The original Cash n Carry is REALLY old, I can tell you that...its small shops used to carry imported footwear, clothing and other items that were referred to back then as "PX Goods." Well, that was before the advent of trade liberalization when it was hip to wear much-sought-after imported (or probably smuggled?) goods.

There's something about small shops that I find appealing... reminds me about a similar place along Taft Avenue in Manila, called Cartimar. Is it still there? That's where I bought my bike years ago, by the way.

Because of their central airconditioning systems, malls are popular places where urban folks hang out to cool off from the searing city heat. I just wish, though, that local authorities should rethink their land use and zoning ordinances by disallowing the construction of malls along busy thoroughfares. Malls are oftentimes the culprit in snarled city traffic. I've experienced sitting for hours behind the wheel along Aguinaldo Highway in Cavite because of SM Bacoor; Ramon Magsaysay Avenue in Sta, Mesa, Manila because of SM Centerpoint; and along EDSA because of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong and SM City North EDSA in Quezon City.