The Neighbourhood

As I explore more about the neightbourhood, I find Gambara is a very convenient place.

I. Supermarkets:
There are many supermarkets around, you are spoilt for choice.

1. Punto Vendita: This is right outside the Gambara Metro station. The scale is small, limited choices, and the price is a bit higher than the others.

2. GS at San Gimignano: This is further away, but bigger.

3. GS at Piazzale Siena: This is comparatively closer to our place.

4. Standa: This is at the junction of Via A. T. Trivulzio and Viale Ergisto Bezzi. It has two stories, many choices, including clothes, electrical appliances such as rice cookers, electric fans, etc. The price is so far the lowest. One kilogram of raw turkey is selling at less than 4 euros. With this price, it is a steal. Other stuff such as pork and chicken are also cheaper.

II. Laundry

The cost of laundry is extorbitant at our apartment. One T-shirt is 4.50 euros, underwear 1.70 euros, socks 1.70 euros, trousers 5.50 euros. Over the last three weeks, I had spent almost 200 euros on laundry alone! A few days ago, I found a laundry shop called "Fuxia Wash" at Via Rubens. I gave it a try today. Not too bad. You go there, a guy would come down from upstairs (he can see you coming through the CCTV), dump your dirty clothes into the machines, and you come back one hour later to collect. The cost is 7 euros for wash & dry. The clothes were not 100% dry when I collected mine, but that is ok as they were about 98% dry :)

III. Eating places

There are many cafes, restaurants, bars, pubs near Gambara Metro station, and a lot more if you walk further down to De Angeli and Wagner. Again, you will be spoilt for choice. There are, of course, many Italian restaurants, but there are also a variety of Japanese, Chinese, and Middle east restaurants, including the Keba. I think I find more Chinese restaurants in this area than in Milan's dull Chinatown.

IV. Shopping

At De Angeli and Wagner, there are also many shops selling clothes, shoes, electronics, and many many others. I just found out today, so I have not really taken a careful look at all of them yet. But city life is vibrant, not as boring and lacklustre as I thought before.

It seems there is an Asian community in this area, with mainly people from the Phillipines. There is a Phillipine Grocery too, but it is closed when I passed by today.