During my college days in Manila, Cubao was one of my favorite hang-out places together with my classmates. It is home to a variety of stores, establishments, and filled with different amenities and recreational facilities that will give simple pleasures to its visitors.

Have you tried visiting Cubao? Well, if you are living in Manila it is impossible if you don’t know the place. Located south of Diliman, Cubao is an important commercial area in Metro Manila. It is a 35-hectare commercial estate owned and developed by the Araneta family.

What to see and do?

Located at the very heart of Cubao is the Araneta Center, one of its well-known attractions. It is also home to the Consulate of the Republic of Colombia. Department stores and retail centers can also be found here, such as Gateway Mall, Plaza Fair, Rustan's, Shopwise Supercenter, SM Cubao, Ali Mall, and Farmer's Plaza. At the center is Smart Araneta Coliseum, often called the Big Dome where many musical concerts, ice shows, circus shows, religious crusades, wrestling, cockfighting, and basketball games are held in this 20,000-capacity coliseum.

In the outskirts of Araneta Center is the Cubao Expo, an artists' colony and site of weekend flea markets. It is also a home to call centers like APAC, Telus, and Stellar. Cubao is also the home of the Cubao Cathedral the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cubao. Nightclubs also abound within the Cubao area, catering to a full range of tastes.

North from Araneta Center along EDSA (C-4) are numerous bus terminals, a place where one can take a bus ride to almost any point in Luzon as well as in the Visayas especially in Samar, Leyte, and Iloilo. It is also an intersection point for two of city's commuter trains (The EDSA MRT which travels from North to South, and the LRT-2 which runs from East to West).

Here are some of the near accommodations in Cubao that you may check into:

• Fernandina 88 Suites Hotel - 222 P. Tuazon Boulevard, Araneta Shopping Center, Quezon City,
• Fersal Hotel P. Tuazon Cubao - 245 P. Tuazon Boulevard,Cubao, Quezon City, Manila
• ACL Suites - 72, 13th Avenue, Cubao, Quezon City, Quezon City, Manila
• Eurotel Cubao - General Roxas Street, Araneta Cuneta, Quezon City, Manila
• Hotel Sogo Aurora Blvd – Cubao - 898 Aurora Blvd., Quezon City, Manila

Trip to Cubao

Public transportation within the city, like in most of the urban areas in the Philippines, is facilitated mostly using inexpensive jeepneys and buses. Tricycles give access to more secluded areas, while taxi cabs are available to navigate any course.