A stroll down Manila Baywalk
July 3, 2003 | 12:00am
My friends and I could never agree on what to call that long renovated strip of seawall along Roxas Blvd. Before Christmas 2002, a banner called it the Manila Bay Seaside. Nowadays, people refer to it as the Manila Baywalk, although old-timers could still be heard referring to it as the seawall. A friend called it the Boardwalk; I had to caution him that there already is a Boardwalk, and it’s located right behind the Quirino Grandstand at Rizal Park.
Does it really matter? A rose by any other name smells as sweet. Right?
The huge lollipop lights announce the length of the Baywalk. It starts just after the US Embassy compound off Padre Faura St. and goes all the way down to Quirino Ave. Those huge lampposts serve as a visual calling card – you know you’re there because you’ll eventually be bathing under its lights.
Parking is never a problem. At both ends of the Baywalk are guarded parking areas where early birds get the choice spots. Those who arrive later in the evening can park on Roxas Blvd.
The outer lane of Roxas Blvd. is open for parking from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekdays and the whole day on weekends. Some enterprising spirits have found a lucrative job as watch-your-car boys.
There are a variety of dining spots down the length of the Baywalk. While all the shops offer traditional pulutan, each restaurant has its specials.
Lami Barbecue offers Cebuano inasal. Prices are a few pesos higher than at its main branch at the Army-Navy complex in Rizal Park, but the grill selection tastes equally as good. This would be the first stop for those starting from the north end of Baywalk. On a recent jaunt, I had the chorizo meal. Priced at P70, it comes with a glass of iced tea.
Indo Strip serves a number of sizzling sisig varieties and deep-fried breaded items, enough to keep the barkada full while drinking the night away. Bay’s Lechon Express has lechon manok and the usual pulutan.
Down the walk is Anthology by the Bay, a branch of the popular drinking place on Adriatico St. What sets the place apart from the other outlets here is that it offers a live act every night. It’s quite popular among the promenaders. The air is free, and so is the music.
Moving down the road is Café Adriatico by the Bay. This was the first outlet on the Baywalk, opening as early as before Christmas last year. It offers a number of grilled specials and short orders. It is one of two outlets – the other is Lami – that are open to serve early morning joggers and promenaders.
Next door is Pinoy Fiesta by the Bay that serves specials from the Barrio Fiesta, Bakahan at Manukan, Singing Cooks and Waiters, Bento Box and World Topps group of companies. Those with a craving for sweets will welcome its banana split and Filipino desserts, like matamis na saging, mais con hielo and halo-halo. I had an order of adobo pandesal sandwich for midnight snack, and, while the pandesal were too tiny to fill a grumbly tummy, the adobo filling was tasty.
Blue Bay Grill, a satellite outlet of the Spanish restaurant Blue Bay Grill Spanish Restaurant at Rizal Park, serves paella, callos and caldereta along with barbecue and the usual pulutan. On the weekday we passed by, the Spanish items were absent; maybe, on weekends.
The last food outlets at the Baywalk, just across Grand Boulevard Hotel, are Koryo House and Red Cup Café, sharing a common kitchen in a duplex setup. A cup of brewed flavored java goes for P50, while cakes go for around P50. The Koryo menu lists a number of Korean barbecue treats (sorry, no chapchae or bulgogi).
Prices may be a little more than the usual, but costs for disposable plates and utensils have been factored in. Considering the location, it would be impossible to expect the outlets to serve orders on china or plastic plates and the usual spoon and fork.
Of course, if you are on a budget, you can bring your baon. Couples on dates bring their own supply of crackers and chips, burgers and canned soda or beer to keep them company through the night. Those coming in droves often carry picnic baskets packed full with food. The benches and chess tables throughout the Baywalk provide seating needed by families and friends to enjoy a dinner of fried chicken and more.
If you prefer something a little more civilized, Malate and Ermita are just a stone’s throw away. Your dining choices do increase, and you get the advantage of clean toilets.
Toilets? There is a toilet at the south end of the Baywalk, near Quirino Ave., while up and down the boulevard are portalets located strategically for the use of promenaders.
While the Baywalk officially ends at the boundary between Manila and Pasay cities, promenaders have more walks to go. A few paces past Quirino Ave. strollers reach the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex where the CCP promenade stretches from the Philippine Navy complex all the way to the end of the seawall behind the Folk Arts Theater. The CCP complex offers a variety of diversions to amuse both adults and children alike, including the Star City and the seasonal Boom na Boom complexes.
