I decided to check a few shops, including Booksale. I bought a couple of second-hand manga there.

Around this time, I was starting to get hungry so I decided to have a lasagna and garlic sticks at Greenwich. It didn’t take me long to finish all of it too.

The SM Store signage was updated. It feels kind of inconsistent on the atrium entrances, though.

The cinemas on the east side are being renovated. I'm not sure about the ones on the other side, though. They're probably going to convert it into additional tenant spaces, but who knows?

Proceeding to the next stop, I decided to take a jeep to Recto and a modern tricycle to 999 Mall. I took a quick moment to check the shop where I bought my anime shirts, and this time, I couldn’t find anything interesting.

I then proceeded to the Lucky Chinatown Mall and headed immediately to the cinema area. There were a lot of available seats, so I sat down on the one beside the escalator and worked on this post. By the way, the first and second floors of the LCM Annex (Imperial Wing) were closed, but the third level remains open. It seems like KKV is opening a branch on that wing, hence the ongoing works?

After a twenty-minute rest, it was time for me to explore the Binondo malls. I decided to visit 168 Mall first (heading back to City Place). I find it difficult to navigate the area due to the crowd of shoppers. The mall feels kind of cramped, too. But I did manage to reach the top floors for the first time, the ones where the food court and the formal wear shops are.

Going back to Lucky Chinatown Mall, I decided to have a lemon tea drink at Cha Yi. I didn’t get to check much of the mall, but I did have some selfies at the cinema area. And I get to see one of the mascots, a mime dressed in a small, red dragon-like costume.

I took a modern tricycle to Manila City Hall. Along the way, I managed to take some pics of the Binondo-Intramuros Bridge and the Binondo Church, among others. I passed by the underground pedestrian pass, and I noticed that the second-hand bookstore, Books From The Underground, is closed.

Next stop, SM City Manila. I only visit a few shops there, including Booksale (I bought another manga book as well) and Uniqlo (just a quick check at the UT section). Flying Tiger opened a branch at the mall, but I didn’t bother to check it out. There’s also a 3-day mall sale. There were also fiesta streamers in the atrium area like the ones in SM City San Lazaro.

I then took the LRT to the United Nations station and visited Rizal Park. The stairsteps at the Central Station were covered with Naruto characters, advertising their collaboration with Mobile Legends. Getting off at UN Avenue, I decided to check the area near the National Museum. There were some improvements in the park between the two museums, and it looked really good. It's currently closed to the public, but once it opens, I won't have to pass by T. M. Kalaw Avenue just to get to Rizal Park.

Moving on, I passed by Rizal Park, and the guards (dressed as Guardia Civils) will inspect your bags before going inside. I stopped for a few minutes, watched the dancing fountains, and worked on this post. I decided to skip the Baywalk area, which is now called the Dolomite Beach, due to time constraints.

At the final stop, Robinsons Manila, I only had dinner at Chowking. I didn’t check any of the shops there. The mall is undergoing a major redevelopment. Well, the tiles in some parts of the mall were like an abstract painting. Maybe they’ll fix that soon.

And it’s time to go home. I decided to take the UV Express to SM Fairview, like always. Travel was quite fast (except in some parts of Commonwealth Avenue, particularly the Manggahan and North Fairview areas), considering it’s a weekend. I got home a little past 10:00 PM.

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It was a satisfying mall-hopping trip, despite skipping the Cloverleaf area for various reasons. Also, I managed to enjoy the entire trip, just the way I wanted, though I almost fell asleep at the LCM cinema lobby during a little break from exploring. Still, I managed to make it throughout the day without any problems.

Well then, I might do another mall-hopping trip, probably in a couple of months. This time, I'm aiming for the three SM malls in the Parañaque area, one of which is near the LRT Dr. Santos Station. Or maybe I’ll finally get to check the Opus Mall (Robinsons Bridgetowne) and the GH Mall (Greenhills) soon.

But for now, this concludes the third part of #TheFourWeekendPlan. I'm looking forward to another cafe weekend in Lagro to conclude this year’s T4WP, and I'll probably explore the area while I'm at it.

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I feel like wearing something more comfortable, but still in line with my typical layered outfits. And that’s how I decided on my olive yellow shirt and black baseball shirt combo, the one I’ve worn on the third day of POF 2023: Shizen.

I really wanted to leave the house as early as possible, and I don’t want the heavy traffic along the way to ruin my mood. Well, I ended up leaving the house a little later than usual, and I have to deal with heavy traffic towards my first destination.

I decided to take an alternate route, this time, passing through General Luis St. and MacArthur Highway, instead of Quirino Highway and Mindanao Avenue. It took me two hours to reach my first stop, SM City Valenzuela.

A lot has changed since my last visit to the mall, almost 8 years ago. The mall itself had a makeover, the wavy hallway was converted into a straight one. The former bowling center became the Wellness Zone. Cyberzone opened at the third level, with the cinemas at the end of the hall. There was a tenant reshuffling, resulting in some shops transferring to other areas or floors.

The SM Store on the second floor, opened in 2018, is quite smaller in terms of space, but still managed to fit almost everything in there. I also checked National Book Store and I saw an interesting comic, though I bought it at another branch in SM City Grand Central, which was my next stop.

