X Marks The Spot

By Miggy Siat

X Marks The Spot

Tucked in the noisy and fast-paced streets of Cubao, there lays a horse-shoe shaped collection of buildings by the name of Cubao Expo or popularly known as Cubao X; where everything is quiet and slow enough for a cup of coffee. After walking around the place myself, I saw that Cubao X is a rustic melting pot of curiosities, which presents itself as an off-the-beaten-path sort of tourist attraction.

Cubao X is rustic. This was what first popped into my head when I thought of describing Cubao Expo. I thought of this because from the outside, it looked like nothing special; something that would not really catch my fancy. Once inside though, I realized that it had a different atmosphere, or rather, a different ambience compared to the busy malls around the area. Strolling inside with my group mates, looking like we had business there and not like a bunch of lost teenagers, I saw that the buildings weren’t that well-maintained; a lot of the buildings looked like they needed new paint jobs and a lot were also dusty.

The stores themselves looked really quirky, like their wares were just randomly placed everywhere, and actually the wares in some stores were quite peculiar themselves; but more on that later. Artwork was also found everywhere, the likes of which one would find in an old person’s home and a lot more that one won’t be find in any octogenarian’s home. These made Cubao X feel like a very artsy environment. 

From another perspective, my interviewee, (Lorenzo Montinola, a fellow student and a satisfied customer of Cubao X), describes the place as being “Bohemian” or a “hipster paradise.” He described it as the former since the place has a very artsy environment and the latter since Cubao X is not a mainstream district, (which I can actually confer with since none of my group mates had heard of or have been to Cubao X themselves before we went there.) Another reason why the place is a “hipster paradise” is because Cubao X doesn’t have any of the usual establishments such as of Jollibees and Benchs, although there are other purveyors of food and clothing around the place.

After thinking about Cubao X after the trip, I realized that all these things, the dusty buildings, the lack of popular establishments, the artsy atmosphere and the quirky finds, add up to ambience of Cubao X.

Cubao X is a melting pot of curiosities that caters to a plethora of interests. Where else can you find Marikina shoe stores, art galleries, bars, a tattoo parlor, sellers of war paraphernalia and old books, and restaurants all in one place? This makes Cubao X a very unique place and puts it in a category all on its own. Some of the people I saw around the place were old men selling things, old men buying things, tatted up folk in front of the tattoo parlor, people eating some afternoon merienda, some college students enjoying some after class drinks and on that day, a bunch of curious teenagers. On any given day, I am pretty sure that one can find a couple of people in Cubao X that don’t look like they belong in the same place. Montinola describes these individuals, just like the place itself, as “Bohemian. They were very artistic and liberal. It's as if time doesn't pass by with them.” I agree with Montinola on his observation, since I, myself, felt that time slowed down inside of Cubao Expo. As I have mentioned already, the traffic or loud basketball games associated with Cubao disappear inside Cubao X; and this feeling actually rubbed off on its inhabitants. 

One of the curiosities that we made sure to check out were the thrift shops which seemed to be the most popular thing about Cubao X. Going through the thrift shops that were open, we saw the famous vinyl records which were for sale, old toys (most of which were probably produces way before we were born), old magazines, books, and even old army gear. Basically, the wares sold in these stores seemed like they were from the attics of a lot grand parents. 

Montinola, himself, bought a vintage cigarette case for three hundred pesos, which he described as “fairly affordable.” According to him, a lot of the stores there also let customers haggle for the best prices the sellers can give. I, on the other hand, did not try to buy anything, however I believe that the stores themselves had interesting buys and reasonable prices based on what I saw. There was actually a customer in a thrift store that was piling magazines and books as his “buy” pile.

Apart from the people, I saw the different sides of Cubao Expo in its establishments; most especially in its restaurants. On the one hand, there was Bellini’s, a quaint and picturesque Italian restaurant where it seemed like a perfect place to shoot a romance movie; and I heard that their food is excellent as well. On the other, there was Green Halo, an artistic little hole-in-the-wall type of restaurant. The food wasn’t too shabby, coming from a one-man staff; the waiter was also our chef. It was a very novel experience, and yes, I would actually recommend the place to any other person who will visit Cubao X. These two restaurants highlighted the catering of Cubao Expo to the many tastes of its many visitors.

Cubao Expo is an off-the-beaten-path tourist attraction. This was what I was thinking as we left the place. First of all, Cubao X is near malls, like Gateway and Ali Mall; which means that it is very accessible. It may attract those who want a chance of scenery from the packed malls around the Metro. Secondly, this spot, as I have mentioned before, is not a mainstream place to visit. Cubao X presents an alternative to a lot of other establishments, while maintaining its self to be a fairly unknown spot. You couldn’t find a prized vintage toy in Greenhills? Why not try Cubao X?  – This can be one of the future strong points of Cubao X if it were to be publicized. Lastly, a lot of tourists ask about nightlife around the Metro and Cubao X has that. If someone wants a quiet drink with friends or a fun night out in a place not too packed with people, Cubao X is the place. Why go all the way to The Fort when Cubao is right there? Cubao X gives tourists another look in the culture of the different kind of Filipinos all in one place.

My verdict is that Cubao Expo is a place worth visiting. It catches the fancy of many people from all walks of life since it captures many interests of people around the Metro. However, if the statement above makes it seem like a “high-snobiety” kind of place, it definitely is not since the whole place emanates a simple, no frills kind of place; or rustic as I’ve mentioned before. As a plus, the place is not that well known, from my understanding; evoking independent or “indie” or “hipster” vibes. More tourists should definitely come visit the place. Let’s just hope that the establishment of the big red bee doesn’t appear within the confines of Cubao Expo anytime soon.

Interview: Montinola, Lorenzo. Personal Interview. 28 July. 2013. 

Pictures: Taken by myself