Take Your Date For a Walk

Who says that dates have to be fancy and elaborate? Do they always have to be in restaurants, or in movie theaters? Of course not!

Last night, I had one of the best date nights with my boyfriend, and it didn't include a candelit dinner or a blockbuster movie. We were both in shorts, t-shirts and slippers; we had burgers and tacos at Army Navy (not exactly the most romantic restaurant out there); and we didn't use a car to go around, we WALKED. Yup, you read that right: we walked 2 kilometers (in a leisurely pace) around Fort Bonifacio Global City (BGC).

From where we stood

Call me easy to please / mababaw ang kaligayahan, but I thought that was one of the most romantic nights we've had yet. :)

We started off with a late night dinner at Army Navy. Ton just came from the gym, and I came from shopping (hehe), so we were both pretty hungry. After devouring our burger, soft tacos and Freedom fries, Ton suggested that we go for a 20-minute walk around the area, to at least burn off some of the sinful calories we just ate.

Best.idea.ever.

It's interesting to walk around BGC. This "district" has so much to offer for everyone: parks for fitness, parks for games, open spaces, and art installations. It's a very pedestrian friendly place: they put in a lot of pedestrian walks, the sidewalks are wide, there are pedestrian signal buttons, and there are parks and commercial spaces at every block or so, to keep the walk interesting.

Press to cross

During our walk, we passed by Turf BGC where there were 2 football practices / games on-going. The field was well-lit, and there were a lot of spectators sitting on the grass inside the fence, or on the curbs outside.

However, while others were watching the football games, Ton and I were facing the other direction: we were facing the street where some adolescents (ok, maybe there were some adults there, too) were gathered in 3 groups: the bikers, the skaters, and the longboarders. I think we spied one or two rollerblader on the streets last night, too. :) 

BGC's informal "skate park"

The spectators

 

We were in for a treat because there were some exhibitionists present that night. Some were jumping and sliding the underside of their boards on a long steel pole. Then there was this shirtless guy (he had a right to be shirtless, those abs were DE-FINED) who was longboarding in front of us and doing stunts.

Skaterboi

Check out the video below, and wait for our reactions to this guy's stunts! Haha!

Aside from watching and cheering on the "youth on wheels," we were also able to enjoy the cool night breeze and the lights from the new skyscrapers in the vicinity.

Looking up

We also passed by IHOP, and at past 10 p.m., it was almost empty! It was too bad that we were already full from our Army Navy dinner, or else we would have jumped at the chance to finally sample IHOP's food! Me want some pancakes in mah belly! :(

Oh well.

I think we were able to burn 90 out of the 300++ calories we consumed that night. LOL. But although the initial purpose of that stroll was to burn off what we ate, we ended up just enjoying the sights and sounds of BGC. It also allowed us to talk about light and random things, like fashion (haha!), core strength (we tested it), Kevin Ware's bones (shudder), and career plans. Ok, so maybe some of the topics aren't so "light" or "random" after all, but it made for a pretty interesting conversation. Haha!

It's great to relax, let your hair down, let loose, and let your feet take you forward towards somewhere unplanned. You'll never know what you might encounter, what you might see, what you might experience! BGC is familiar ground for me already, since I live and work here, but I allowed myself to "rediscover" it last night.

Sometimes, all it takes to make an experience special is a new pair of eyes to see what you deem familiar, and another pair of wandering feet, to walk alongside you, and to take you to places you've never been to before. :)

BGC, check! Maybe let's explore Makati on foot, next?