Dear Mr. Alcazaren:
Thank you for that nostalgic trip down memory lane and down that road I still call Dewey Boulevard. I’d forgotten many of the restaurants names, but reading about them again in your article brought back a lot of nice memories of a Manila that is no longer. It’s a shame. …Manila was such a beautiful city ... it’s inexcusable that the politicians have let her go to pot. Still, I am very proud to call Manila my home because I was born there and because I try and visit whenever I can. Thank you for your article once again. In spite of her pollution, her ugly buildings and the crazy traffic, I still miss Manila a lot. Keep your interesting articles coming!
Thank you, Ms. G. You’ll be glad to know that not all of Metro Manila is going to pot. There are spots of improvement and I will endeavor to bring more of these little bits of good news about the city in future articles. Abangan!
From "Down Under" came this e-mail:
Thanks for that nostalgia trip. It certainly brought back a lot of good memories — of people and places. Them were the days, my friend. Reading your column made me realize just how much of the Filipino spirit still resides within those of us who call a foreign land home, in my case, Australia.
Cheers,
Vincent L.
While from the "stateside," I got this short note:
Dear Mr. Alcazaren:
Thank you very much for writing the article "A nostalgic trip down the strip." It evoked a lot of fond memories for me and my siblings. Work like this of yours is inestimable in bringing the joy of remembering living in the area through those fun days.
Bobby Y., Anaheim, California.
Both Vince and Bobby live in areas that have (or are close to) great waterside districts. Sydney and Los Angeles have managed to conserve their views of the water and provide millions of locals and tourists with great reasons to come and enjoy both the views as well as the amenities and seasonal events. Sydney Harbour is popular to tourists as well as Sydneysiders. As for Los Angeles and its surrounding towns and cities, I need only say one word .
Baywatch.
Mail came also from places closer to home, like Los Baños:
Your latest article ("Nostalgic trip down the strip," Nov. 15) for sure made a lot of people walk down the memory strip once again. Though I was not a witness to its transformation from the ’50s through the ’80s, I can vouch for its gradual change from the early ’90s up to the present.
What I can only recall of its past is the array of coconut trees along the boulevard, complementing the postcard-perfect site of the sunset by the bay. Now, a large portion of the bay has been reclaimed to make way for several establishments like Toyota, Le Pavilion, and Price Smart, to name a few. Yes, I agree with you. What if authorities transform the entire stretch of Roxas Boulevard to something like what they did to the Baywalk area? Even minus the restaurant-stalls, it would still be wonderful! And stretching it all the way to the Coastal Road is a great idea. It would be the envy of other countries!
On the other hand, the not-so-express express way that is the Coastal Road may be a bane to motorists. Biruin niyo, the horrendous southbound traffic may crawl from the tollgate all the way to the end (Cavite area) on an afternoon rush hour!
Roxas Boulevard is still one of the few scenic places which remains an amenity for public consumption. The Baywalk reinvention is ingenious; the sight from above of the row of colorful streetlights is something to die for, and the visual treat from the "dancing fountain" just across the street receives warm welcome from spectators. Besides, it’s also a place where people from all walks of life converge. It’s a hit to the perfumed and to the pambahay-clad folks alike. The multitude of people who troop to the place on weekends, and sometimes even on weeknights, is just a sign that people are looking for something close to nature, something which air-conditioned malls that have sprouted all over the Metro cannot truly offer. Personally, I prefer hanging out in this place over signature coffee shops and bars in nearby Malate. Mayor Lito Atienza was able to do it. I hope others will soon follow. Cheers!
Andrew Z.
Well, Andrew, the problem of traffic along the coastal highway can be solved with the extension of the LRT. Mass transit is the only way to go. The rest is up to proper forward planning. One really wonders if the touted Boulevard 2000 master plan is really a good plan to follow for this reclaimed land. From one vantage point, it seems like a hodge-podge of private initiatives all struggling to sell real estate with the slimmest of civic and environmental contributions to the metropolis or the region as a whole. All that "development" may lead, if left to "market forces," to even more traffic mayhem and pollution. Well, we could always resort to those u-turns to solve that, couldn’t we? We’ll be spending most of our lives looking for that "U" to turn into as we queue up and burn more fossil fuel.
Finally, a word from one of the restaurants we featured, which I thought was no more:
Dear Mr. Alcazaren,
I just want to inform you that The Brown Derby is still serving footlong hotdogs. We are now located at 54 Calamba Street, Sta. Mesa Heights, Quezon City. Our contact phone numbers are 740-1470 and 740-8572. However, we are no longer catering to dine-in customers. We just accept orders for takeout. The current owner of The Brown Derby is my family. My grandmother on my father’s side is a Custodio, who originally owned The Brown Derby on Morayta near FEU. The Brown Derby on Taft Avenue was owned then by my grandmother’s brother and the one on Quezon Boulevard was owned by another sibling. It was a delight seeing the old Brown Derby in the papers. Thank you very much.
Marita M. Manotok
Thank you, Ms. Manotok, for the correction. I’m sure you’ll get a rush of callers ordering your famous hotdogs, once they read this. Now that you mentioned it, I have a hankering for one of your juicy foot-longs … along with a mug of ice-cold A&W root beer. Remember the jingle? "A&W root beer. Dry root beer in a mug. A&W, A&W … dry root beer in a mug!" Now, does anyone know where the first A&W was located?
For those hankering for more than just hotdogs, you may be interested to do your Christmas shopping early. The Heritage Conservation Society is offering its 2004 Calendar – exquisitely produced with 12 heritage churches featured on quality stock and board. Order now and help the HCS with its conservation projects. Call 521-2239 or 522-2417 for orders.
Feedback is welcome. Please e-mail the writer at citysensephilstar@hotmail.com.