The FRIENDS Experience: The One in Manila AND The One with the Late Birthday

- October 15, 2025, Wednesday.

- You have NO IDEA how long I have waited for this!! The FRIENDS Experience is an immersive pop-up museum based on the 90s series, FRIENDS. The FRIENDS Experience has been done in countless cities all over the world. As a big fan of the series, a running gag of my life (until now that is) is that I kept missing it in other cities due to bad timing. I guess this time, it was meant to be and conveniently in Manila, at Solaire! Perhaps the heavens felt sorry for me, because the FRIENDS Experience opened a week after my birthday, so I bought a VIP ticket as a birthday gift for myself. I was also one of the first few people to buy a ticket, because I saw an ad about it on the first day of ticket sales and almost none of the slots were filled. (Thank You Lord!!!!)

- I went on a weekday because I knew most people would go on weekends. I heard how long the lines were, which made me happy that I bought a VIP ticket - it was a bit more expensive but it allowed me to skip lines in photo spots and a 10% discount on souvenirs at the gift shop (and I knew that I would be buying myself some FRIENDS merch!!).

This can be found at the ground floor of Solaire, where the shops are. Taking a photo with this couch is free, and perfect for those who don't want to buy tickets.

- Dressed in my best 90s-inspired fit, I waited patiently for the gates to open, since I booked the earliest weekday slot, which was 2PM. The staff let us in a bit earlier, perhaps in anticipation of long lines (by this time, all slots for our entry time have been sold out!) I was the first one in line, and with VIP privileges too!

- Upon entry, guests are made to watch an introductory video about FRIENDS with an orientation from the staff about the dos and don'ts inside the museum. As an immersive museum, guests are usually allowed to touch the items in the replica sets. I guess the usual problem, however, would be people cutting lines or being too rowdy.

Can't believe I'm here!! By the way, this is located at the second floor, around the area where the theater is.

The door that opens to the FRIENDS world.

Intro video.

- The first set and photo spot was the fountain with the iconic orange couch as seen in the opening credits. There is an official photographer here, but personal phones can also be used too. I also want to acknowledge as early as now how helpful and skillful the staff were at taking photos (I also intentionally visited on the second week of opening as I knew that the staff would be used to taking good photos after a week of customers. Boy, I wasn't wrong!)

The only thing missing is an umbrella, which the cast used in the opening credits.

So no one told you life was gonna be this way (clap clap clap clap)!!!!

- After the fountain, there is a corridor with the clothes worn by the 6 main characters, and a few memorable props used throughout the series' 10 seasons. There were autographed scripts on display too, as well as wigs with various hairstyles that Rachel (played by Jennifer Aniston) had through the series - that many ladies tried to copy in the 90s!! The hall leads to the staircase with a sofa, where Ross (played by David Schwimmer) would tell Chandler (played by Matthew Perry) and Rachel to "PIVOT!!"

I think these were exactly the same clothes used in the series. (Also see their most notable lines at the base.)

Autographed scripts.

The many hairstyles of Rachel.

PIVOTTTT!!

- The next set replica is the boys' apartment, one of the two main apartments shown in the series. For the most part, it was resided by Chandler and Joey (played by Matt LeBlanc). It has the two "LA-Z Boy" Recliners that they both love, as well as a model of Hugsy, Joey's penguin stuffed toy. Adjacent to the boys' apartment is a model of the unforgettable look  that Joey had in what was supposed to be a filler episode; he wore all of Chandlers' clothes at the same time to spite him at a time when they're supposed to be in a hurry to get dressed to attend Ross' function at the museum.

Rachel's love letter to Ross - 18 pages front AND back!!

Science Boy - a comic made by Ross when he was a little boy.

The perfect chair to watch FRIENDS! (And yes, the TV behind me is working, and does of course show clips from FRIENDS!)

Maybe I should get myself a recliner too!

The boys' apartment has a doodle board behind their door. These doodle boards show the many illustrations throughout the episodes, which often say something about the episode or foreshadow something about the series.

HUGSY!!

Pat the dog! He's a big ceramic dog. It's a reminder of Joey's brief life as a filthy rich actor.

Could I BE wearing any more clothes????

- Outside the boys' apartment is a replica of the apartment's hallway. Though uninteresting in terms of color, FRIENDS fans know how many memories add color to what looks like a "dull" hallway. And of course. this hallways leads to one of the main sets of the series: the girls' apartment, where Rachel and Monica (played by Courtney Cox) reside for the most part of the series.     

