SM Mall of Asia

More than a year after it opened, I finally set foot at the SM Mall of Asia. As you can see, am not much of a mall person.

I went to SM Mall of Asia last Friday to meet up with college friends from UP whom I have not seen in three years! My friends work in the Manila area so seeing them was a good excuse to go back to the Roxas Boulevard area where I had worked for about 13 years too. Too bad, we had moved to Makati by the time SM Mall of Asia opened and after moving to Makati, I moved on home. =)

SM Mall of Asia opened last May 21, 2006 and is said to have 386,224 square meters of mall space. It houses the first IMAX cinema here in the Philippines and is located at the SM Central Business Park 1, Island A, Bay City, Pasay City. You may reach them at 831-3340.

So, how did I find it? Well, like everyone has said, it is huge to say the least. As I went around just a teeny-tiny area, I was exerting great effort to remember where I had passed just to make sure that I didn't get lost. The stores are not too unique though -- at least on the side that I saw. There's a new establishment, here and there, but generally, you can also find the other stores and eating places in the Ortigas area.

I went on a Friday night and there seemed to be a lot of parking available. If you are going to the IMAX area, as I was, you should park in the parking area on your right (coming from EDSA). We had to choose a restaurant in that area as one of my friends said that that was the only part of the mall that she was familiar with.

One other thing I noticed was that the place was very humid and the air/breeze, quite hot and sticky. Inside the mall, it is cool, of course, but when you get out into the open areas, the heat hits you. Well, the weather here in Manila has been pretty strange and tricky lately (I don't remember September being this hot ever) but I guess, being near the bay gives the air a unique feel -- although this is not necessarily pleasant.

Would I go all the way to SM Mall of Asia to go shopping or malling? I don't think so. Would I go there to meet long-time friends or to visit the Science Discovery Center? Most definitely.

To learn more about the SM malls, you may visit www.smprime.com