Cubao is among the busiest areas in Quezon City, particularly in Araneta City. Lots of people walking in different directions, vehicles rushing and the echoing of their horns, the loud sound of train passing by-it's too stressful to be out in the streets.
It's a nice idea that Gateway 2, the newest mall in Araneta, built a garden on top of the mall and even constructed a church in the middle.
The rooftop garden is called Sensory Garden while the church is the Sagrada Familia.
It's located at the mall's 5th level, a.k.a. rooftop. And oh man, the amount of effort I did just to reach this garden! I don't know why but it just felt difficult to find the escalators leading to the 4th and 5th level. The only guide I had when searching for the escalator leading to the rooftop was the warm air. It was noontime so I just followed where the air felt warmer.
And viola! Found the escalator!
I knew I'm on the right way because I can finally see the sky through the skylight. I sighed and congratulated myself for finding the garden which I have been so curious since 2023.
It was getting warmer as I got closer to the rooftop door but it didn't matter because I was excited to finally see the garden and church.
Honestly, the garden was nice and spacious but I think the plants weren't enough. Seeing the garden personally felt kind of underwhelming. I was expecting plants with blooming flowers but there were only few. It looked different on the photos posted on social media. But true enough, it was quiet and so peaceful up here. Well, because there were only very few people around when I visited.
What's nice is that they also built seats around the plants. This is perfect for people who want to relax and watch the sunset.
I also like the tiles used. I think this kind of tile also drains water on top so it doesn't leave a puddle after it rains. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Lol. It's also alternated with brick-like cement tiles with grass on it. I guess they strategically placed grass there so it sips rain water as well.
And behind these pots and tower-like or UFO-like plant frames is the Sagrada Familia church.
The design of the church is interesting and it looks as nice as it was posted online. I like the pure white color of the church. It emanated peace, purity, and holiness.
I planned to enter and pray for a while but when I came closer to the door, I noticed that there was an on going mass. There were only few people inside but I don't have enough time to attend a mass.
There's also a notice to refrain bringing pets inside the church. Hmm.. Do you think this is fair? Maybe there were some pets before who wouldn't stop barking and interrupted the peaceful air of an on going mass.
Here's the view from the garden. I bet the view from here looks really good late afternoon. The sky was cloudy like it was about to rain when I went here and it was really warm. There was no wind to keep you cool at least.
And of course, you get a good view of the buildings around. Aside from that, there's nothing much else to see.
There's also a shaded pathway which stretches from the entrance of the garden to the corner of the church.
Despite the underwhelming feeling I still think it was worth visiting. And perhaps, I visited at the wrong time. Maybe I would have a better experience when I visited late afternoon to watch the sunset. The garden might also look even better at night. If ever I get to visit Araneta again the future, I'll try going up here again at night.