Looking for a flat?

Reenacting that famous Thanksgiving episode.

Love the colors!!

Coffee, tea, or me?

Another thanksgiving classic: when Monica wore this turkey on her head, complete with the fez and sunglasses!

 - The final set is where the whole group usually likes hanging out: Central Perk! It is also where Rachel worked for some time after she decided to support herself, and where Phoebe (played by Lisa Kudrow) occasionally plays her songs. This was where the song "Smelly Cat" was born!

I've always wanted a cafe like this in my neighborhood.

Giant cup!

Smelly cattttt SMELLyyyy cat, what. are. they. feedingyou????

Because there weren't a lot of people, the FRIENDS backdrop from outside the cafe could easily be seen from the cafe's interior.

Couldn't resist pretend playing the keyboard on display....as a pianist myself.

Cafe exterior.

- I wasn't able to take a photo of the gift shop as I was too busy shopping, but I was so happy that they had a necklace with a pendant in the shape of the yellow picture frame from the girls' apartment. That was the first thing I got. There were hugsy stuffed toys, socks, mugs, notebooks, sweatshirts, and other amazing (slightly pricey of course) merch on sale too!

- I was able to finish the whole thing in around an hour. And because I was the first in line and was able to plan what to do and what photos to take per location (I did my research beforehand on what the FRIENDS Experience was like, because when did I not do my research??), it felt like I owned the whole place! (I told one of my friends who went during the weekend with a big crowd, she described my experience as not just "VIP", but the "VVVVIP experience"!!)  I was also quite fast that the staff were slightly concerned that I was not making the most out of the experience, but believe me, I did!! More importantly, I experienced something special and something that I really waited so long to do for my (late) birthday!! 

The Melbourne Reprise and Surprise (Part 8): Giant Balloon and Giant Hello Kitty

- May 22-24, 2025, Thursday to Saturday.

- One of the things I was most excited and anxious about for this trip to Melbourne was my first time to ride a hot air balloon. We booked this on Klook and the service was provided by Global Ballooning. I was supposed to have my first hot air balloon experience in Cappadocia, Turkey some years back, but there was sudden heavy snowfall so we didn't push through. Payment is often refunded to customers in the event of  unfavorable weather circumstances. Thankfully, this time, we were able to proceed this time. Melbourne, by the way, is the only city where hot air balloons are permitted to fly over the CBD. Flights are often done in big open areas.

- On the day of the flight we had to wake up really early and rode an Uber to our meeting place, the Pullman Hotel - On the Park. We were picked up around 6AM as scheduled; there were 11 of us not including our pilot (and two assistants). We were driven to an open field and we helped the crew set up the giant hot air balloon before taking up just before sunrise. Not only was it nice to see the sunrise from the hot air balloon, but more importantly, the wind is usually more stable in the morning when the air is still cool (hot air during the day causes motion and speeds up the wind.)

Holding the balloon while they're blowing wind into the balloon from the powerful fan.

Yes that is me.

After inflating the balloon, they need to blow hot air using the burner so the balloon will rise.

Fully inflated.

Needs more wind I guess.

There you go.

- As we ascended to the sky, I realized that what people say about hot air balloon flights is true - it is peaceful up in the air. The flight was so stable that I didn't realize we were already flying. During the whole flight, I also did not feel any kind of motion as the wind was so gentle. I just enjoyed the view of Melbourne from above the whole flight.  

This is our amazing pilot Eddie Saunders. How amazing is he? Based on what I found online, he's ranked number 1 in Australia and 18 worldwide. His dad is highly recognized hot air balloon pilot, Kiff Saunders, who also founded Global Ballooning. 

CBD from the sky.

My home Down Under.

Closer look of CBD.

It was hard to get this shot. Also, please don't underestimate how hot the burner is. And it's almost difficult to avoid it since the basket is small.

Fitzroy Gardens from above.

Malbourne Exhibition Hall and Melbourne Museum.

University of Melbourne.

- We flew for an hour before landing at Royal Park. The landing was barely noticeable too, by the way. The next fun part was helping the crew deflate and pack the balloon. But before that, we got to go inside the balloon before it completely deflated!      

Inside the balloon.

We had to step on the balloon to deflate it.

- To celebrate the successful flight we had breakfast at the Pullman (included in our package) and went to Queen Victoria Market to stroll around.

Vic Market seemed livelier today, I'm happy to see that.

