Back to Binondo: Hola Escolta & the Spirit of the 90s

Our first video explored the mystery of Dr. Burke and the Burke building. To me this seemed like the most random thing ever - a street in Old Manila possibly named after an Irish person. And so, it was with deep curiosity that we headed over to Escolta to try to solve this little mystery. We went over with no real plan and a camera. We discovered that not only is there a Burke Street but there is also a Burke building and a whole lot more happening in Escolta.

Arriving in Escolta, we found Escolta Coffee Company at the bottom floor of the Burke Building. They're some of the pioneers of regeneration in the area and confirmed that the Burke building was commissioned by a cardiologist (Dr. Burke). We also discovered Dr. Burke studied in Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. If you have already seen our video you will know that we didn't really find out much more (although we have some exciting updates to come on that in future features).

As we wandered around the streets we stumbled into the First United Building and were lucky enough to bump into Manila architect, Art Serrano and his partner Agoosteen (an animator) who had just come back from a trip to Barcelona and were returning some books to their offices.

They were generous enough to show us the very cool One Zero office, First United Building co-working space, and upper floors -- where they hold creative events. We spent more than an hour with them and they told us how they worked with the owners of the First United Building to turn the building into a place of creativity. Our timing was pretty good because they also informed us about the Hola Escolta! street party event running between 22 November - 29 November. More on this below…

That led us to discovering Ferryganza: a guided tour of Poblacion, a Pasig River boat ride, and a guided tour of Escolta all rolled into one. Starting out in the aptly named Solid Ground coffee shop in Poblacion, tour guide Ben took us through the streets of Poblacion, showing us where the street churches are, the church of St Peter & Paul with its beautiful altar and the Museum of Makati. En route, we passed by one of my favorite buildings in Manila - the Manila Covered Court which has a kind of Spanishy-art deco quality to it.

After the Makati Museum, we made a slightly precarious trip on an island boat from one side of the Pasig to the other to arrive at the ferry terminal and into the hands of Don't Skip Manila for the ferry ride up the once-dead Pasig River -- it's great to see its revival. We were informed about the "No Parex" movement to stop the building of freeways over the Pasig as we rode past the Palace where we were not permitted to take any pictures - Bong Bong was nowhere to be seen. Happy to report that there were no episodes of seasickness or "man overboards" on the way.

Safely arriving in Escolta, Steven toured us around some fascinating buildings - El Hogar, built in 1914 - an old financing house, was apparently a gift from Antonio Melián Pavía, 3rd Count of Peracamps, to his bride Margarita Zóbel de Ayala. Opposite El Hogar is the First National City Bank Building, another early 1900s building which was beautifully renovated recently and is rumored to become a hotel.

We also came across the aptly named 1919 Cafe - it looks really cool from the outside and continues the early 1900s theme of the buildings around this area. We did not have time to go in but we will check it out on the next visit to Escolta along with another new entrant to the area, Cafe La Manila, in the old Calvo Building (it was closed when we arrived).

Walking through this section of Escolta, you could really imagine how it was the financial center of Old Manila and how beautiful it must have been, especially with the river right alongside it. There are so many beautiful buildings around here that we recommend going on the tours - the rich history was really brought to life by Steven of The Heritage Collective. There is an air of romance, especially when you see the original pictures of the streets, the buildings, and the people from the time.

To get you in the mood for Hola Escolta check out our Escolta inspired/Spirit of the 90s Spotify playlist

It's great to see the area bustling and brought to life again through the Hola Escolta event. Music, art, dancing, light shows, and creativity flow inside the buildings and out onto the streets.

The vibes reminded me somewhat of what it was like when I came of age back in the 90s. That was a time which is mostly known for Britpop battles of Oasis and Blur but it was much more than that. There was an explosion of art. The likes of Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin spawned a whole creative scene in Shoreditch in London. At the time, Shoreditch was rife with crime and seedy activity but has since been taken over by the artists and is now one of the trendiest areas to live in London. Having lived there for a period, I can vouch for that.

In the 90s, there were warehouse parties across the UK and Ireland, people making all types of music such as house music, techno, trip hop and more. There were smaller music venues playing experimental music and larger venues playing the big name DJs and bands of the day. There seemed to be something happening across the entire spectrum of art and music.

Could a similar movement now be brewing in Escolta? I certainly got the feeling of those vibes of the 90s again in Escolta on Saturday night. The young people that we met seemed to be so hopeful, bright, and creative in their dress, personalities, and general auras.

It really gives the sense of an exciting future ahead for the area!

Street Party: Hola Escolta continues on 29 November Escolta Street

Tours of Manila: @theheritagecollective

Creative Hub & Co-Working Space: First United Building

If there are any places you recommend we visit please get in touch via our Instagram page and we will try and check it out.

Ps. We have an exciting bookend to our mystery Dr Burke story coming soon.