QUEZON CITY CULTURAL & FOOD TOUR, Saturday, January 30, 2016

CHOP'S FIRST EVENT OF 2016!

CHOP’S QUEZON CITY CULTURAL & FOOD TOUR

Saturday, January 30, 2016

P R O G R A M

8am - 11am           Meet at the Quezon Heritage House

                                    [Inside the QC Memorial Circle, close to the East Ave. entrance]

                                             Visit the Joy of Urban Farming 

                                             Visit the Quezon City Museum

11am                     La Loma for the Lechoneros (view the live roasting pit of the La Loma group)

12 noon                 Lunch at the Ping Ping Lechon

                                             One whole lechon for the group

                                             Kare-kare

                                             Noodles (Chinese style)

                                             Roast chicken

                                             Fish fillet

                                             Mixed vegetables

                                             Steamed rice

1pm                       Visit San Pedro Bautista Church, one of the oldest churches in the Philippines

                                    dating back to 1590. It is run by the Franciscan Order

2pm                       Drop off at SERYE Restaurant for the CHOP Annual Meeting 

Tour Fee                Php1,600.00 per head for members and family,

                                    Php1,800.00 per head for guests

Fee includes:         Tour guide fee

                               Bus rental fee

                               Lunch at Ping-ping

                               Donations to museums

       Merienda at Serye Restaurant

The tour was held on the same day as the Annual Membership Meeting (see above). Impeccably organized by CHOP member Tetta Tirona—founder and Managing Director of STRAM EVENTS, INC. and tireless champion of Quezon City’s promotion at the helm of its Tourism Board, the tour made no less than seven stops, the first four of which were all located in Quezon Memorial Circle, a 25-hectare elliptical park sprawling with lush greeneries and pieces of history, surrounded by national government offices and the seat of power of Quezon City. 

First stop was the Quezon Heritage House, the weekend house of the first President of the Commonwealth, Manuel L. Quezon and his family. The group then took a leisurely walk to the Quezon Memorial Shrine, a 66-meter trylon monument to the legacy of President Quezon, and which provided a memorable group photo opportunity. Another quick walk to the Joy or Urban Farming, an urban agriculture program managed by the Office of the Q.C. Vice Mayor, Joy Belmonte, with the underlying objective of reviving and generating interest in agriculture by promoting the use of appropriate science-based technologies and practices in agriculture. 

The newly renovated Quezon City Museum was the last stop in the Circle. This impressive museum now boasts 16 “galleries” showcasing important historical pieces of the birth and growth of the city. A quick van ride to La Loma followed, and the group feasted on its famous lechon, among many other dishes, at Ping Ping’s Restaurant. On the way back to the Circle, the group visited—and had a guided tour of—the Santuario de San Pedro Bautista Parish in San Francisco del Monte. 

The sumptuous merienda at Seryé Restaurant following the Annual Membership Meeting was a fitting and delicious end to a very successful day. Credits also go to CHOP President Pia Lim-Castillo, whose collaboration with Tetta made for a superbly organized event.

[PHOTOS TO FOLLOW]