Greenhills to Alabang this Christmas
By Jake Ramirez
Philippine Daily Inquirer
WITH two weeks to go before Christmas, shopping is becoming more and more a pressure, not a therapy. Here are suggested destinations for one-stop, worry-free shopping.
Greenhills Shopping Center
What used to be the crown jewel of the Ortigas Group has had a facelift. On top of Shoppesville and Virramall, Greenhills has added new attractions such as Promenade and Connecticut Arcade. Parking is no longer a problem, thanks to the construction of multilevel parking buildings.
Tiangge stalls at Greenhills Shopping Center are open during mall hours while the stalls outside are open until midnight.
COD’s famous Christmas display has been relocated to Greenhills.
Shoppers love to check out the pearls and semi-precious stones being sold by vendors from Mindanao. Choices are varied, whether overruns or imported items from Hong Kong or Bangkok.
Recent Manila visitors R&B superstars Rihanna and Chris Brown dropped by for a quick shopping at Babo at Shoppesville.
The old Marikina Shoe Expo has also relocated to Greenhills and is now called Shoe Center. All local shoe brands are sold in a cavernous hall.
For those who love vintage furniture, Greenhills has an entire alley.
Between Greenhills Main Shopping Mall and Virra Mall, garden enthusiasts will have a field day.
And—one will be surprised that authentic luxury designer bags are sold in stalls such as Mondo or Lucky Sisters.
I spotted a nice Tory Burch fringe leather bag going for P15,000 and Kate Spade canvass coal bags. (Viajeras usually shop in bag-factory outlets in the US and sell them here at affordable prices.)
Be early to avoid the crowd.
St. Francis Square/Marikina Riverbanks Centre
For the Ortigas office crowd, tiangge shopping is never a problem. Just between Podium and SM Megamall sits St. Francis Square, a mini version of Greenhills shopping.
Stalls sell toys, clothes, books, and electronics such as mobile phones, PSP, and MP3 players.
Those who like original but affordable items can check out Marikina RiverBanks Centre.
Located near the Marikina flyover, this bargain shopping haunt has popular factory outlets of name brands such as Nike and Guess.
Christmas won’t be Christmas without the bazaars. The Cuenca Christmas Bazaar in Ayala Alabang is now on its 17th year. This weekend, tiangge shopping will be heading to the South.
Last week, the Christmas Carnivale gave me a glimpse of what to expect this weekend and some precious finds. I bought two jackets from a stall selling a French brand called S.Oliver for only P1,700 (original price for the jackets was Euro 399).
Every weekend leading to Christmas, one can check out the bazaars in hotels such as Intercon. On Dec. 14, a one-day bazaar will be held at Xavier School in Greenhills.
Even if the times are hard, Christmas shopping is fun.
Just give precious thought to what to give.
INTERNATIONAL R&B stars Rihanna with Chris Brown shopping at Greenhills
OLIVER military-inspired jacket for only P400, Cuenca Bazaar in Ayala Alabang
AUTHENTIC Tory Burch fringe bag
CORRALSTONES and other semi-precious stones
Tags: christmas, lifestyle & leisure
