Major Malls of Metro Manila Trivia Quiz

Answer: SM Megamall

SM Megamall opened in the early 1990s to a country yet-uninitiated to the concept of the supermall. When it opened, it was the biggest mall in the country in terms of floor area and was among the top ten biggest malls in the world.

A little piece of trivia: The mall is so ubiquitous that many buses that pass along EDSA have SM Megamall ("Megamall") as one of their official kilometer-stop points.(along with accompanying signs on the bus)

Answer: Gateway Mall

Gateway Mall is significantly notable as a mall since it lies at the junction of two major thoroughfares in Metro Manila. It is directly connected to the Araneta/Cubao station of the LRT-2 Megatren light transit line that traverses along a major lifeline of the metropolis, Aurora Boulevard. It is similarly linked to the Araneta/Cubat station of the shorter, yet high-traffic MRT-3 Metro Rail Transit system which can be found along the metropolis' most major road, EDSA. As a stopover for these major transit systems, undoubtedly tens of thousands pass through Gateway every day, from students to working-class citizens.

As a shopping center, Gateway Mall is small compared to the other supermalls in the metropolis. Its main attractions are semi-high-end clothing and accessory shops, restaurants and theaters, including one of the most high-end theaters in the country, the Globe Platinum Cinema.

A little piece of trivia: the country's first ever Taco Bell branch opened in Gateway in 2004.

Answer: TriNoMa

TriNoMa mall initially opened its doors to the public in mid-2007. Located almost at the Northern end of EDSA, it was built on the triangle of land bounded by EDSA and Mindanao Avenues. This particular strip of land was known as the "Triangle North of Manila," from which the mall derived its name.

The mall itself follows the design of the typical Ayala Mall, seen in Glorietta in Makati and Market! Market! in Taguig. It features a large, central atrium from which one can see the mall's multiple levels of restaurants and retail stores. The mall's cinemas are located at top level, where an outdoor rooftop park is also located.

Most of the outdoor areas of the mall are designed around a water-motif. The rooftop outdoor garden features a series of water jets that spew water in a series of loops. One of the most striking aesthetic features of the mall would be the fountains adorning the high-class outdoor restaurant strip. That particular area's fountains fire concentrated jets of water so that a fountain from a lower floor spurts water into a pool in a higher floor.

A little piece of trivia: TriNoMa is physically adjacent to the Metro Rail Transit (MRT-3)'s train depot. From the upper floors of the mall's Mindanao Parking building, one can see the MRT's trains quietly slumbering at the depot.

Answer: Harrison Plaza

Another one of Metro Manila's early malls, Harrison Plaza opened in 1976. At the time, it was *the* mall to go to in southern Manila. Over the years, its simplistic two-floor design has survived the appearance of many larger, more modern malls in the surrounding district.

Along with its restaurants, theaters and retail shops, Harrison Plaza is one of the few malls in the country where one can find three rival department store chains, SM Department Store, Rustan's and Shopwise, all under one roof.

A little piece of trivia: In 1988, a dinosaur exhibit at the mall included a full-sized replica of an Iguanodon skeleton.

Answer: Ali Mall

The mall was finished in 1975 and given the name of "Ali Mall" to commemorate the historic "Thrilla in Manila" bout between legendary boxers Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier that occurred in the Araneta Coliseum almost adjacent to the mall.

The mall itself goes by the basic rules of Philippine shopping malls, which is not surprising since it is essentially the mall that laid down these rules. It is composed of four levels of retail stores, restaurants, fast food joints and a food court in the lowest level. Part of the single building the mall occupies is dedicated to parking, and several stores ring it on the outside.

While more than 30 years old, this mall has stood the test of time. Amidst the rise and closure of numerous malls in the area, Ali Mall has always stood as a stalwart, almost a historical landmark in the area.

A little piece of trivia: The mall is home to the first in-mall medical center in the country, Makati Medical Center Clinic. The clinic itself is a satellite outlet of the country's top-level hospital, Makati Medical Center.

Answer: Greenhills Shopping Center

Located in the heart of San Juan, Greenhills Shopping Center has had a colorful history of development. Originally composed of the Shoppesville, Virra mall and Greenhills Theater buildings, this area was one of the popular go-to places prior to the advent of the Philippine supermall in the early 90s.

