Now more than ever, being “green” has become more than just a fad. More people are also waking up to the fact that there’s more to living in the city than just staying nice and cold inside those gigantic shopping malls. Let nature take its course and find its way to you with these 10 green patches around Manila—all natural, healthy, and pocket-friendly, but most of all, they’re refreshing alternatives for your next weekend outing.

AYALA TRIANGLE GARDENS
The newest attraction in Makati is surprisingly not a shopping mall, but a 20,000 square meter-park right behind the Philippine Stock Exchange building, where the busy streets of Ayala Avenue, Paseo de Roxas and Makati Avenue converge. A project of Ayala Land’s Innovation and Design Group, this spacious park gives Makati’s pedestrians and commuters a chance to take in their surroundings as early as 6 a.m. all the way to 10 p.m. Park-goers can also sit under the trees with their laptops and take advantage of free WiFi.

The park’s formal opening in November featured a lights and sounds show fit for the Christmas season. Abstract sculptures by Ovvian Castrillo-Hill also add touches of color and surprise to the wide expanse of greens and slabs of stone benches. Pets are more than welcome, but just make sure you clean up after them and throw everything in the pet waste cans located in a number of areas around the park. Entrance is free.

Check out www.ayaland.com.ph for more information

JAIME VELASQUEZ / SALCEDO PARK
Tordesillas Street, Salcedo Village, Makati

More commonly known for its weekend market held every Saturday since 2004, this quiet square in Makati is a breath of fresh air on any given day of the week. It is also the home of Art in the Park, a bi-annual event that started four years ago, and was first held to coincide with the second anniversary of the weekend market.

Strictly no pets, smoking, or ball games allowed, or else be ready to be fined P1,000. Kids are sure to enjoy the playground area, jumping from the colorful swing sets to the monkey bars. A trellised walkway by the side of the park perfectly matches the green setting. The park is named after a one of the chief implementors of the Makati CBD and a former Ayala corporation executive Jaime C. Velasquez (1907-1979). Entrance is free.

Call 813-2446 to 47 or 810-3054 for more information