The Baywalk is busy on holidays and weekends when the stretch of Roxas Blvd. is often closed to traffic to allow strollers to enjoy the Baywalk. On some occasions, there have been street dancing, mass workouts, sports competitions and marine events that the public may enjoy for free.
Lately, street artists have come to enchant the crowds with their talent. On recent weekends, mime artists have added a new dimension to the place as street theater.
It took Manila Mayor Lito Atienza more than a year to complete this grand project of rejuvenating the strip of seawall along Roxas Blvd. I should know since I drive by this place every day on my way to the office. The entire affair started just a few weeks before Independence Day 2002. The Baywalk area directly opposite Malate Church was the first to be completed and featured prominently in that year’s Manila Day celebrations. The monsoon season interfered, and it was not until a few weeks into the —ber months that the stretch from Malate Church to the US Embassy was finally completed.
A writer-friend commented that work was a little slipshod. Since he lives just a few minutes away from Roxas Blvd., he saw the progress of construction.
The choice of greens for landscaping the length of the Baywalk proved to be inappropriate. That’s the reason why many of the plants wilted quickly either from the extreme heat or the salty spray of Manila Bay. If you walk down the Baywalk regularly, you’ll see the extent of the damage. However, people don’t seem to mind.
In some parts, the plant boxes were completed with broken bricks. In other places, what was even finishing to plant boxes has been damaged willfully by promenaders.
Heritage advocate Bambi Harper once declared that Filipinos have no sense of culture, citing the Baywalk’s hodgepodge of themes. "You have stalactites, Roman columns, marble balls and all those Sputnik lights," she commented. "And everything is paved with bricks. Why can’t we have a stretch of grass instead?"
Remember the prank who stole 25 benches from the Baywalk? Filipinos are a weird lot. Give them something they could enjoy and be happy about, they vandalize them. Many of the chess tabletops are now missing, perhaps forcibly carted away by those seeking souvenirs.
While all this will be just hogwash for those just enjoying quality time together, they will not be able to ignore the decrepit state of Manila Bay. Garbage dumped into Manila Bay accumulates by the US Embassy seawall and that short stretch of a beach by the Baywalk. The air isn’t sweet, especially on a dry evening and on low tides. Restaurants on this part of the Baywalk are at a disadvantage because of this.
The water is cleaner down the stretch of the Baywalk, and the air is salty. This is the stench of the sea that I remember from my childhood when strong sea breezes would carry the odor of Port Area to my school in Intramuros.
Maybe, as more people come to the Baywalk and develop an enhanced appreciation, they would take an active part in cleaning up Manila Bay. Maybe the dumping of garbage into the sea would end. Maybe then, the air would be sweeter and a stroll down the Manila Baywalk would truly be a complete delight.
Does it really matter? A rose by any other name smells as sweet. Right?
The huge lollipop lights announce the length of the Baywalk. It starts just after the US Embassy compound off Padre Faura St. and goes all the way down to Quirino Ave. Those huge lampposts serve as a visual calling card – you know you’re there because you’ll eventually be bathing under its lights.
Parking is never a problem. At both ends of the Baywalk are guarded parking areas where early birds get the choice spots. Those who arrive later in the evening can park on Roxas Blvd.
The outer lane of Roxas Blvd. is open for parking from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekdays and the whole day on weekends. Some enterprising spirits have found a lucrative job as watch-your-car boys.
There are a variety of dining spots down the length of the Baywalk. While all the shops offer traditional pulutan, each restaurant has its specials.
Lami Barbecue offers Cebuano inasal. Prices are a few pesos higher than at its main branch at the Army-Navy complex in Rizal Park, but the grill selection tastes equally as good. This would be the first stop for those starting from the north end of Baywalk. On a recent jaunt, I had the chorizo meal. Priced at P70, it comes with a glass of iced tea.
Indo Strip serves a number of sizzling sisig varieties and deep-fried breaded items, enough to keep the barkada full while drinking the night away. Bay’s Lechon Express has lechon manok and the usual pulutan.
Down the walk is Anthology by the Bay, a branch of the popular drinking place on Adriatico St. What sets the place apart from the other outlets here is that it offers a live act every night. It’s quite popular among the promenaders. The air is free, and so is the music.
Moving down the road is Café Adriatico by the Bay. This was the first outlet on the Baywalk, opening as early as before Christmas last year. It offers a number of grilled specials and short orders. It is one of two outlets – the other is Lami – that are open to serve early morning joggers and promenaders.