The area experienced a slight decline in quality over the 90s but was heavily renovated towards the end of the millennium. First to be renovated was the aging theater, which was converted into the posh Theater Mall in the early 2000s. A covered parking building was erected soon after, with the frontage of the building turned into a restaurant strip. The upper-class Promenade with its theaters and extravagant restaurants was next to be built. In 2005, the ancient Virra mall complex was torn down and rebuilt into a more modern version, dubbed V-mall.

A little piece of trivia: During the late 1990s, the shopping complex was popularly known as the country's biggest haven for pirated material. Be it VCDs, DVDs, music CDs, clothes, software and shoes, if one couldn't find a counterfeit version of what one was looking for in Greenhills, then one did not exist in the country. In the mid-2000s, a cleanup drive was instigated by the authorities but Greenhills still remains a no-man's land when it comes to pirated material.

Answer: SM Mall of Asia

Located at the southern tip of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, The SM Mall of Asia opened in mid-2006 to claim the prestige of being the largest mall in the entire country. When it opened, it was the fourth largest mall in the world. The mall itself was built on over 200,000 square meters of reclaimed area within Manila Bay that was formerly a landfill.

The mall design itself is pretty simple: There are two pairs of buildings that comprise the bulk of the mall grounds. Located back-to-back are the two main two-floor buildings, one facing the waters of Manila Bay while the other building faces the roundabout leading back to the rest of the city. Flanking the main complex are two multi-level parking buildings, one housing an enormous supermarket while the other one contains the department store. Various restaurants, cafes and eating establishments are found at the base of each parking building, in addition to those scattered throughout the mall.

Aside from an Olympic-sized ice skating rink, SM Mall of Asia is home to the country's first IMAX Theater. Three arcades, a food court, a dozen movie theaters and even an in-mall chapel round out the mall's major attractions.

A little piece of trivia: The mall is so huge that there are electric-powered trams roving around the mall to ferry shoppers from one building to the next.

Answer: Tiendesitas

Right alongside one of the circumferential highways bounding Metro Manila, Tiendesitas is one of the more-distinct shopping complexes in the city. Its name itself, meaning "little stores", is a reflection of its rather unique structure; Instead of having one single roofed complex, it is a motley collection of giant huts and tents.

The very nature of the shopping complex is also reflected by this; there are specific "villages" catering to particular needs. For example, the "Pet Village" is composed entirely of pet stores where one can have one's dog groomed or buy equipment and fish for one's aquarium. The "Food Village" is full of outdoor grills and similar restaurants.

While the central complex is the major highlight of the center, the surrounding areas also offer some attractions not found in Tiendesitas itself. Across the street, north of the complex is Fun Ranch - essentially a giant playground for kids. On the other side is the immense SM Supercenter Pasig, the local installment of the SM line of shopping malls. The Silver City Auto Mall, most notable for the posh nightclub Alchemy, is also located in close-proximity to Tiendesitas.

A little piece of trivia: As they are owned by the same company, Tiendesitas and Greenhills Shopping Center are serviced by an hourly minibus that ferries people back-and-forth between the two complexes.

Answer: Power Plant Mall

The Power Plant Mall is a small-yet-extremely-popular mall located on the southern bank of the Pasig River within the bounds of the Rockwell Commercial Center in the city of Makati. Most of the mall's four levels are devoted to specialty stores that service the upper-class population that live in the mall's vicinity.

The mall serves as a leisure and entertainment hub for the residents of the Rockwell Center, which has several high-rise residential condominiums in addition to the center's many offices and branches spread across some dozen commercial buildings.

A little piece of trivia: The mall was named "Power Plant Mall" simply because it stands on the side of a former power-generating facility.

Answer: Festival Supermall

Opened in 1998, Festival Supermall is one of the larger malls in southern Metro Manila. Its four floors are filled with a multitude of retail stores and restaurants, along with scattered specialty stores. Ten cinemas, an enormous food court and an indoor roller coaster round out the offerings and attractions of this mall.

A little piece of trivia: As of 2007, Festival Supermall remains one of the few malls in Metro Manila that does not charge for its parking.