A nostalgic family trip to NE Pacific Mall in Cabanatuan City, blending ’90s memories with modern mall vibes
It has been so long since I’ve been to NE Pacific Mall. If I remember correctly, it was 2002 when I was last there, and that was to buy some personal items for my first work. If you are a kid who grew up in the 1990s in Nueva Ecija, then you’d probably consider NE Pacific Mall as one of the most iconic shopping centers in the province. Well, at least for us residents of San Antonio, it was the place to be on weekends. During the time when NE Pacific Mall was opened, it was possibly the most modern in terms of design, and the shops and restaurants that it housed were trendy during that period.
Anyway, for a '90s kid like me, going to NE Pacific Mall was an occasional treat because we only went there one, max twice, in a year. San Antonio is quite far from Cabanatuan City, about an hour jeepney ride, so it’s quite an effort if one would go there every weekend. We would go there to buy school supplies when the school year was about to start or when it was Christmas time.
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| NE Pacific Mall Department Store |
Having said that, during the last time that we were in San Antonio, I decided to take my family to NE Pacific Mall. Imagine that, 23 years since the last time I went to this popular Nueva Ecija mall. I was expecting that a lot has changed, but at the same time, I was hoping also that it would still be the same as the last t time I saw it. When I drove from San Antonio to Cabanatuan City, I realized that it was quite a long drive.
I said this because we used to ride the San Antonio-Cabanatuan jeepney, and it felt fast during that time. It was a lot different when I was the one driving. Also, maybe the traffic is a lot heavier these days, unlike before. No matter, it still felt good to visit NE Pacific Mall again.
When we got there, I remembered that there was already a Robinsons Mall beside it. I already forgot about it, but I realized that I heard about its construction many years ago. We proceeded to the paid parking area of NE Pacific Mall, found a good spot, and went inside through the back entrance.
There was already a Puregold market at the back. As we went inside, I saw familiar restaurants and stores (NE Bakeshop, Pizza Hut, etc.), but there were also a lot of changes – there were more pocket stores in the middle of the mall as well as new stores. There was also a connecting passage to Robinsons Mall.
We went to the second floor of NE Pacific Mall to check for more shops, especially since Rafa was asking us to buy him a toy. We went to the department store, but there were only a few choices. We also went inside Mr. DIY, but we thought the toys were expensive. Finally, we went to Robinsons Department Store, and Rafa found a reasonably-priced set of toys.
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| NE Bakeshop |
By the time we were done paying, it was already late in the afternoon. Before heading home, we thought of eating a light snack given the long travel time to San Antonio. We had coffee, a club sandwich, a plate of pancit sotanghon, a burger, and French fries at Zeny Café. The food was good and filling and definitely fueled us up on the way back home.
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| Zeny Cafe |
All in all, we had an enjoyable, quick trip to NE Pacific Mall. It wasn’t just a regular weekend outing to the mall, but a trip back in time for me. While many things have changed over the years, there were still a lot of familiar shops and sights inside NE Pacific Mall. In the end. It was definitely a nostalgic moment for me.
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