Cebu City evolved from a little town called Zubu, and is now grandly known as the Queen City of the South - not because there are a lot of gay people in Cebu (though there are) but because of the long history of the city and the elegance it has developed over time. Don Herrington of "Living in the Philippines" refers to Cebu City as the Paris of the Philippines, and that is a good description too.

Cebu City was a trading hub long before the Spanish arrived. Proof of this is that, after Legaspi sacked the city on April 27, 1565, he and his conquistadors were driven north by a food shortage. Clearly, the war resulted in the disruption of existing social and commercial systems, which caused the food shortage; the crisis would not have occurred in a more primitive economy.

Cebu City's main industry is often said to be the furniture industry. In reality, the two main biggest industries are education and medical care; people from all over the Visayas region conglomerate in Cebu City to get their degrees and operations. Consequently, during the vacation when schools are closed, traffic is far less severe and small business owners complain about lackluster trade.

Cebu City is Osmena country. The Osmena clan have ruled the city for as long as anyone can remember. Briefly, before the current administration of Mayor Tomas Osmena, a Garcia tried running the city, but, even though he had good ideas, he was a bit too soft for the job and the city became a mess. Cebuanos turned back to Mayor Tom, who is known for his dictatorial tendencies but is considered a firm and capable manager by friends and foes alike. One nice thing about Mayor Tom is the exceedingly humorous statements he tends to make, whether unwittingly or not.

The city is not perfect and many aspects could use improvement. As far as tourism is concerned, Cebu City still lacks a major world-class attraction. However, Cebu City consistently scores high in ratings as a place to visit and live; this is because of good balance. The city isn't too big or too small; it isn't too provincial or too metropolitan. It's not to hot or too cold. It isn't too inconvenient or too polluted. To quote Goldilocks, everything about Cebu City is juuuuuust right.

Whereas this website strives to be about the entire island of Cebu, the reality is that most of the material covered by this site is at present still actually from Cebu City. Hopefully this will change as Wa'y Blima! ventures further and further from the city to bring you information and features from all over the island.

Proceeding for a few minutes along Osmea Boulevard, you'll find yourself in the middle of Cebu, still called Uptown even though the real uptown has long since moved northwest. There's a large rotary - a roundabout - called Fuente Osmea with a small park inside. Cebuanos are incorrigible abbreviators and call it "Fuente." There are a few hotels around Fuente, plus Chong Hua Hospital and Robinsons, a mid-sized mall.

Continuing along Osmea Boulevard will take you to the Capitol, the seat of the governor of Cebu Province, and the Palace of Justice, which you will hopefully never see from the inside. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo chose to be sworn in here on June 30, 2004, after squeaking past her opponent in the elections, apparently because the disproportionately large number of votes she won in Cebu Province was equal to the margin she beat her opponent by.

Just a few minutes from the Capitol is Guadalupe, home to the large Guadalupe Church and a cave with a shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In addition to Santo Nio and Guadalupe, there is one other church you should know about: the Redemptorist, a major landmark about 10 minutes from Fuente.

A few minutes in the other direction is Cebu Business Park, home of Cebu's modern office towers and the Ayala Center, one of our two large malls. The place is a mess right now due to the construction of Cebu City's fourth flyover at the Escario/Arch Reyes crossing next to Ayala.

Continuing from Ayala will take you to Banilad, a largely upscale area where the hills begin. Head in the opposite direction and you'll be on the Reclamation Area, usually just called Recla, next to the international port and the piers. That's where you go to grab a boat to neighboring islands, such as Bohol, and the other provinces.

On Recla you'll find SM City Cebu, Cebu's other large mall. SM City is referred to as Shoemart in the older guidebooks, not because it looks like a shoebox from the distance, but because Henry Sy, the billionaire entrepreneur who owns it and the other SM City malls across the country, started out as a peddler of footwear.

There are a number of mini-malls often used as reference points. JY Square in Lahug opened in 2003, as did the Northgate Center, in Banilad. The Northgate is opposite the Gaisano Country Mall, which has been around for decades and looks it. The Gaisano clan's bowling and entertainment complex, the Gaisano Bowlingplex, is a stone's throw away. Near Fuente are the Cocomall, home to numerous dentists, and the Raintree Mall. The latest and largest of the bunch is the low-budget Elizabeth Mall, on the South Road.

One of the poshest places in Cebu is Crossroads, home to expensive restaurants, the Meddah spa, a few nightspots, and an upscale beauty parlor.

Towards the south of the city is the South Coastal Expressway, which opened in 2004. Who would have thought Cebu would ever get a six-lane highway? As of October, 2004, it's still free of potholes, and the only place you can comfortably exceed 100 kph in Cebu. You'd better have good brakes, though, because it's also used by tricycles.