Pasay is the city most visitors to Manila see first without realising it — Ninoy Aquino International Airport sits within its borders, and many of Metro Manila's major transport hubs are here. The city stretches along Manila Bay south of the capital proper, bordered by Makati to the northeast and Parañaque to the south.
For travellers, Pasay's main draw is the Entertainment City complex along the bay, a cluster of large casino-resorts that has become Manila's answer to Macau. The Cultural Center of the Philippines, designed by Leandro Locsin, hosts concerts, theatre, and art exhibitions on a dramatic Brutalist complex by the bay. The adjacent Coconut Palace — built for a papal visit that the Pope refused — is a curious piece of Marcos-era excess that is now open for tours. The Manila Film Center, also on the CCP grounds, carries a darker history involving a construction collapse and disputed worker deaths. The GSIS Museo ng Sining offers a free collection of Filipino art. The APEC Sculpture Garden along the bayfront is a pleasant free attraction. The Manila Bay sunset, viewed from the CCP complex or the Entertainment City seaside area, remains one of the city's simple pleasures.
Pasay is not a destination in itself so much as a place you pass through — but it has enough going on to reward a stop, especially if you are arriving or departing from NAIA and have a few hours to spare.