Hanging in Ortigas

The central business district of the Philippines is Makati; located north east of Aquino International Airport, the Philippine stock exchange is located on Ayala Ave. The major financial institutions are based in Makati as well as major international corporations.

While people think of Manila, that is really the greater Manila area made up of the various sub-districts extending east of Manila Bay, north to Quezon City and south to Parañaque. You can still head over to the rundown and shabby old central Manila area, but it really isn't a worthwhile experience unless you want to photograph outdated and rundown infrastructure.

An area gaining both influence and affluence is Ortigas, on weekdays the area is buzzing with workers in this business district; yet on weekends, the locality had the atmosphere of an out-of-hours business district where all the office workers had headed home - it's empty. Major businesses are investing in the area, large property developments transformed the district including commercial retail property, residential hi-rise apartments, commercial office property and naturally for the Philippines - multiple large shopping complex.

The nightlife is improving, many consider Manila nightlife to consist only of go-go bars, massage parlors and other establishments of ill-repute. The fact is, many reputable bars, restaurants and cafés flourish in the area. This is not a bad area to hang out during the work day as the vibe is pretty good, the area is clean and everything seems to work.