Next door is Pinoy Fiesta by the Bay that serves specials from the Barrio Fiesta, Bakahan at Manukan, Singing Cooks and Waiters, Bento Box and World Topps group of companies. Those with a craving for sweets will welcome its banana split and Filipino desserts, like matamis na saging, mais con hielo and halo-halo. I had an order of adobo pandesal sandwich for midnight snack, and, while the pandesal were too tiny to fill a grumbly tummy, the adobo filling was tasty.
Blue Bay Grill, a satellite outlet of the Spanish restaurant Blue Bay Grill Spanish Restaurant at Rizal Park, serves paella, callos and caldereta along with barbecue and the usual pulutan. On the weekday we passed by, the Spanish items were absent; maybe, on weekends.
The last food outlets at the Baywalk, just across Grand Boulevard Hotel, are Koryo House and Red Cup Café, sharing a common kitchen in a duplex setup. A cup of brewed flavored java goes for P50, while cakes go for around P50. The Koryo menu lists a number of Korean barbecue treats (sorry, no chapchae or bulgogi).
Prices may be a little more than the usual, but costs for disposable plates and utensils have been factored in. Considering the location, it would be impossible to expect the outlets to serve orders on china or plastic plates and the usual spoon and fork.
Of course, if you are on a budget, you can bring your baon. Couples on dates bring their own supply of crackers and chips, burgers and canned soda or beer to keep them company through the night. Those coming in droves often carry picnic baskets packed full with food. The benches and chess tables throughout the Baywalk provide seating needed by families and friends to enjoy a dinner of fried chicken and more.
If you prefer something a little more civilized, Malate and Ermita are just a stone’s throw away. Your dining choices do increase, and you get the advantage of clean toilets.
Toilets? There is a toilet at the south end of the Baywalk, near Quirino Ave., while up and down the boulevard are portalets located strategically for the use of promenaders.
While the Baywalk officially ends at the boundary between Manila and Pasay cities, promenaders have more walks to go. A few paces past Quirino Ave. strollers reach the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex where the CCP promenade stretches from the Philippine Navy complex all the way to the end of the seawall behind the Folk Arts Theater. The CCP complex offers a variety of diversions to amuse both adults and children alike, including the Star City and the seasonal Boom na Boom complexes.
The Baywalk is busy on holidays and weekends when the stretch of Roxas Blvd. is often closed to traffic to allow strollers to enjoy the Baywalk. On some occasions, there have been street dancing, mass workouts, sports competitions and marine events that the public may enjoy for free.
Lately, street artists have come to enchant the crowds with their talent. On recent weekends, mime artists have added a new dimension to the place as street theater.
A writer-friend commented that work was a little slipshod. Since he lives just a few minutes away from Roxas Blvd., he saw the progress of construction.
The choice of greens for landscaping the length of the Baywalk proved to be inappropriate. That’s the reason why many of the plants wilted quickly either from the extreme heat or the salty spray of Manila Bay. If you walk down the Baywalk regularly, you’ll see the extent of the damage. However, people don’t seem to mind.
In some parts, the plant boxes were completed with broken bricks. In other places, what was even finishing to plant boxes has been damaged willfully by promenaders.
Heritage advocate Bambi Harper once declared that Filipinos have no sense of culture, citing the Baywalk’s hodgepodge of themes. "You have stalactites, Roman columns, marble balls and all those Sputnik lights," she commented. "And everything is paved with bricks. Why can’t we have a stretch of grass instead?"
Remember the prank who stole 25 benches from the Baywalk? Filipinos are a weird lot. Give them something they could enjoy and be happy about, they vandalize them. Many of the chess tabletops are now missing, perhaps forcibly carted away by those seeking souvenirs.
While all this will be just hogwash for those just enjoying quality time together, they will not be able to ignore the decrepit state of Manila Bay. Garbage dumped into Manila Bay accumulates by the US Embassy seawall and that short stretch of a beach by the Baywalk. The air isn’t sweet, especially on a dry evening and on low tides. Restaurants on this part of the Baywalk are at a disadvantage because of this.
The water is cleaner down the stretch of the Baywalk, and the air is salty. This is the stench of the sea that I remember from my childhood when strong sea breezes would carry the odor of Port Area to my school in Intramuros.
Maybe, as more people come to the Baywalk and develop an enhanced appreciation, they would take an active part in cleaning up Manila Bay. Maybe the dumping of garbage into the sea would end. Maybe then, the air would be sweeter and a stroll down the Manila Baywalk would truly be a complete delight.
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