Still an amazing market for anything you need.

- That afternoon I went to the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Australia's oldest art museum; it was founded in 1861 (1, 3, 5,6, 16, 64, 67, or 72 Tram to the Arts Precinct/St. Kilda Rd. Stop). Since I've been to the NGV before, there wasn't anything in particular that I really wanted to see anymore, except perhaps the biggest stained glass ceiling at the Great Hall. But I guess I really just missed the vibe of the museum (and it was free) so I thought of paying it a visit.

Hello NGV, it's been a while!!

A special piece by Yayoi Kusama.

The biggest stained glass ceiling in the world.

A piece by Picasso.

One of my favorite parts of the museum.

Asian collection. (These ones are Gandhara sculptures from India.)

Italian fashion.

Another peek at the Great Hall before leaving.

- That evening I had dinner in the city and had dessert at San Churro in QV Mall along Swanston Street. It was the perfect way to warm up from the cold evening.

I love my churros and hot chocolate.

- My last day in Melbourne was a slow day, just so I can take in Melbourne's vibe before I flew back home early morning the next day. I began the morning by riding the 19 Tram to the University of Melbourne because I heard much about how nice the campus looked. It was built in 1853 and is the second oldest university in Australia (the oldest being the University of Sydney).

This is the Old Quad, the original building of UniMelb.

UniMelb has many beautiful buildings but some of them were off limits as I didn't have a UniMelb ID.

It was a bit difficult taking a photo of the Old Quad as there were many passersby.

It has a bit of that Harry Potter feel, no?

Just to prove that I was in UniMelb. And obviously this is one of their more modern buildings.

- I later met my friend Jose for lunch. Good thing he caught be because I didn't know he was in Melbourne. It was nice catching up with each other after a long time. 

Had Vietnamese for lunch.

And another round of churros for dessert.

- That afternoon I stopped by the State Library of Victoria (1, 3, 5,6, 16, 64, 67, or 72 Tram to Melbourne Central / State Library of Victoria Stop). People don't just go to the library to read or study, but most visitors, tourists that is, like seeing the dome, which is the central part of the library.

One of the prettiest libraries I've seen.

The Dome.

I'm really just here for the photos.

Taking as many as I could.

- I spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out at the new Hello Kitty Cafe. It has a large inflatable Hello Kitty at the seating area in the middle of the mall so it's not hard to miss.  They did not only have Hello-Kitty themed food, but they also had a lot of merch for sale.

HELLO.

Hello Kitty cake and My Melody matcha.

GIANT HELLO KITTY OMG.

I'm not really a Hello Kitty fan, but I just thought these kinds of themed cafes are cute and interesting.

Hello Kitty drinks.

It's just so fitting that one of the last photos I have of Melbourne for this trip is Coop's Shot Tower and the giant glass cone sheltering it.

- For my last dinner in Melbourne, I went to Nelayan, an Indonesian restaurant at Swanston Street, which was one of the comfort foods I had when I stayed in Melbourne in 2022. It was a simple restaurant but had the heartiest meals (and one of the most affordable ones too!) I'm so glad the restaurant is still here.

Comfort food.

One of the many restaurants I got to visit again (and many others I wasn't able to!)

- I flew back home the following day, on the 24th, early morning. Since the Sky Bus wasn't operating yet at that hour, we rode an Uber to the airport. This Melbourne trip was honestly one of the most hectic trips I've had to prepare for since my graduation schedule was only announced a couple of weeks prior, while I was about to go on my Sri Lanka trip. Lots of things in this trip were pretty much just me winging it save for a few activities that I had reserved beforehand. I also wasn't able to inform all my Melburnian/Victorian friends about my arrival and I feel a bad for not being able to meet everyone -- but I did my best to meet those that I could. Despite these I felt elated to be back in Melbourne and relive a temporary life I once had years back. A lot of things changed, but a lot of things didn't as well. I don't know when I'll be back in Melbourne (or Australia) again, but I hope that when I do get the chance to go back, I'll still have the same kind of love and excitement for it as I had for this trip. Melbourne is one of the places I call home in this world.

** Check out my other adventures in Melbourne/Victoria here!

Part 1: Revisiting Melbourne's Central Business District (CBD) - here

Part 2: La Trobe University Graduation - here

Part 3: Werribee - here

Part 4: Geelong - here 

Part 5: Melbourne Central and Titanic VR - here

Part 6: Bendigo - here

Part 7:  The Lume and Dax Centre - here