Destin Commons outdoor mall in Destin Florida - My favorite Mall
Mall of America - - - I've been here - - - It's a blast!
Plans for rebuild of Cottonwood Mall - - Wow!
Cordova Mall, PensacolaI think I'll venture out to Cordova Mall today. Haven't been in that mall since before Clay graduated from West Florida Technical High School. It is THE mall in Pensacola and it's face has changed dramatically since I was there last. I have this thing about going into malls. I like to walk fast and if you go to a mall in the evening or Friday or Saturday it is full of "kids and gangs." The first time I told a couple of friends this they laughed and each time they saw me after that they'd say, "Kids and Gangs!" It got to be a joke. I'm not prejudiced against kids but I am towards gangs and they try to rule the world and the malls. I know the malls make most of their money from teenagers and rich women who have nothing to do but shop all day for things they don't need. The enclosed malls are extremely clostrophobic because of the clusters of people you have to walk around who are always just walking and talking - - not really shopping - - just sauntering and holding those of us up who are there for a real reason. I can't really fault "kids and gangs" for hanging out in malls because it's what I did when I was a teenager and if you are a kid it seems like a good place to go to kill time; that is if you aren't into reading good books or playing video games or watching the discovery channel.
I grew up in a place that claims to have built the very first Mall in America. Cotton Wood Mall in Salt Lake City, Utah. I loved to go there with my friends, buy a hoagie and hang out all afternoon bringing home some little trinket to prove I had been shopping. By the way, I went looking for Cottonwood Mall on line and it has been demolished and is being rebuilt but will be an entire city when completed that will house stores, business offices, rivers, residences, condos, a city park. I don't think that kids and gangs will be hanging out in places like these as much and businesses will do better because of it. Amazing how communities are changing so fast in recent years. Here's to Malls and progress and yes even kids and gangs hanging out in malls which has forced mall owners to rethink the Mall experience. One last thing, I've been to the Mall of America. Everyone should go there once. It's huge and my legs wore out before I saw all of it. We lost our car because we couldn't remember which level (letter of the alphabet) we had parked on. Anyone who goes there should plan to spend as much time as you would flying to Europe if you want to see it all. My sister bought me new keds just so I could make it to the car when we were done. It was something! It was fun! It was exhausting. BiG! My favorite part was getting soaked on the log ride in Snoopy Land and going to Lego Land. It's a great place. All enclosed and too big and too amazing for there to be even the slightest chance that kids and gangs will be blocking your walking path.
Katie,
ReplyDeleteDon't be surprised if there are kids and gangs at the new cottonwood mall when it is done. They seem to hang out everywhere here in Utah. They have been drawn to Gateway Mall (Outdoor Mall) and Valley Fair Mall. Come to think of it there were lots of kids at University Mall the last time we were there, Oh yah it is Utah. J/K. See you on Tuesday or there about.
Additional note since this post: I drove past the rebuilding of Cottonwood Mall while I was in Utah. It has halted due to the economy. The old mall has been torn down and now there is dirt and a Macy's and that's all. Fall out that keeps falling out with this economy mess.
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