I reached the mall around 2:00 in the afternoon, and I couldn’t wait to check the entire mall area. The mall appeared to be quite massive though some areas are occupied by major anchors. Anyway, I visited both bookstores in the area, Fully Booked and National Book Store (where I bought the comic), as well as the Surplus shop. National Book Store’s space was incredibly small with fewer books and more office, school, and art supplies. I might be wrong about that, though, as it occupies around 4 tenant spaces (the enclosed space currently serves as the bookstore’s store room).

The fifth level was well adorned with fake greenery, making it look like a faux garden area. The wooden elements throughout the mall gives it an even more premier feel, given the mix of tenants there.

One can see the view of the Caloocan City skyline, along with LRT Monumento station. Too bad, there’s no overpass going to the other side of the station, but they’re probably working on it.

I then proceed to my next stop, SM City San Lazaro (making it the third SM mall visited in a row). As always, face masks are required to board the LRT and MRT trains, with guards reminding the passengers to wear one before entering the station. Reaching the platform, I decided to buy a stored value ticket, and add a little more load to it. I took the LRT to Tayuman station.

Reaching my next stop, I can see that SM City San Lazaro’s signage was updated, though it retained its green façade. I went inside the mall and checked a few shops, as well as taking a late lunch at Tokyo Tokyo, which is a gyoza donburi bowl. I then checked the rest of the mall afterward.

Next stop, the Binondo malls (999 Mall, 168 Mall, and Lucky Chinatown Mall). As soon as I got there, I immediately head to the stall where I previously bought all of my Attack On Titan and Tokyo Ghoul shirts. I managed to buy not one, but two shirts: a black Jujutsu Kaisen shirt (featuring Yuji Itadori) and a beige Naruto shirt (featuring the main trio Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura). After that, I checked a few more stalls and then moved on to the nearby 168 Mall.

At 168 Mall, I decided to check the stall where I bought my anime posters. It looks like a lot of K-pop merch have dominated the stall, with only a handful of anime merch (mostly posters) on display. At this point, I decided that I’ve already bought enough stuff (and spent a lot of money on the items I’ve bought so far) so I head to Lucky Chinatown Mall.

Inside, the LCM West Wing (Cityplace Square), a milk tea shop, a yogurt shop, and a bakery opened at the ground floor. There’s a display at the West Wing’s atrium. At the bridgeway to the main mall (North Wing), there were colorful lanterns with drawings and messages in them. I decided to take a break at the cinema level, and sat down on one of the armchairs, which replaced the upholstered ones (like the ones on my previous visits).

There was the Summer Cravings Market at the Prosperity Wing, with food stalls set up along the walkway.

It was starting to get dark as I made my way to my next stop, SM City Manila. I took an e-trike to the renovated underpass near the Manila City Hall.

Along the way, I saw the newly opened bridge on the eastern side of Jones Bridge (west if coming from Lawton) and the recently fire gutted Manila Central Post Office building. I wasn’t able to take photos, unfortunately, as I was seated next to the driver.

The Lagusnilad underpass was closed for repair so there’s a slight traffic in the area. It looks like the top dome and the clock of the Manila City Hall was painted in gold.

The pedestrian underpass had a makeover, as there are historical-themed murals on it. The Books From The Underground had already reopened as well. Also I noticed the Baybayin writing on the directional signage, which was really nice. I then proceeded to SM City Manila.

Arriving at my next stop, I only checked the book shops inside the mall. It looks like there were some faux greenery on the stairs. Uniqlo has opened at the former NBS space, and the bookstore transferred on the lower ground floor, at the former Surplus’ space (the Surplus store had since moved to the upper floor, not sure if its the second or third floor).

It was already dark when I decided to board the LRT to UN Avenue Station. Getting off, I took some pictures of the controversial Torre De Manila (with the lights on) and checked Times Square’s retail area. Booksale had already closed, replaced by a printing shop (I think).

I decided to check Rizal Park first, stopping for a moment to take photos of the dancing fountain, and head towards Roxas Boulevard.

Of course, I decided to take photos of the Rizal monument, and I manage to take at least one photo where the monument itself covered the hideous residential tower behind it. I’ve already done this once, about eight years ago, using my very first smartphone.

Walking towards the Baywalk, I managed to take a glimpse of the area, and later, the Dolomite beach, which is only seen from the footbridge, as it is already closed at the moment.

I took some photos of the Dolomite beach and then proceed to my final stop, Robinsons Place Manila.

I didn’t check any of the shops at the mall, though I noticed some improvements. The escalator area at the former fountain is closed for renovations, and in some parts, the tiles have been replaced with new ones. I decided to have a fried mandu meal at Bonchon Chicken before heading home.

I immediately took the UV Express to SM Fairview, and the traffic situation is light in most parts of Taft Avenue, España Boulevard, Quezon Avenue, and Commonwealth Avenue. Of course, I have to deal with traffic at North Fairview and Regalado Avenue (near SM Fairview). And that’s how my day went.

So far, it’s been quite an experience, having visited four SM malls in one day (including SM City Grand Central), and 8 malls total. I manage to squeeze all of the destinations in a twelve-hour trip, though I lost more than a hour getting stuck in traffic. Will I experience the same thing if I took the usual route? Anyway, at least everything went well, thanks to my lucky charm.

I suppose this concludes the #FourWeekendPlan, as I managed to proceed with the last minute plans for a mall-hopping trip. Well then, I should plan my next mall-hopping trip, preferably somewhere that’s reachable by MRT Line 3.

That’s all for now. Keihancarl out.

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